Have you ever had a time when you met someone and instantly knew you had instant feeling of “like” for him or her? This feeling of connection with another person happens when there is rapport. Rapport is the harmonious association with a person or group of people where there is sharing of particular behaviors.
There are three key components to establishing rapport:
- 7% Words – common experience, content chunks and key words
- 38% Tonality – voice, tempo, volume, pitch, and tonality
- 55% Physiology– breathing, gestures, posture, and movements
Mirroring and matching other people’s behaviors is the fastest way to establish rapport. Some examples include: touching your face when they touch theirs, adjusting your tone of voice to match their tone or slowing the cadence of your words to mirror their pace.
Often people say they aren’t comfortable “copying” someone else’s behavior, and yet most of us do it unconsciously every time we see a baby. You bend over the carriage or high chair, talk softly, and make goofy sounds – googoo and gaga. Why do you do that? To make the baby comfortable so s/he doesn’t cry.
It’s the same with adults, although we don’t expect to see them cry, mirroring and matching is a way to create comfort between people. After all people want to spend time with people they know like and trust. When there is rapport, there is an immediate sense of oneness and trust.
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Much Success!
Have an outstanding day!!
Sara