Building rapport during coaching

Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships. Stephen R. Covey

Last month I wrote about how important goal setting is. It’s a nice tangible part of coaching. But when I first meet clients I know that one of the most important things we have to do is build rapport. That’s pretty intangible but establishing it is crucial to building trust between people. It's not something you can identify very easily but you can test out whether you have it by considering the following elements.   Gauging rapport as a coach: Focus – am I fully focussed and listening actively and openly without making judgements? Empathy – am I clearly trying to understand the client’s point of view? Connection - do we have some shared common ground so we feel connected with each other? Empowerment – Does my client feel empowered and liberated by this relationship?   Establishing rapport and maintaining it throughout the relationship means better results and a safer journey. Have a look at Daniel Goleman’s short clip on Rapport: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uowxqr5N1YY