Build Rapport Like a Boss

We get it, you're very important...and your mom thinks you hang the moon.  But, one of the greatest hindrances to building rapport with other people is that we talk too much about ourselves.  

We don't even realize how much we do it.  Next time someone comes to you to talk about an experience they've had, check your response.  Was it something like, "me too!” or “I had that happen once” or “I think you should..." 

Whoa - that's a lot about you.  Next time you have a networking opportunity and someone asks what you do, how long is your answer before you turn it around on them? If it's more than one sentence, you've gone too far. 

A good friend of ours, Brad Jones calls it the "me monster." Don't let the "me monster" get the best of you.  

Dale Carnegie, the King of Human Relations tells the story of one night when he was at a dinner party given by a New York publisher.  He sat next to a botanist who he found most intriguing.  

He couldn't stop asking him questions about exotic plants, indoor gardening and so on.  Dale didn't say one thing about himself, he only asked questions about the botanist. At the end of the evening as the botanist was leaving, he turned to the host of the party and said that Dale was "most stimulating" and “the most interesting conversationalist."  

As Dale says, to be interesting, be interested.  People just want to talk about themselves...give them the opportunity to do that and you'll have more than just your mom talking about how special you are.

For more tips on how to build professional relationships, head over to the Business Lab podcast with Laine Schmidt and check out episode 22 with Travis Chappell.