Subtly mirroring someone’s movements, postures, or tone of voice builds a connection at an unconscious level and shows the other person you are empathizing with them. For example, if a person begins to join you or lean forward slightly, it is appropriate to follow suit, as it shows you are with them. This creates a degree of comfort and trust, and is a good way to build rapport without being odd. Using the customer’s name, referencing past interactions, or tailoring your language to the situation helps personalize the experience. When customers feel like they’re speaking to a real person—not just an agent—they’re more likely to open up and work with you to resolve the issue. To build real rapport, you need to see the person behind the problem.
The team shares their answers during the second half of the hour. The files can be saved in an archive as an onboarding tool for new employees. At the beginning of a call, the leader asks one member to sign on with their phone, and provide https://www.thecupidfeel.com/ the rest of the team with a selective tour of their domicile.
At Match & Matter, we believe it doesn’t have to be that way. Our platform is designed to help people go beyond the swipe, guiding them toward authentic matches that truly matter. By consciously tuning into your physical signals, you create an inviting atmosphere that naturally fosters trust and openness — all without needing to overshare a single word. Non-verbal cues consist of body movements, gestures, and other ways of communicating expectations with the body.
Using “I” is on a more personal and connective level than using “We”. Incorporating questions about the customers day into the call, shows genuine interest in the other person means, and encourages them to engage more openly in the conversation. The core skills stay the same, but the emphasis shifts depending on who you are building rapport with.
It’s what turns customers into partners and feedback into innovation. When I started my career, I thought my job was to have all the answers. After over a decade of building and leading teams, I know now that my real job is to ask the right questions. At Dapper Labs, I led a global support pod for high-passion products like NBA Top Shot. We couldn’t script for every emotional scenario a collector might have.
Making that emotional connection builds trust and helps the conversation feel more personal. Even if you don’t fully agree, validating someone’s feelings shows you respect their perspective. It’s not about winning the argument or trying to convince them otherwise—it’s about letting them know you’re listening and that their emotions are understood. Approaching things this way helps keep things calm and prevents the conversation from getting heated. By asking someone to share more, you show that you’re really engaged in what they’re saying.
“Here’s how we’ll sort this out” lands far better than “There’s nothing I can do about that.” Mirroring is subtly matching a customer’s tone, pace, and word choice. Verbal cues like “okay,” “I see,” and “got it” also signal that you’re engaged, which matters even more when the customer can’t see your face. A simple trick is to repeat the last few words of what the customer said back to them.
The definition of rapport is a feeling of commonality; people like people who are like themselves. So, if you want to build rapport, you need to demonstrate commonality. When you have rapport with someone, you feel connected to them. Even if you’ve just met, you feel like you know them somehow. Maybe you share something in common, and it makes you feel like this other person just “gets” you — and vice versa.
Friendly Closure And Follow-up
The ability to hold a conversation is a vital life skill for all. In this activity, two participants get to flex their improv skills. For the first few minutes, the follower mirrors all the movements of the leader. The leader lays out an assortment of conversation starter buttons at the entrance to the meeting, and participants pin one to their shirts as they arrive.
Maintain an open posture, keep steady (but not constant) eye contact, and mirror the other person’s energy and expressions. Leaning toward them and smiling also projects interest and trustworthiness. The best thing you can do is make it sound and feel genuine and natural. Don’t change your personality, but make slight adjustments to match the prospect’s behavior.
These activities make a great way to break the ice and build some rapport amongst people who don’t know each other. The team selects a series from a streaming platform, then watches it together at a regular time, such as Wednesday evenings. While watching, everyone interacts with each other on a video messaging app such as Volley. Optionally, the activity ends with a group chat or a video call. The first five minutes of each meeting is usually spent waiting for everyone to show up, so why not use it for a little team building? Now let’s get to the heart of the matter and look at activities for building rapport.
Remember, the person on the other end of the call has a life outside of work. Building rapport is crucial in sales because people are way more likely to do business with those they know, like, or trust. Answer 16 quick questions about what you want to change and what gets in the way. Get a path for your first month and your first week, day by day.
- In psychotherapy, rapport is often called the “therapeutic alliance,” a key factor that determines whether therapy will be successful.
- Use professional but casual language, and let your personality show within professional bounds.
- When someone shares something vulnerable, this shows empathy and solidarity.
- Using the customer’s name and referencing their specific issue also makes a phone call feel personal.
Your Next Read
The ability to establish and calibrate rapport is transformative, changing transactional conversations into collaboration. When it comes to sales, building rapport is absolutely essential. Because when you have a strong relationship with a customer, you have more influence on them.
Teams, as we know, are made up of people from all sorts of backgrounds, ages, personalities, and previous experiences. Releasing our own perspective and deliberately listening to others in order to get where they’re coming from is key to bridging communication gaps. Asking for their opinion shows respect for their ideas and gives them a chance to share their knowledge or experiences. It makes the conversation feel more collaborative and creates a stronger bond by exploring deeper topics together. Plus, it makes them feel important because you’re asking what they think, so you obviously value their perspective. When someone shares something significant, acknowledging the weight of their experience makes them feel heard.
Anyone can build rapport, regardless of their communication style. Building rapport is about driving a meaningful connection between you and another person. It isn’t enough to feign interest; instead, practice openness and honesty in order to establish mutual trust. Everyone wants a positive relationship with the people they work with. But building a healthy level of camaraderie, rapport, and comfortable conversations takes effort.
But it’s well worth it, as the benefits play out both in our careers and personal lives as well. Overcoming false impressions and establishing rapport entails immediately presenting the story of who we are and how we want to be seen. When you have something in common with someone, it’s easy to chat away with them for hours. Have you ever heard that what people say are the icebergs that sit above the water?
You hear the issue, confirm your understanding, and validate the emotion before moving to a solution. Time and time again, I’ve found that rapport is the ultimate buffer when things go wrong. A shipment gets delayed, a bug appears in the software, or a campaign promise falls short. I’ve managed these situations across e-commerce, SaaS, and gaming, and the outcome always depends on the relationship you have with the customer before the problem occurs. When you have strong rapport, customers are more forgiving and willing to work with you toward a solution.