Whether in the personal or professional world, you’re only as good as your word. People must see you as trustworthy and honest so that you create a name for yourself. If people don’t trust you, then it’s harder to get even the smallest things accomplished. But first, you must earn trust by building rapport when you meet someone new.
There are many benefits to having an excellent rapport with people. First, when you are trustworthy, you are influential. You become a person of authority who others know they can come to for advice. Since you give valuable information, your friends and colleagues can open up to you about their needs.
In the business world, people want to do their dealings with authoritative individuals in their arena. Can you imagine doing business with someone you don’t trust? Would you ever want to give them a credit card or your home address?
The benefits of trust are hard to deny, but once you build that rapport, you can use that as a foundation to build good relationships.
Fifteen Ways to Build Rapport When You Meet New People
Do you need help building rapport with people? Perhaps you struggle in the business world to make the connections you need to be successful. Whether in your personal life or your career, you need to learn effective ways to enhance your relationship with others so that you’re not only seen as trustworthy but a well-liked person. Here are 15 ways that you can build this connection.
1. Listen Attentively to Others
It would help if you always listened more than you speak. To be an effective communicator, you need to make sure you catch every word from the other party. Never talk over people, cut them off in mid-sentence, or try to act like your thoughts or feelings are superior to theirs.
It’s also beneficial that you remember previous conversations as it looks good when you talk in the future. Folks like people that remember things like the names of their children or pets. When you state things talked about in previous conversations, it shows others that you were listening attentively.
2. Be Responsive to Calls, Emails, and Texts
How many times have you called or texted someone only to have your efforts ignored? When someone is trying to reach you, you should always respond within 24 hours at the most.
It’s incredibly offensive when others can see that you have read their message and haven’t taken the time to respond. Sure, you’re busy, but people make time for the things that are important to them.
3. Never Exaggerate or Embellish
There’s nothing worse than someone who exaggerates. You can use exaggerations on your wealth, knowledge, or material possessions. Have you ever been around someone that always has something better or knows more than you?
It isn’t enjoyable to deal with people who seemingly always have the upper hand. Don’t try to be something that you’re not. Be real with others, and don’t be afraid to let them have the upper hand.
An exaggeration is the same as a white lie, and people don’t like to conduct business or develop friendships with those who aren’t 100 percent truthful.
4. Transparency Is Key
There’s nothing worse than someone who isn’t transparent. Have you ever done business with a company that has tried to hide charges? Think of your last trip to a car lot to purchase a vehicle. They have all sorts of fees they add to the purchase price, which only drives up the cost.
How do you feel when you leave the office knowing that the vehicle you thought was going to cost $20,000 has now inflated to a whopping $29,000? All the service fees and taxes made the car cost quite a bit more. Now, use this analogy when it comes to your business and association with others.
Ensure everything is out in the open, and there are no hidden things you’re withholding. When it comes to relationships, make sure there’s nothing pertinent that you’re not saying. Sure, it doesn’t mean that you must tell all your secrets, but each relationship needs to have a certain amount of transparency.
5. Don’t Use A “Fake” Voice
You don’t need to be anything other than yourself to win people over. Don’t patronize them with a fakely sweet voice. Also, avoid using words like sweetie, honey, or baby either.
Have you ever talked to someone on the phone who seemed so fake because you know that they don’t speak that way? Try to use your real voice and don’t “put on the dog” when communicating with others. Sometimes, the patronizing tones or baby doll shop talk is just over the top.
6. Show Compassion
Do you see yourself as a compassionate person? If it helps you, try visualizing yourself in someone else’s shoes for a moment. If something terrible happens to a person you care about, you can better express your sympathy when you see how they view things.
An employee may not be able to make it to work because their dog died, and no policy allows for such time off. However, realize that the dog was like a child because she couldn’t have any children. When you look at things through others’ eyes, it will make you more compassionate and a better person.
7. Empathize
When you are empathetic, you take sympathy to a new level by absorbing emotions. People will trust you more and deem you a better person when you understand them and their position in life.
8. Don’t Be Afraid to Be Vulnerable
Did you know that when you open up to others that it builds trust? It’s okay to show your human side as it helps you to connect on a different level. Your vulnerability will be endearing to others as it shows that you’re on equal playing fields.
People don’t want to spend their time with those who always act like they’re above and beneath them.
9. Don’t Name Drop
Don’t try to build rapport by dropping names, as it will be a big turn-off to others. Some feel that using the name-dropping technique is a way to enhance your abilities. You want them to like you for who you are and not the people you know.
It doesn’t matter who you’ve met or rubbed shoulders with during your lifetime; it’s about how you act with the folks you encounter each day.
10. Own Up to Your Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes in life, but the key is that you should learn from them to do the same thing again. Have you ever driven through a fast-food restaurant only to see that the order was wrong when you got home? If you call, do they own their mistake and replace the item, or do they try to act like the error was on you?
If the company were eager to make things right, you wouldn’t hesitate to go back again. When you admit you failed and tried to fix it, then people will trust you more.
11. Keep Secrets
If someone tells you something in confidence, do you tell others or protect their secret with your life? If you want to build rapport with people, they need to know that they can count on you. Plus, some gossip can violate both moral and ethical standards, so you want to make sure people can trust you.
12. Don’t Show Off
No one likes a showoff. Do you try to self-promote constantly? People who tend to show off often only care about their success and not those around them. Constant self-promotion will build more resentment than anything else.
13. Never Lie Or Manipulate Others
If you must lie or manipulate others to get ahead in life, you won’t build trust. You could destroy any reputation that you have. Manipulative people are selfish and only have their agenda in mind. How can you make a business or personal relationship with someone when you use such narcissistic tactics?
Plus, no one likes to be friends with a liar because you can’t trust their word. You want to be a person of integrity and openness whom all can trust.
14. Stop Trying Too Hard
People can tell when you’re not truthful to them. Have you ever talked to someone so nice that their words seemed to drip like honey from their mouth? You probably immediately picked up on their fakeness, and others will pick up when you’re fake too.
15. Consistency Is Key
Are you steadfast in your ways, or do you seem to waver with the shifting winds? People want to be associated with those that are consistent in their views. Today, your stance on certain subjects should also be your position tomorrow. Be as grounded as a tree standing by the water.
Final Thoughts On Building Rapport
Whether you are a vendor, an executive, a schoolteacher, or a parent, understanding how to build rapport is crucial to your accomplishments.
While your everyday exchanges won’t be so serious, you can use the methods to understand how to become successful in your life approach. People want to be associated with those who are trustworthy and listen to them more than talk. Building rapport is easy once you learn that it’s more about others than yourself, and you can use these skills both professionally and personally.
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