I’m always asked how we’re able to gain rapport with people so quickly when we’re performing customer discovery.
Well…it’s a bit of an art and a bit of a science.
I have a Bachelor’s in psychology, and while I was studying pro-social behaviour I developed a shortcut for building non-verbal rapport. I call it PEST Control. PEST is the acronym that stands for Posture, Eye Contact, Smile, and Touch. The word Control reminds us that these are the non-verbal actions we should control when we first meet someone, so we don’t end up being a pest. It’s worked really well for our team of go-getters at Redshift Consulting.
There are other things going on with verbal rapport, but for non-verbal rapport and setting a smooth introduction, PEST Control is the way to go.
I drew up a few pictures to explain it below. Obviously you will need to take this with a grain of salt as this is culturally specific for western culture. Other cultures will vary, for example some cultures see smiling as rude and others are very uncomfortable with any kind of physical contact.
Posture
Eye Contact
Smile
Touch
Mike is the Founder and General Manager of Redshift Consulting, Founder of Praetorian Code, and Board Member to the International Business TRIZ Association. He holds a Masters in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (UMD) and a Bachelors in Psychology and Education (UCSB). He is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (UTS); Certified Practitioner of Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ); former US Army Ranger and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fanatic.