Coaching: Agreement, Understanding, and Rapport – 3 of 3

Because one of the greatest indicators of coaching effectiveness is the rapport between a coach and a client, the value of building trust with an agreement and of the coach understanding the client is elevated further as steps towards developing rapport.

Wikipedia defines rapport as, “a tcoaching rapporterm used to describe, in common terms, that two or more people feel in sync or on the same wavelength because they feel alike.”

Techniques for developing rapport include matching and blending to the style of another. Most of us do this naturally with our friends and people we respect. A coach, as a professional, is focused on their client, so they serve their client by matching and blending.

Specifically, to match and blend the coach observes the client’s body language, rate of speech, and choice of words. The coach then matches some of their own to that of the client, blending their normal tendencies with the preferences of the client. As a result, the client feels the coach is in sync, and the client is more comfortable.

When the coach and client develop rapport, communication is more open, honest, and deeper. This empowers the client to use the coach as a sounding board, to really explore options, and to choose their plan of action.