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We are going to start this lesson with a short story. It might be real, and I am sure that somewhere, somehow it is happening. Building Rapport Jane was sure that her peers would greet her new proposal with enthusiasm at the meeting.
She had thoroughly presented the need for the new programming procedure, showed how it would save the department time and money, and supported all of her statements with compelling facts. Nevertheless, Jane's proposal was met with frowns, bored looks and, ultimately, rejection. Jane was left wondering, "What went wrong?”
Good relationships
What went wrong is that long before the meeting took place, Jane failed to build harmonious relationships with her co-workers. And, again, when you lack direct authority, good relationships are crucial for getting results. It's been said that you eventually experience the results of your own actions.
Unfortunately for Jane, that's exactly what happened. By failing to develop rapport with her peers, she also failed to lay the groundwork for getting results.
How to Build Rapport
In this topic, you'll learn to build rapport and establish this foundation by:
- showing respect
- expressing appreciation, and
- considering others' criticisms.
One way to build rapport, and one of the things Jane failed to do before she presented her proposal, is to show her peers respect. As with all forms of common decency, when you don't show respect, you don't receive much in return.
It’s just a scenario but what if the colleagues of Jane would give this feedback:
First: “Jane is not a bad person, but she seems to alienate many of her co-workers. Her immediate reaction to ideas at meetings or in conversations is to point out the potential problems. She also regularly makes small criticisms of her peers' work."
Second: ”Jane has a thing about office chatter. Any conversation near her work space seems to bother her but she talks freely whenever she takes a break." Would you say that Jane failed to show them respect: Poor Jane. She may not even realize she's offending her colleagues. But her lack of respect has already cost her acceptance for what may have been a very good proposal.
Express appreciation
And, there’s another thing that our Jane failed to do that's closely related to showing respect: express appreciation. This is the second way to build rapport with your peers. People have a fundamental need to feel appreciated, in the workplace as well as in their personal lives.
When you show appreciation for your peers, you not only create a good work environment, you make it much more likely that your co-workers will respond to you the same way. And, there are two simple ways to show your appreciation: Say "thank you" Thank you" is a simple phrase that people notice and appreciate.
Regardless of the size of the favor, it's good to say it. No one ever gets tired of receiving this pleasant courtesy.
Compliment good work
People also like to be recognized for doing good work. In fact, sometimes it's an insult not to compliment a peer for a job well done. Those are just two of the many ways to express your appreciation. There are many others, that you can identify in your work.
Consider others' criticisms
Now, Inevitably, at some point in your career, you or your project will be criticized. It's a fact of work and of life: You cannot please everyone. How do you respond to this criticism? Do you ignore it? Do you discount the critic?
How you respond could affect your relationships with your co-workers and your ability to win their support in the future. The third way to build rapport is to evaluate with impartiality the criticism you receive. Determine if there's an element of truth in what's been said, and if necessary, make the appropriate adjustments to your work or yourself.
A measured, rational response will make you a more attractive ally in the future. Actually, avoiding criticism, expressing support, and considering others' criticism are good ways to show respect, demonstrate appreciation, and highlight your good nature.
To conclude
Refraining from criticism will help build rapport. Openly criticizing others alienates, builds divisions, and offends. It is best to build respect by showing support. Flattery is not necessarily the best approach for building rapport with a difficult supervisor. Flattery may appear to be insincere, especially to someone who has a difficult or contentious personality.
Recognizing others for their ideas or accomplishments is an excellent strategy for building rapport. Because people like to be recognized for doing good work, the person who shows appreciation will be held in high esteem. Objectively evaluating criticism received from colleagues is a way to build rapport. Consider if there's an element of truth in the feedback, and make the adjustments to your work. A rational response will build respect.
Next
As you've just learned, building rapport in the workplace means developing good relationships throughout the company, not just in your department. In this topic, you've learned how showing respect, expressing appreciation, and considering the criticisms of others help build this rapport and establish a solid foundation for getting future results.
Next we are going to discuss about, building credibility for the purpose of getting results.
