Building rapport so people want to listen when you speak

I love this photo with Karen Jacobsen who is the Australian voice of Siri. Look at how much fun we are having. We met for the first time in person on this day and look how quickly we became spirit animals!  This is what rapport actually looks like!

In order to achieve a high level of rapport or connection when you are speaking, writing or presenting, the best way to begin is with some sentences that we call ‘inclusive statements’.

What are Inclusive Statements?

Inclusive statements are those that your stakeholder or audience members will understand and relate to.

There are two types of inclusive statements:

1. Universals – statements that everyone will understand and relate to.

For example:

‘Many people would like to be more successful.’

‘Most of us would like to have more money to spend on things we enjoy.’

‘Many of us would like to have more of the things we want in life.’

2. Truisms – statements that are true just for this particular audience (or person), at this time, in this particular forum:

For example:

‘Many of you are good at setting and achieving your goals.’

‘Many of you are excited about the opportunity of unlocking your full potential.’

How do you use these to build rapport?

Make sure you get right into your audience’s shoes and come up with the best, most insightful opening statements that you can, so that you maximise your rapport with the audience. When you are writing your universals and truisms, it’s a good idea to ask yourself: ‘What does my audience or stakeholder know to be true?’

Once you have a few answers, make sure that they all link to your subject and flow naturally and seamlessly from one statement to the next.

Here are some potential opening statements:

If I were going to present to a group of financial planners, I might say,

‘You would be aware of the turbulence in the financial markets at present. Some of you may have found that client concerns have increased markedly following the recent performance of the international share market and the subsequent negative media coverage. Many of you would be speaking with clients who want to withdraw their funds from share-based investments.’

If I were presenting to a group of customer service representatives, I would reflect what they know to be true with the following: ‘Many of us have been on the receiving end of poor customer service, and we know that it often means we won’t go back to that service provider if we can help it. Many of us would expect that the customer service division of [Company X] strives to provide excellent service.’

Can you spot the inclusive statements in each of these examples? They show your audience/stakeholder that you know where they are coming from and they build strong rapport from the start!

Happy presenting!