rapport building
Establishing mutual trust
Rapport building is the process of establishing trust, connection, and mutual understanding with another person.
The term appears most often in professional contexts—sales, therapy, interviewing, negotiations—where creating a comfortable dynamic serves strategic ends.
Techniques include mirroring body language, finding common ground, and active listening.
The first ten minutes were just rapport building before we got into the hard questions.
- active listeningFocused, responsive attention to speech
- client engagementOngoing customer interaction efforts
- empathySharing another's emotions
- trustConfidence in another
- mirroringReproducing an image identically
warmth · warm smile · eye contact · validation · safe space · body language · reading the room · patience · vulnerability · personal connection · mutual respect · reciprocity · emotional intelligence · open-ended questions · finding common ground · common ground · breaking the ice · nodding
rapport buildinginterrogation
Formal, probing examination
intimidation · coercion · browbeating · bullying · confrontation
rapport buildingalienation
State of being isolated
estrangement · bridge burning · disconnection · pushing away · distancing
rapport buildingcoldness
Low temperature state
hostility · aloofness · stonewalling · dismissiveness · standoffishness