Coaching Skills: Creating Rapport with Clients

Summary

This session delves into the art of building rapport with clients, a crucial skill for fostering trust and enhancing professional relationships. It defines rapport as a mutual sense of connection and understanding, often created unconsciously. The speaker outlines various types of rapport, including circumstantial, topic-related, relationship, verbal, and postural gestural rapport. They then introduce eight fundamentals for consciously creating rapport, such as prioritizing it, asking open questions, showing genuine interest, and matching body language. The goal is to help professionals connect more effectively with clients, leading to better outcomes and stronger, long-term relationships.

Takeaways

• 😀 Rapport is a sense of connection and trust that arises when people share values or priorities.
• 🔗 Rapport is usually created unconsciously but can be consciously utilized to build stronger client relationships.
• 🗣️ There are different types of rapport, including circumstantial, topic-related, relationship, verbal, and postural/gestural rapport.
• 🤝 Building rapport involves being genuinely interested in clients, asking open-ended questions, and actively listening.
• 📝 Taking notes during conversations helps remember important details about clients, which can be used to build rapport.
• 👀 Paying attention to commonalities between you and the client can create a sense of shared understanding and connection.
• 🏃‍♂️ Being on the same 'step' as the client, whether it's focusing on details or big-picture thinking, helps in rapport building.
• 💬 Matching the client's language, including adjectives and modalities, can create verbal rapport and make them feel understood.
• 🧍‍♂️ Mirroring body language, such as posture and gestures, can create postural rapport and make the client feel more comfortable.
• 👍 Offering positive feedback and acknowledging what the client is doing well can foster trust and strengthen the relationship.

Q & A

What is the definition of Rapport according to the transcript?

Rapport is described as a sense of connection that occurs when you meet someone you like and trust, whose point of view you understand. It's also defined as a friendly and harmonious relationship where people or groups understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well.

Why is creating Rapport with clients important?

Creating Rapport with clients is important because it helps them feel known, trusted, and safe around you, which encourages them to open up more. This openness allows for better assistance in their journey and can lead to long-term relationships and referrals.

What are the different types of Rapport mentioned in the transcript?

The transcript mentions four types of Rapport: circumstantial or topic-related Rapport, relationship Rapport, verbal Rapport, and postural and gestural Rapport.

Can you give an example of circumstantial Rapport from the transcript?

An example of circumstantial Rapport given in the transcript is when two people both have young families or aging parents, creating a shared experience that facilitates connection.

How is relationship Rapport defined in the transcript?

Relationship Rapport is about truly knowing and understanding your client to create a meaningful connection. It involves showing interest in what's important to them, like their hobbies or family, and demonstrating that you care about their business and them as a person.

What is verbal Rapport and how can it be achieved?

Verbal Rapport is created by using similar language to your client, which doesn't mean repeating their words exactly but adapting your speech to match their style and the language they use. This can include using the same type of descriptive words or adopting a similar tone.

How does postural and gestural Rapport work?

Postural and gestural Rapport involves matching the body language and gestures of your client to create a sense of understanding and similarity. This can mean adopting a similar posture, using hand gestures in a way that mirrors the client, or adjusting your own movements to align with theirs.

What are the eight fundamentals of building Rapport as outlined in the transcript?

The eight fundamentals of building Rapport are: 1) Make Rapport building a priority, 2) Ask lots of open questions, 3) Be interested and show you're listening, 4) Pay attention to what you have in common, 5) Be on the same step with your client, 6) Listen to their language and use similar descriptives, 7) Match and mirror body language, and 8) Offer positive feedback on what's going well.

Why is it beneficial to ask open questions when building Rapport?

Asking open questions invites more than a yes or no answer, which helps you get to know your client better and provides more opportunities for connection. It also shows that you are genuinely interested in their responses and willing to engage in a deeper conversation.

How can taking notes help in building Rapport?

Taking notes during conversations helps you remember important details about your client's personal life or business, which you can refer back to in future interactions. This demonstrates that you were listening and value what they shared, thus enhancing Rapport.

What is the significance of being on the same step with your client?

Being on the same step with your client means recognizing and respecting their current focus, whether it's on details or the big picture. This aligns you with their thought process and helps them feel understood and valued, which is crucial for building Rapport.