The stronger the bridge, the more it can hold
If you’re in business, you no doubt understand the importance of networking.
Networking is about developing mutually beneficial relationships and rapport is key to that. Rapport is ‘a relationship of mutual understanding or trust between people’, and when you have rapport with someone, it’s much easier to work out what they need from you. There is also a much better chance of you getting what you need from them.
Think of rapport as a bridge:
The stronger the bridge, the more it can hold.
Establishing rapport quickly, fast-tracks the building of that bridge which is so important in all aspects of life and business.
So how do you establish rapport quickly?
Well, think of the times when you have ‘clicked’ instantly with someone… here, you have seen the basic principles of rapport in action:
1) We like people who are like us
2) We are only ever truly influenced by people who we believe ‘like’ us.
I spend a fair amount of time networking, but I am also in the business of developing leaders and teams.
Every day, I observe rapport being established at networking minutes over a coffee, breakfast or lunch. I see it in my own relationships with my team and demonstrated through the bridges being built in their dealings with theirs. I also witness potential bridges in ruins, destroyed instantly through a lack of understanding of the basic principles I mentioned earlier.
In future blogs, I will share real-life examples of good and poor rapport, as well as some useful tips to enable you to strengthen the bridge with people in your life quickly and effortlessly.
Remember, the stronger the bridge, the more it can hold…