DYNAMIC
RAPPORT-BUILDING
COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIPS
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Rapport-building is the process of developing honest relationships built upon trust, mutual respect, and a sense of shared humanity with the goal of creating a meaningful and harmonious connection between you and others in both your personal and professional lives, always being mindful of the needs, perspectives, and interests of all members in the relationship.​
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"Dynamic" is defined as transformative energy that stimulates change or progress within a system or process​, marked by continuous and productive activity, combined with confidence, vigor, and curiosity to learn and apply new and exciting ideas and break through old, worn out and often opposing status quo forces within and without. ​
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Dynamic Rapport is a Proactive Approach to Communicating with Others (and Yourself)
by drawing from a Integrated Toolkit of Transferrable Work/Life Mindsets and Skillsets
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Context is Key:
Where, Why, What, How & With Whom
Context must be top of mind wherever you find yourself communicating with others (as well as with yourself via your self-talk), and being ever-aware that communication has many forms.
Connection is Relative
and Understandably Complex
Connection itself is often multi-dimensional, and may be defined differently by others than how you do if the interpretation of that relationship is not the same as yours.
Your Part in the Equation:
What You Can Control
Regardless of the situation or interaction, you can choose effective responses to each and lead by wise example by learning how to engage with appropriate behavior.
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While bringing your "best self" is applicable to every interaction and situation is universally good advice, we all have blind spots or lack of full self-awareness to factors that might not make others experience us being what they'd consider our best - especially during times of stress, lack of sleep, emotional distress, illness, pain etc.
Challenges occur when someone isn't communicating the way we might want or expect, including an uncomfortable silence from someone and also knowing that assumptions can quickly lead to misunderstanding and discord. Even how we dress, what we eat, the types of entertainment we enjoy, the products we purchase, etc. - and of course our socio-cultural-political positions - communicate our self-identity and values, which can prompt a sense of unity or exclusion.
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Rapport-building also means having the ability to "read the room" and bring appropriate behavior and build respect framed by mindful social awareness, civil and humane rules of engagement, codes of ethical conduct, and not thinking we are "above" or "beneath" others, even if they appear and act differently than us in all your forms of communication.
"Connecting" with someone socially (including on social media) may be an attempt to forge an individual relationship beyond a surface level; be merely transactional; be part of a malicious or self-serving scheme; or just create a sense of belonging. If the intentions of that connection is not the same as yours, genuine rapport as defined above may never happen.
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The same takes place in a professional work environment, especially when they are hierarchies, positions, and titles that frame the type of rapport that is built that determines what kind of connection we have with leaders, managers, coworkers, colleagues, and various stakeholders, and the types of boundaries a professional relationship has that is often vastly different than a personal one. If lines are crossed, trouble can often follow. Even though many social relationships are built in the workplace and may move beyond a mere professional context, there is still proper decorum that will take precedent if/when conflicts occur.​