4 Techniques To Build Long-Lasting Rapport With Your Colleagues

A few telltale signs that you share a good rapport with a colleagues:

• You don’t always need to provide a ton of context and background information because you’re confident you’re both on the same page.
• You own your mistakes in front of them because they give you the benefit of the doubt and treat you with sympathy.
• You don’t get nervous to ask them a question, for further instructions, or for other support.
• You’re comfortable approaching them about a variety of topics, whether personal or work-related.

Tighter bonds and relationships: Science says that we all share a basic human motivation to affiliate with other people, and rapport helps us feel closer to the people we work with.  

Increased happiness and job satisfaction: Those more tight-knit and comfortable relationships at work do more than combat loneliness and isolation—they actually boost our happiness and our overall engagement levels.

Improved collaboration: When you build that solid foundation and mutual understanding with the people you work with, you’re able to work together more effectively.

In all honesty, almost everything you need to know about building rapport and being a good colleague you likely learned in kindergarten with this golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated.

It sounds basic, but it’s important. You can bring in donuts or make an effort to ask someone about their kids—but that can only do so much. It won’t make up for the fact that you continuously shirk responsibilities or miss deadlines, for example. 

• Practice active listening to ensure you actually understand what’s being communicated before taking action.
• Own your responsibilities, meet your deadlines, and follow through on promises you make to your colleagues.
• Offer to step in and help someone when they’re overwhelmed or struggling with a project or task. 
• Keep your microphone on mute when you’re not speaking in meetings so you avoid interrupting or distracting your fellow attendees.

Ask yourself this: Are you asking them out of a sense of obligation and politeness? Or are you asking because you’re genuinely curious about how they’re doing? There’s a big difference—and most of us can usually sense which category someone falls into.

This tactic for building rapport is about going beyond the general niceties (you know, the ones you hope to get through as fast as possible before moving into what you really want to talk about) to authentically touch base about how someone is feeling.

• Invite a colleague to grab a quick lunch or coffee so you have some dedicated time to connect.
• When you know somebody has a stressful day or week, stop by their desk with a treat or even a few encouraging words to let them know you’re rooting for them. 
• Reserve some time at the start of video chats or meetings to connect on a more personal level.
• Send a quick email or instant message to check in about a specific topic and let someone know you’re thinking of them.
• Share a resource that you think could help someone on your team.

Recognition at work is so often talked about from the top-down—as if it always has to come from senior leadership or a manager. 

People want to know when they’re doing well, and hearing that (especially unprompted) from their own team members can carry a lot of meaning. 

• Stop by their desk with a small treat to celebrate a recent win or accomplishment.
• Offer a genuine compliment about a job well done, whether that’s one-on-one or in a team meeting.
• Write a quick “thank you” note or email to express your gratitude for their stepping in to help you on a recent task or project. 
•  Send a personalized email or message to offer a compliment or a token of appreciation.
• Start a Slack channel specifically designated for peer-to-peer praise and celebrating big and small wins.
• Come up with a fun virtual tradition to recognize achievements.

How much do you really know about your coworkers? You might know little quirks like that Arial is their preferred font or that they can’t stand when someone doesn’t clear the cooking time from the break room microwave.

But, much like you, they have entire lives—families, hobbies, experiences, goals, and other priorities—outside of working hours. 

For those who are, expressing an active interest in those topics can help you establish and maintain an even deeper rapport.

• Begin meetings with a funny or lighthearted icebreaker to get everybody comfortable and learn more about each other in the process.
• Make an effort to actually follow up on the personal information that people openly share, whether they shared it with the whole team or you directly.
• Start designated Slack channels for specific interest groups, such as working parents who want to share tips.
• Create a collaborative playlist that you and your colleagues can all contribute to.
• Find virtual-friendly opportunities to connect, such as inviting a coworker to have lunch together over video chat.

Rapport isn’t about engaging in trivial small talk with someone once or twice—that might make for an acquaintance, but not necessarily a colleague with whom you share mutual trust and understanding. 

Real rapport is about putting in the elbow grease to genuinely connect with the people you work with. Do that and you’ll have a tighter bond, a comfortable dynamic, and a way easier time getting great work done together.