It's Not All About "Me": The Top Ten Techniques for Building Quick Rapport with Anyone

The only goal I have either for myself or the individuals I teach is that in every interaction the other person should walk away feeling much better for having met you.

Technique 9: Gift Giving (Reciprocal Altruism) Most people would feel badly if they received a gift and forgot to say or send a thank you note to the giver. When someone does you a favor you most likely want to reciprocate with gratitude. Great rapport builders and conversationalists use this desire proactively during every conversation. This techn

Putting it all together: Let’s go through the ten techniques to refresh our memories. This is also a good page to mark so that you can refer to it quickly before any encounter to sharpen your focus. 1. Establishing artificial time constraints: Allow the person being targeted to feel that there is an end in sight. 2. Accommodating nonverbals: Ensure

The best gifts are the unexpected ones.

10. Managing expectations: Avoid both disappointment as well as the look of a bad salesman by ensuring that your methods are focused on benefitting the targeted individual and not you. Ultimately you will win, but your mindset needs to focus on them.

Technique 8: Connect With Quid Pro Quo Sometimes you have to give to get. Quid pro quo refers to the art of giving a little information about yourself to get a little from others. Out of all of the techniques, this one is the most subtle and if all of the others techniques are working effectively, might not be used at all.

I have personally found that there is no greater theme and tool for eliciting individuals for action, information, and a great conversation than the use of sympathy or assistance. Think for a moment about the times in your life when you have either sought assistance or been asked to provide it. When the request is simple, of limited duration, and n

Regardless of your individual goals, the key is to make it “all about them.”

For this reason, the first step in the process of developing great rapport and having great conversations is letting the other person know that there is an end in sight, and it is really close.