Building Bridges: The Art of Creating Rapport in Communication

Have you ever wondered how some people have an effortless ability to capture anyone’s attention? They seem to effortlessly engage with others without even trying. The secret to their success lies in their ability to establish rapport.

Rapport is the process of eliciting and holding the unconscious attention of another person or group of people with the goal of facilitating communication. It occurs spontaneously when someone is interested in someone else or in something they are doing or saying. It is the process of eliciting and holding the unconscious attention of another person or group of people with the goal of facilitating communication.

Rapport is an essential component of successful communication, particularly when there is an outcome that needs to be achieved. It is not about likability or being liked but about establishing a connection that enables communication to flow seamlessly.

According to Chris and Jules Collingwood, the co-creators of the first postgraduate qualification in NLP, rapport is essential to the success of any communication that has an outcome. In other words, it is necessary to achieve the desired outcome of any communication. So, how do you create rapport?

There are various methods of building rapport, and some of the most common ones are physiological, verbal, and nonverbal. Physiological rapport involves matching someone’s posture, breathing, and gestures. Verbal rapport, referred to as pacing, involves making statements that match a person’s ongoing experience, while non-verbal rapport involves matching the tempo and volume of someone’s voice.

John Grinder, another co-creator of NLP, has identified rapport as the first of three essential elements for creating change in someone’s perception and, thus, influencing them. This highlights the critical role that rapport plays in successful communication.

Exceptionally effective communicators understand the importance of rapport and strive to create it in all of their interactions. As co-creator of NLP Dr. John Grinder has said, “attention is the currency of relationships,” and creating rapport is essential for capturing and maintaining that attention. By understanding the techniques and principles of rapport, you can increase your effectiveness as a communicator and achieve better outcomes in your interactions with others.

In summary, the art of creating rapport is a critical component of successful communication. By understanding the techniques and principles of rapport, you can increase your effectiveness as a communicator and achieve better outcomes in your interactions with others. Remember, if you want to succeed in communication, you need to prioritise creating and maintaining rapport.

Learn more

We teach the patterns of rapport in 10970001 Experience NLP Fundamentals the first unit of our 10970NAT Graduate Certificate in Neuro-Linguistic Programming program.

(Note: If you would like to learn more about the New Code of NLP, you can get a copy of our latest Kindle book, ‘AEGIS: Patterns for extending your reach in life, work & leisure’ by Jules Collingwood, NLP Trainer. For only $4.99 here).

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