BU IL D IN G R A P P O R T

W IT H A U D I E N C E
•Open menti.com and use the code given to
log in.

WRITE WORDS THAT YOU CAN ASSOCIATE TO THE

WORD “RAPPORT”.
HOW CAN YOU DEFINE RAPPORT?
•Rapport is a close and harmonious
relationship in which people
understand each other's feelings or
ideas and communicate well.
WATCH A VIDEO AND ANSWER THIS GUIDE QUESTION LATER.

WHY DO YOU THINK BUILDING RAPPORT IS IMPORTANT?

EIGHT WAYS TO BUILD RAPPORT WITH ANY AUDIENCE

1. Talk to people before your presentation begins.

•Introduce yourself as people gather. Shake hands.
Ask them about themselves, what they do, and why
they are there. Smile.
2. Have your audience’s best interests at heart.
• Use your presentation as an opportunity to serve your audience, not
to impress or “sell” them.
3. Establish eye contact.
• Look people in the eye one person at a time. Hold their gaze for 5 to 7
seconds, and then look someone else in the eye. (A word of caution:
some cultures consider direct eye contact intrusive and rude, so be
careful.
4. Speak simply and with conviction.
• Don’t give a speech; have a conversation with your audience. Use
words and expressions you normally do. Say “I,” “we,” and “you,”
when appropriate. Speak a little louder than usual. (Doing so injects
more energy into your voice.) And use your customary gestures; just
make them bigger.
5. Approach your presentation from your audience’s
perspective — not your perspective.
•Address their concerns. Speak to their interests, values, and
aspirations. Help them solve problems that bother them, or
achieve goals that are important to them. Avoid words —
jargon and acronyms — they don’t understand. Cite
evidence they find credible.
6. Dress appropriately.
•Dress a little more formally than your audience in
order to establish your credibility and authority.
Dress appropriately for your profession. If you’re a
lawyer speaking to high school seniors, you don’t
have to dress down. Wear your business attire.
7. Avoid using humor or language that might
offend them.
•Audiences are touchy these days. And once you
offend them, you’ll rarely regain their trust or
goodwill.
8. Tell stories to engage their imaginations.
•Most audiences — highly technical audiences
are an exception — relate to a personal story.
GROUP • What do you think are the characteristics of a speaker in building
WORK rapport with the audience?

• Present your answer through a graphic organizer.

Criteria 3 2 1
Very Satisfactory Satisfactory Needs Improvement

Content A complete response Good response with The content misses

to the question with explanation. key points.
detailed explanation.
Creativity The work exceeds The work has slight The work is very
creativity. creativity. plain and simple.

Reporting The reporter The reporter The reporter cannot

explained the topic explained few points expound some
very well. on the topic. points.
WHY DO WE NEED TO BUILD RAPPORT
WITH THE AUDIENCE AS A SPEAKER?
•Share your insights on how to build
rapport with the audience.
ESSAY Write at least 150 word-essay that explains how to build rapport with audience.