Coaching Information

Four Common Rapport Building Mistakes and How to Fix Them


1. Pretending You Are Interested When You Are Not

Do yourself a favor and be honest with yourself and the people you spend time with. If you are really not interested in the topic of conversation say so.

If possible change the subject or simply postpone that particular conversation until another time.

Obviously if there is a danger of offending the other person you will have to be less direct. In these situations it helps to find out right away what the other person wants or expects from you. Ask!

The conversation will right away become very relevant to you and maintaining interest is a lot easier.

2. Disliking The Other Person

If you do not like the person you are talking to it will come across at some level. Ask yourself -- what could I like about this person? This will help put you in a better frame of mind.

And look for things you have in common by asking yourself - how is this person like me?

We all have something in common and commonality builds rapport. Look for it and you will find it.

If you mechanically attempt to get rapport with people while secretly disliking them you will never get that deep rapport you are aiming for. In fact if your focus is on how much you dislike the person you will not even want rapport and instead you will be setting yourself up for conflict.

3. Wanting Rapport With Everyone You Meet

I made this mistake when I first learned advanced communication skills.

All of a sudden, for the first time, I was able to get rapport with anyone I met. So I did.

And I recommend you do the same to a point. With one exception. There are some people you do not want to be getting deep rapport with.

Take someone who is like a raging bull with a deep resentment and hate for themselves and other people. Do you really want to feel the same way? If you get deep rapport you will feel some of the same feelings.

While you may need to be effective around such people keep your focus on your real goal. Deal effectively with the individual and maintain your own emotional state regardless of how upset the other person is.

Pay attention to your emotional state when dealing with negative people, manipulative people and others who will drain your energy. With these people rely more on the weakest element of rapport - words. And manage your body language without following their lead.

4. Not Speaking Their Language

We all have one primary sense whether it be visual, auditory or feelings based that dominates our perception of the world.

You need to get good at spotting which modality other people use and match their world to get rapport quickly and easily.

If someone is in a visual mode their words will be dominated by words that express what they see. For example the car is red with a white soft top and a huge back seat.

Whereas the auditory person describes the car in a different way: it sounds like a lion roaring when you start the engine and the CD player fills the car with deep, rich sounds that dance around your ears.

Finally the person most attuned to their feelings notices the smooth soft sensation of the leather seats and the warm firm feeling when they hold the steering wheel.

If you use the wrong modality for the person you are talking to it makes it harder for him to understand you. You have to work harder to get rapport.

And when you speak to several people at once make sure you use visual, auditory and feeling words to make sure you appeal to everyone.

Make a point of paying attention to the dominant modality your friends and family use. And you may have a breakthrough when you finally discover why you are not getting deep rapport with some of them while more easily getting along with other people.

About The Author

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm


MORE RESOURCES:

USA TODAY (blog)

Coaches Agree; It's a Tough One
New York Times
You are coaching the team that is on offense and is trailing, 17-15. Both teams have one timeout left. What do you instruct your players to do? DAN REEVES Former coach of the Giants, the Broncos and the Falcons “No question, I would use the clock and ...
Patriots players, coach, fans ask 'what if?'Worcester Telegram
Manning, Coughlin hitting stride as Giants' coach-quarterback tandemThe Oshkosh Northwestern
Super Bowl 46: Bill Belichick's Coaching Errors Leave Patriots On Losing EndSB Nation
USA TODAY (blog) -Christian Science Monitor
all 20,203 news articles »


Bleacher Report

Tampa Bay Bucs Struggle to Assemble Coaching Staff: Fan's Look
Yahoo! Sports
Contributor Network 3 hours, 22 minutes ago Besides prior flirtation with another college coach in Chip Kelly of Oregon, few predicted that the Bucs would target the former head coach of Rutgers University. Indeed, during the lengthy search to replace ...
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Still Silent on Assistant Coaching PossibilitiesBleacher Report
Buccaneers Coaching Staff Search: Florida's Dan Quinn Turns Down Job ...SB Nation
Am I Missing Something?The Pewter Plank
National Football Post -Pewter Report -Bucs Nation (blog)
all 29 news articles »


Young hockey coach has big shoes to fill
Delmarva Now
Cape Henlopen High School new field hockey coach Kate Windett says it runs in her blood . / CHUCK SNYDER/DELAWARE WAVE LEWES --Five seasons of near flawless play under former head coach Nicole Hughes culminated in an undefeated season and a DIAA state ...

and more »


Coaches, daughters value their time together
Journal and Courier
When Jeff VanArsdel stepped down as the boys basketball coach at Harrison, he still had the urge to teach the game. He was going to fulfill that by serving as an assistant on Jake Rettig's Raider girls basketball staff.

and more »


SB Nation Pittsburgh

Penn State Recruiting: New Coaching Staff Boasts Southern Ties
SB Nation Pittsburgh
By Adam Bittner - Assistant Editor Members of Penn State's new coaching staff hope to use their southern roots to draw recruits to Penn State while keeping a focus on Pennsylvania. Feb 7, 2012 - Members of Penn State coach Bill O'Brien's new staff ...
Post-Super Bowl and Patriots, Bill O'Brien set to tackle Penn State coaching ...Washington Post
The O'Brien era at Penn State begins todayCitizens Voice
Frank Bodani: QB recruit Bench finally gets a chance at Penn StateYork Daily Record

all 64 news articles »


Thibodeaux introduced as Tulsa's defensive tackles coach
Tulsa World
new guy Calvin Thibodeaux: The new TU coach was a four-year letterwinner at OU. By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer Calvin Thibodeaux was introduced as Tulsa's defensive tackles coach on Monday afternoon to complete Bill Blankenship's staff.

and more »


Father/coach role strengthens CC family's bond
Journal and Courier
Central Catholic girls basketball coach Pat Tharp watches his daughters Brianna, right, and Angela during a recent team scrimmage. / By Brent Drinkut/Journal & Courier The area girls basketball scene has five head coaches who have a daughter on the ...

and more »


Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

Dallas tabs new top coach
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader
School Board votes 7-2 to name Bob Zaruta as first new football head coach in 27 years. By John Erzar jerzar@timesleader.com DALLAS TWP. – As Dallas High School parents, players and assistant coaches made one final appeal to keep Ted Jackson on Monday ...

and more »


USA TODAY

Charleston coach Cremins says he was physically exhausted
USA TODAY
20, 2011, file photo, Charleston coach Bobby Cremins signals to his players during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Louisville, in Louisville, Ky. By Timothy D. Easley, AP In this Dec. 20, 2011, file photo, Charleston coach ...
Cougars' Cremins says physical exhaustion, doctor's advice led him to step ...Washington Post
What does C of C do post-Cremins?Charleston Post Courier
Bobby Cremins: 'Team play has lifted my spirits'Live 5 News

all 49 news articles »


Deaf swim coach teaching lessons beyond the pool
The Seattle Times
By Sandy Ringer Coach Michael Dobner, who has been deaf since birth, addresses his Kentridge High School swimmers. Interpreter Kim Toffstad, right, often assists. Coach Michael Dobner gets through to his Kentridge High School swimmers using a variety ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2007