Rapport means to be "in harmony, conformity, accord or affinity." We might say it means to be "in sync" with another person. Most of us have that special someone that we can share most anything with. There is comfortableness about our ability to communicate with this person. We have a deep sense that they truly hear and understand what we are saying. We trust them with the information we are giving them. This is the feeling of rapport.

Rapport is not a state; it is a process of continually building the sense of trust with the other person. During an interviewing session a good interviewer assumes the responsibility for establishing and maintaining rapport. By being "in sync" with the other person's language - verbal and body – you establish a climate that opens communication for a freer flow on information. Building rapport focuses on the ability of the interviewer to identify and reflect back cues from the interviewee. For example, I frequently use my hands when talking. If I am interviewing with a person who sits with their hands folded I sometimes begin to feel self-conscious with my hand movements and so find myself consciously holding my hands still. The result is that I feel somewhat uncomfortable and constrained -unnatural. On the other hand, it the interviewer uses his/her hands, even slightly, my unconscious mind tells me it is okay for me to use my hands to express myself. I begin to feel more at ease and conversation becomes easier for me.

Sitting forward in a chair or sitting back in a chair, nodding my head or keeping it still, using my hands or keeping them folded, putting an elbow on the table or keeping my elbows off the table, speaking faster or slower, raising the tone or softening the tone of my voice are all the kinds of physical "mirroring" that I might do during an interview to set the interviewee at ease. I will follow their lead, and gently mirror their movements. (There is a distinction here between mirroring and mimicking. Mirroring is subtle movement meant to communicate acceptance and openness to the other person. Mimicking is not restrained and sends a very different message.)

Another strategy for creating rapport is to listen carefully to the language of the interviewee to determine their language preference. All of us experience our world through our senses. We see, we hear, we feel, we smell, we taste. Often our language will reflect our "representational system." A highly visual person will tend to use visual language. I see what you mean. It looks like this. I just don't get the picture. This is not clear to me. Indeed to put this in focus. An auditory person will use auditory language, such as, I hear you. Let me amplify on that. I need to talk about this. It was like a whisper in my ear. It just didn't click with me. The kinesthetic person uses feeling or sensory words. I have a feel for this. I need to get a handle on this. I have a knot in my stomach. This was a struggle for me. I'm getting a grasp on what you are saying.

By listening for the interviewees representational system, as expressed through primary verbs, adjectives and adverbs, you can ask questions in their language which again communicates to the unconscious mind that your are "in sync." Information flows more freely when we are talking with language that is comfortable for us. We feel a sense of connectedness or a feeling of rapport with the other person. It is truly as if we are "speaking the same language."Establishing rapport is the role of the interviewer. It requires attention to more than words. After all, only 7% of communication involves words or language. 38% of communication is tone of voice and 55% of communication is body language. Building rapport focuses attention on language patterns and non-verbal cues. An interviewer that can establish and maintain rapport throughout the interview process will find that information flows freely and often the interviewee will self disclose far more than is asked through the questioning process. Allow people time to think. Sometimes the most difficult aspect of the interview is to allow for silence. We often have a tendency to fill silence too quickly. Use times of silence to hone your observation skills. And, don't be judgmental about the silence. Some people need time to think about their answers. It is important for them to put their thoughts together before responding. Others are quick to respond, organizing their thoughts as they speak. Interviewing is a skill that can be learned and improved over time. Others can help you construct helpful questions. We should be sure that our questions are open ended and should give the applicant an opportunity to expand on responses by asking follow up on questions. "You mentioned . Tell me more about that. How do you feel about that situation today? (How do you see that situation today? What would you say in that situation today?)

Rapport is an ongoing process. It is the role of the interviewer to establish rapport. Rapport building techniques like mirroring body language, tone of voice and language patterns speak to the unconscious mind and help to build a bridge of trust between the interviewer and the interviewee. It is a skill that takes time and conscious effort to develop, but can greatly enhance the interviewing process.

Sheeba Shamsudeen

B.A (Journo, Psy & Eng)