Rapport Basics - Matching & Mirroring

The Tutor Podcast

Neil introduces a few techniques to build rapport and increase the effectiveness of teaching to any student. If used well, they can be used to improve communication and ease, increasing your chances of making good progress with even a difficult client.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The more like us we perceive a person to be the more we like them.
• The Neurolinguistic Programming Techniques of matching and mirroring can be employed to achieve this result.
• Matching is the replication of another’s body language and movements in order to gain rapport. However, be careful to not adopt this approach too early in case they think you are mocking them.
• Mirroring is a technique similar to matching, but using a direct reflective technique to create a mirror image of their movements.
• Match their language patterns. This can often happen naturally, as with the copying of accents or inflexions of speech, but also mimic the level of vocabulary.

BEST MOMENTS

‘We are more able to influence them. As teachers, that’s what we do. This is why old sales manuals used to suggest that salespeople should be able to speak enthusiastically about almost anything the customer says.’

‘As adults, we retain these unconscious ‘fitting in’ skills and we use them most with people we know and like.’

‘Another language cue is the propensity to use colourful language. So if someone drops an F-bomb every sentence and you feel it’s appropriate, you drop one.’

‘Take a look at their posture. Do they stand tall and straight or are they stooped over? If they’re sitting down, how do they sit?’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Tutor Podcast

www.Neilcowmeadow.com

ABOUT THE HOST

Neil Cowmeadow is a maverick peripatetic guitar teacher from Telford with over 19 years’ experience in the business of helping people. Learn how to start, grow and love your business with Neil’s invaluable advice and tips without the buzzwords and BS!

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