Building rapport and creating connections is an essential aspect of relating to people. In personal as well as professional setting, building a connection with whom you interact with makes it easy for you to attain what you want. Many successful companies use the secret of building rapport with its customers as one of the powerful weapons owing to its success.

More than improvising its products and services, the focus is also on keeping good and strong relationships with the clients by establishing that connection even after the sales. This makes customers feel valued, giving them enough reason to stay and continue with their business transactions with the company.

Building rapport in your personal life is also very important.  In fact, you can use this skill to create connection with people you barely know or those you would like to get acquainted with. This can also be a good technique in making friends and expanding your network of friends.

Building rapport can be learned by anyone who wants to enhance their ability to connect to people or develop people skills. There are simple ways of demonstrating good rapport-building skills. For one, you can start a conversation and get it going. The ability to empathize is also essential to build rapport. Determining and understanding the needs of the people you deal with is also a means of building that connection.

Initiate Small Talks

One good way to win a friend or get people’s attention is to initiate small talks. In a way, you are simply starting a conversation or cutting out the part of the conversation that incurs dead air. Small talks are meant to invite a cozy and comfortable exchange of ideas in a simple conversation whether in person or on the phone.

It is important to choose your subject matter well for your small talk. The usual questions about the weather condition or the typical “How are you doing?” questions can make a good starter. To ensure a good exchange of communication, refrain from monopolizing the talk. Asking rapid-fire questions to the other person will make you sound like an investigator. Give the other person a chance to also throw questions to you. Make sure that your main goal in doing the small talk is to create that connection with the other person.

Empathize and Sympathize

Both empathy and sympathy are closely related since these two pertain to feelings towards another person. Empathy is feeling for the person within that person’s frame of reference. Sympathy, on the other hand, is feeling for the person without necessarily putting oneself in the situation. Yet both are effective in building rapport with other people.

When you empathize, you are actually making other people feel that they are being understood, giving them this sense of comfort coming from you. In turn, they would offer their trust and cooperation with you as their means of reciprocating for your empathetic approach. Empathy is very effective in a customer-oriented organization where the customers place a high value in the very existence of the business itself.

Understand People’s Needs

The ability to understand the needs of other people is a sure means to build rapport. Apart from empathizing or sympathizing with them, you should identify their specific needs as of the moment. Know what they want or need which will give them satisfaction. You may not be able to provide it all but at least you can find ways or alternatives to fulfill those needs.

This works best in a personal setting. Say, you are just starting out in a romantic relationship with your new partner and you would like to build a good foundation for the newfound relationship. In building good relations with your colleagues in the workplace, know what their needs are and then find out what you can do to satisfy them. You are sure to quickly build that connection with your work colleagues.

In a business setting, understanding the customer’s needs also makes an effective step in the overall customer satisfaction. You provide them with what they need, and in cases when it is not possible as of the moment, offer alternatives that would somehow suffice the need.