Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/564866
32 / SEPTEMBER.OCTOBER.2015 RINKMAGAZINE.COM E mily, a sales manager in a large organization, was having significant challenges with her team. Communication with team members was inconsistent, and she continually struggled to motivate them. Her team was regularly missing their monthly objectives, and failed to provide meaningful status updates. The core issue Emily faced is all too common. Anytime you are communicating with people, your ability to create rapport is key to your success. Emily did not realize that there was a WALL between her and the team. It was her responsibility to take the WALL down as quickly as possible. Two simple questions helped Emily realize she had not built rapport, or developed any form of relationship with her team members: 1.) Have you spent time building a rela- tionship with your team members? 2.) Do you know what they like, want, and need at home and at work? In Emily's case, the answer to both of these questions was no. She was attempting to manage people with whom she had no relationship other than being "the boss." Establishing strong rapport does not mean learning everything about your customer or employee's private lives, but rather, showing them that you care about them and what is important to them. Taking the WALL down Developing your skills and maintaining focus on four key concepts can remove the wall between you and other people: • W — Watch • A — Ask • L — Listen • L — Learn W — Watch Observe any master of rapport, and you will see a person who has a keen awareness of their surroundings including other people and how they react. What to watch for before the first word is spoken When you enter into a rapport-building The 4 Keys to Building Rapport Tearing down the WALL by MARK A. VICKERS