You are right, some people find creating and developing rapprt easy, whilst others struggle:

From my own personal experiences, I would say that those who have a genuine interest in other people, are the ones most likely to succeed.

We each have at least one thing in common with everyone we meet; it is just a question of finding that common ground and developing it.

When coaching sales teams, I always suggest that when conducting a first meeting, they look for clues around the office such as golf clubs, photographs, magazines on the desk – there is usually something that can provide the basis for a first conversation to break the ice.

I also suggest that they keep themselves fully up to date with current affairs, politics, sport etc – the more we know and are interested in, the more likely it is that we will find common ground. People enjoy the company of interesting people.

Jonathan

Great topic! I think I (and many others) glance over the importance of rapport in leadership. This post was an interesting discussion starter.

I think the subject of rapport deserves a more in-depth analysis though – Why do some people have it come naturally, and others not? Others can build great rapport in certain environments, only to fail miserably in different context, sometimes even with the same people!

I’ve always been one to think that rapport is difficult to create as an objective – it’s either there or it isn’t.