Key Management Development Models, 3rd Edition

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Rapport building

The big picture

While the old adage that opposites attract may be true, long-term relationships tend to be established around common ground – shared interests, values and ways of thinking and behaving. When we meet someone else we send out subtle signals, picked up unconsciously by the other person, which suggest the extent to which we are similar to them. These may be conveyed through body language, voice tone or eye contact. Two people ‘in rapport’ may appear to mirror aspects of each other’s body language or speech.

You can tell something about the relationship between two people as you observe them in conversation. Where one always leads in terms of new posture, gestures, etc. and the other follows, this suggests that ...