 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Build Rapport Fast! - Eight Easy Steps
Building rapport is all about creating a relationship, in the moment. And this is vital in business, education, friendships and many other areas of life. We need relationships to help us get the things we want for ourselves in our lives,
like money, promotions, success, partners and above all to feel part of society. You see we are social animals, us humans and if we find it challenging to make relationships, then we feel excluded. And that ain't comfortable. Now some will say that you must make continued eye contact, but, you know, some folks find that invasive and threatening. So match what they do, if they look at you, look at them. But whatever you do, ensure that you give an appropriate level of attention to them. In Dale Carnegie's wonderful book, 'How to Win Friends & Influence People', he tells a story of how he sat next to someone at dinner one evening. All night his fellow guest talked; all night Carnegie listened. A few weeks later, he was amazed to hear from a mutual friend how interesting his dinner companion had found him - even though Carnegie said virtually nothing all evening! ..which leads us to how you relate to them. If someone is talking to you about something, make sure you show you value what they are saying, by asking them at least one additional openquestion about what they are talking to you about. Remember these? The 4 W's of HoW (yea, I know!), What, Where or Who - perhaps not Why, which can be seen as a challenge at the start of a relationship. 4 easy, helpful, interested open question types. By matching physically, you will make a far greater impression. So, if they are standing, stand, leaning forward, lean forward. Ever spoken to a child? What did you do - you crouched down, didn't you. Why? Because you felt more able to communicate. It works well for big people too! How often have you discussed something and then it hasn't been followed through afterwards. Promises not kept. And how did that leave your relationship with that person? Not good eh? Following through on what you promise is not just good practice, it is vital if you want to build a strong, trusting relationship. People notice, even when you don't. Also remember to underpromise and overdeliver. Laughter is a powerful tool in building relationships - you are sharing the same emotion, in the same moment. Ever seen two people in fits of laughter? How strong was that bond then? Pretty strong, I guess. Ever been there yourself? Yes, you know the feeling. It works, so share the fun and joy of the moment. It is not about listening, it's about hearing them. So what's the distinction here? It means being so with the person that you sense other things beneath the words. This is a very powerful tool you can use. Further sensitive questioning then adds into your evidence, which can give you great clues to help build the relationship. Remember that when you are talking, you might be using the same language, but you hear it with different ears, different experiences and altogether a different 'take' on the words. A great coach I know, Elaine Wylie, had a problem with her cell phone one day and heard a serious echo. She heard herself fully before her caller responded. It was very revealing. So hear what you are saying from your audience's 'ears'. Have you ever spoken to someone uninterrupted for as long as it took to say all you had to say? Were there spaces where it went quiet? What did you say next? In Nancy Kilne's great book 'Time to Think' she explores great exercises to do just that. The experience is magical. Give your listener space to talk and let them fill the silences. You will have pure rapport and a recognition that you care so much. So that's all there is to it. There maybe a few other things, but get these here somewhere like right and it will create relationships of value for you all over the place - through the rapport you have built in the moment. Daunted? Don't be. Try one or two at a time and see the reaction - play with these ideas. Build your confidence. Enjoy the learning to Build Rapport Fast! Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com ...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - The 4th C: Cumulative Money Problems A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.The 4th C: CUMULATIVE MONEY PROBLEMSConflicts over money are very high on the list of reasons that 70% of business partnerships fail. What Every Manager Should Know About How to Become An Effective Executive In his book, The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker pointed out that the effective executive is the person who focuses on making a contribution.This focus on the making of a contribution is the key. Power of Pinpointing Accountability I have always said that if I were to write a book on effective management principles, the first chapter in that book would be about the importance of pinpointing responsibility among an owner's or a general manager's reporting units. After all, one of the most popular definitions of management is getting work done through others. 10 Fool Proof Ways To Intensify Your Profits 1. Create benefit intensifiers for your list of ad copy benefits. Project Management - Its Just A Button I once worked with a developer who showed up at every product demo and constantly suggested improvements for the product. Don't get me wrong. Service Level Agreement (SLA) Boot Camp Service Level Agreements, or "SLA's" are tricky but useful mechanisms for managing the risk of an on-going relationship with IT service providers. Unfortunately, most SLA's that show up in service contracts as worthless, cosmetic paper additions. Management Consultants, Creativity, Innovation Most firms have intelligent, capable, knowledgeable managers who are very good at day-to-day problem solving. So why do they need management consultants? There are occasions when consultants bring in specialist competencies, but if that is not the case then their value only really lies in their outside perspective - their ability to frame break from the "company way" and their ability to come up with and implement good ideas that would not otherwise have been thought of. Business Innovation - Value versus Quality Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Employee Performance - If You Want the Best, Get Personal! This is a story about a man and three dogs.I walk a lot - usually for about half to three-quarters of an hour most mornings. How to do SWOT Analysis for your Business SWOT analysis is needed for all business to understand how to improve their business.To have best SWOT Analysis we use below methodSWOT on Strengths that you can use for improving your business. Rapid Culture Change is Possible Purpose: Show how immersion leadership training makes strategic initiative success possible.Adults learn through experience. The Comfort Zone The Comfort Zone I have a friend named Gene, a serial entrepreneur who currently runs a software business. Like many people, last year was a tough one for his company. Think Time... Its Now Or Never I recently read an article published in the June, 2005 issue of Fast Co. magazine. Virtual Assistance: A Money Saving Opportunity For Employers What is a Virtual Assistant? A Virtual Assistant is a highly skilled, independent entrepreneur who provides business services in a remote or virtual environment. Some have used terms like telecommuter or working from home. Is Your Management Style Assisting or Hurting Your Business? Many times business owners can have significant differences in management styles that can deter the growth of both the employees and the business.Employees can have differing needs that require differing methods of management as well. Influencing the Organisation There is a saying about management that suggests some managers are so focussed on the details of a business, that when the Titanic was sinking those particular managers were still straightening chairs in the dining room. Whether we love 'em or hate 'em, managers are here to stay, and their job is fundamentally to manage the resources within an organisation for optimum efficiency and effectiveness, and by doing so to achieve the organisation's goals. Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Ideas for Everyday Training This article relates to the Training competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. It tells the story of a group of team leaders who worked together to find ways to use information sharing and communication to provide valuable employee training. What Your Employees Want You to Know (But You Might Be Afraid to Ask) This is a challenge for every company owner and manager. You have tremendous plans for growth and expect a lot of your employees. Project Management - The Traveling Product Manager Various studies - and common sense - indicate that involving customers increases the likelihood that your product will meet customer requirements (I hope these studies weren't funded with my tax dollars!)Although the above statement sounds exceedingly obvious, the fact of the matter is many software projects lack customer input. Consider the following example:Week 0: Red, our friendly project mangler, is in charge of the next release of his organization's flagship product. Developing Your Management Style One thing a lot of us don't do in sales is take time out to analyse things.How are we doing it? Why are we doing it? Can we do it better?Taking time out to assess your management style is one of the most fundemental tasks a person can do.
|
|
|
 |
 |
