GENERATING RAPPORT IN THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP WITH ENTREPRENEURS

Rapport is about rapport or rapport, where a climate of trust and understanding is created. This technique is used in commercial coaching and/or mentoring processes to train sales teams.

There is a verbal rapport to generate empathy with the other person where we try to give back what the other person has just said with a short introduction, summarising the essentials in an organised way. But we can also use non-verbal rapport. In this case, the accompaniment we use is through non-verbal language, through gestures.

We have all been in situations where, even when faced with an advantageous proposal or valuable advice, the interlocutor seemed unwilling to listen, haven't we? The reason for this is that beyond good intentions, we need to establish conditions for the entrepreneur to feel comfortable to make decisions and take action. To this end, it is essential to create a a bond of trust, harmony and cooperation.

In this TIP, you will learn how to generate rapport to be more efficient in communicating with your entrepreneur and also with your friends, family, clients, customers, suppliers and partners.

What is rapport?

In "Introduction to Neurolinguistic Programming: Understanding and Influencing People", Joseph O'Connor and Seymour present a conception of rapport related to the idea of empathy:

"In the field of education, therapy, psychological counselling, in the professional world, in sales or in training, the empathywhich in NLP language is called rapport, is essential to create an atmosphere of trust and participation in which people can react freely.

The notion of "creating an atmosphere" is important in order to do not confuse rapport with manipulation of the interlocutor. The aim is to offer conditions or build certain pillars that will make the more efficient communication.

What are the main elements of rapport?

In interpersonal communications where rapport exists, we notice certain patterns. If we can incorporate them into our language, we will be closer to building pillars of trust, harmony and cooperation.

EYE CONTACT:

• In rapport there is a synchronism in relation to eye contact. The focus is established in the right measure for transmitting confidence, varying in frequency and duration according to the characteristics of the person we are talking to. 
  • A shy person, for example, will feel comfortable with more occasional movements, while others with more continuous contact. It all depends on understand the situation and adapt correctly to each person.

EMOTIONAL BALANCE:

• Another relevant point is avoid excesses.
• Communication is a two-way street in which we both provoke and have reactions. 

• • So even if a person says something in conversation that we don't like, there are limits to our response, even though we ourselves may be mistaken about the other person's intentions.

VOICE TONE:

• Sometimes, communicates more than the words themselves. A simple "good morning" can be a sincere wish, a formality, or even a touch of sarcasm.
• The way we express ourselves must be compatible with the intention when we speak.

DEVELOPMENT:

• Communication must be harmonious. In addition to tone, we must have watch out for volume and rhythm, mirroring as closely as possible the behaviour of the interlocutor.
• If a person communicates something in a rushed manner and we respond with little energy, we may appear disinterested and unempathetic, just to cite one example.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION:

• Gestures, posture and facial expressions also interfere. And that requires special care, because We often engage in negative non-verbal communication without being aware of it.
• Rapport requires attention to attitudes, taking care to ensure that body language is in tune with an atmosphere of trust and participation.

VERBAL COMMUNICATION:

• The words have a dual function. In communication, they both convey a message and guide the other elements. In other words, we think about gestures, tone and rhythm based on what we have to say. Then, Thinking about the situation through the eyes of the other person and choosing the right words make all the difference.

In the end, why should we create rapport?

In a mentoring session we invade the entrepreneur's personal circle, triggering all the defence mechanisms involved in such a move. Therefore, if the person on the other side does not feel safe and free to participate, the effects may not be the most desirable.

Without rapport, we will not be able to mentor our entrepreneur, in other fields... mentees will not talk about their doubts and customers will not give honest feedback on products. And what about the people closest to us, who will not talk about the difficulties of the relationship clearly and openly.

If people have the right to remain silent, as they say in the movies; how will we solve a problem, make a joint decision, offer advice or achieve any other objective of communication? Knowing what rapport is an important step in improving the efficiency of personal and professional relationships.

HOW TO CONNECT RAPPORT AND SALES EFFICIENTLY?

The customer acquisition and customer loyalty are processes that require rapport. In reality, trust is so important that consumers are often not even fully aware of the technical aspects of the products they buy. When selling an online course, for example, no matter how interesting the programme, curriculum and teaching methodology presented are, the person will only really get to know the classes by participating.

That is to say, the sale is a promise of value that will give rise to a delivery. In that sense, the connection between rapport and sales occurs at different stages of the funnel, This is because each step towards the purchase of the product or service requires a stronger confidence in the supplier's ability to deliver.

However, Loyalty is based on a long-term vision. The customer trusts that the satisfaction that originated in the first instance will be repeated in the future, preferring to return to the services rather than to look for a competitor. Then, knowing the person of the addressees, their wishes, expectations, habits and customs is essential. From there, we can include the elements of rapport in sales-related processes, building trust and communicating in a harmonious way.

3 rapport techniques:

Techniques that facilitate construction of the elements of an atmosphere of trust and participation.

MIRRORING:

• It is reproduce behaviour similar to that of the interlocutor, acting in tune with the tone of voice, gestures, eye contact and development used.
• It is about observe the way the person you are speaking to acts and enter their world.
• Optimism in the interaction process.
• Develop a positive language in which judging, complaining, criticising or similar attitudes are avoided. In other words, the focus should be on encouragement, problem solving, learning from past experiences.

In any case, it is important not to overdo it. It is naturally difficult to balance being optimistic and mirroring oneself at the same time. If a person is depressed and you come to them jumping up and down and partying, there is hardly any empathy, is there? Therefore, the ideal is to understand the moment and start with a more restrained stance, progressing in the direction of more positive behaviour.

GOOD NUTRITION:

It is necessary to present relevant content at the beginning of a communication. To do this, we need to know their pain points and expectations, which will then allow us to position ourselves as someone who does, in fact, have something to offer to solve a problem or help at some point. Remember, from what we have seen so far, that rapport depends very much on understanding the person we are talking to. That is the gateway to an atmosphere of harmony, trust and cooperation.

Learning about this will be useful at various times. Our objective may be to present a product, solve a family problem, invest in personal marketing, or integrate professionals into our networking (+). If there is good communication, we can benefit from it. So, now that you know what rapport is, the way is open for more satisfying personal and professional relationships.

3 techniques to develop empathy which are:

• ACTIVE LISTENING:

  • Not only with the ears but with the whole body and with real interest.
  • To practise it, you have to exercise: the look of business, imagine an inverted triangle on the face of the interlocutor and go directing the look from one eye to the other and then to the mouth, the head, nodding but with common sense and facial expression, so that if the client tells something sad it is normal that you also sadden your face.
  • Details to avoid: do not interrupt each other's conversation, change the subject radically or try to keep the conversation on your own turf all the time.

• THE POWER OF SMILING:

  • The reason is that: "smiling makes the gesture appear more pleasant, attractive and seductive and predisposes our interlocutor to a pleasant, attractive and captivating climate".
  • A fake or engagement smile it is always noticeable and can be counterproductive, so it is best not to provoke it.

• THE MIRROR EFFECT:

  • The aim is to achieve connect with the customer in a deliberate way.
  • Copying the interlocutor's body language (the position)copy the voice pattern (use the same tone and volume and then lower it).copy the breathing pattern (agitated, slow...) use the same channel as VAK communication (see TIP).

Target

The aim is to understand the behaviour of others. What their style of behaviour is in any conversation and, in this way, adapt our behaviour to achieve a better mutual outcome.

The word comes from the French word rapporter and literally means to bring something to the exchange.

THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS ARE:

• Body gestures and postures.
• Breathing.
• Voice characteristics.
• Repetitive words or phrases.
• Facial expressions or movements.
• Distance from the other person.

These elements help to establish this relationship properly in any conversation, helping to achieve a climate of trust and to obtain the expected results. Conduct pair dynamics in which one party presents a problem (mentee) and the other (mentor) listens, applying rapport techniques.

What is rapport?

Rapport is a communication technique that seeks to establish a relationship of rapport and trust between two people. It consists of creating an emotional connection and effective communication between the sender and the receiver, to facilitate mutual understanding and improve the interaction between both parties.

The aim is to create an atmosphere of trust and participation in which people can react freely. It is important to note that rapport is not used to manipulate the interlocutor, but to improve communication in any kind of interpersonal relationship.

LEARNING METHODOLOGY FOR A MENTOR TO PRACTICE RAPPORT WITH THEIR MENTEE:

1. Introduction: The mentor should explain to the mentee what rapport is and why it is important in their mentoring relationship. It is important that the mentee understands that rapport is a communication tool that will allow them to build a trusting and collaborative relationship.
2. Identification of communication styles: The mentor should guide the mentee to identify his/her own and the mentee's communication style. This will allow them to adjust their communication and establish an effective communication channel.
3. Identification of non-verbal signals: The mentor should teach the mentee how to identify non-verbal cues and how to interpret them. It is important that the mentee learns to observe posture, gestures, facial expression and tone of voice in order to adapt to the mentee's communication style.
4. Mirage: The mentor should teach the mentee the mirroring technique, which involves mirroring the mentee's body language and tone of voice. It is important that the mentee practices this technique so that he/she feels comfortable using it.
5. Active listening: The mentor should teach the mentee the importance of active listening and how to practice it. The mentee should learn to pay attention and ask questions to demonstrate interest and understanding of the topic.
6. Feedback: After each session, the mentor should provide feedback to the mentee so that the mentee can improve his or her rapport skills and technique. Feedback should be specific and constructive.
7. Practice: The mentor should give the mentee the opportunity to practice rapport in each session. This will allow them to improve their communication skills and build a trusting and collaborative relationship.

With this learning methodology, the mentor and mentee will be able to build a relationship of trust and collaboration through the practice of rapport.