Interviewing Rapport
Rapport: An Essential First Step in an Interview
Dr. Lou Harris, Faulkner University, Criminal Justice Department.
In a recent interview training session at a police academy, a training recruit asked, “Why is building rapport an essential step in an effective interview? Do I really need to build rapport with a citizen in order to get information?” My immediate response was curt and inappropriate for the young recruit - “Because people will not talk to you if you don't have credibility.” After class I thought about my response and decided to spend more time in future sessions addressing ways rapport can be built and ways to determine if rapport has been established. This article will briefly summarize some rapport building techniques and how to know when rapport has been established.
Rapport Building Techniques
Smiling - A smile is disarming to potential hostile interviewees. A genuine smile typically portrays confidence, happiness, enthusiasm, and acceptance.
Using Proper Names and Formal Titles - Using a person's formal title conveys respect and encourages rapport. Some examples are Mr., Mrs., Miss, Dr., Reverend, and Father. When in doubt as to how a person wants to be addressed, ask.
Conversation Encouragers - Head nodding shows approval and continued attention. Verbal nudges (active listening) such as “I see”, “Tell me more”, “That's interesting”, and “Please continue” encourage the interviewee to continue speaking.
Handshake - First impressions are important in rapport building when initiated in a positive manner. Some aspects of a handshake are firmness, duration, eye contact, and body position. As a general rule a handshake should be firm, last about two seconds, maintain eye contact for a few seconds, and a assume a body position which is not threatening.
Open Posture - An open posture such as uncrossed legs and arms, palms up, and a slight forward lean communicates warmth, trust, and friendliness.
Seek Common Ground - Mentioning people, places and things that an interviewer holds in common with the interviewee may establish a feeling of familiarity and comfort. Talking about the weather, current issues in the news, sports and many other common interests help to relax both parties and engage in non-threatening communication.
Mirroring Gestures - These gestures include sitting in a similar manner, similar hand movements, facial expressions, and body positions. When rapport has been established, people mimic each other.
Mimic Language - To the extent that is appropriate, an officer should use the same words and phrases that the interviewee uses. If a person misuses or mispronounces a word, an officer should not correct him/her and, if possible, refrain from using the word.
Ask a Favor - Asking small favors of an interviewee such as, “Do you mind if I take notes?” may create a feeling of respect and build rapport.
Flattery - Expressions of admiration for accomplishments may improve rapport but it must be viewed by the interviewee as genuine in order to be effective.
Self-Disclosure - People tend to disclose information to people they like. This tendency can be primed if the officer makes personal disclosures at critical junctures during the interview.
Testing for Rapport
When rapport is established, an experienced officer will get a “sense” that the interviewee is ready to talk about the matter at hand. In addition, the following visual signs provide an indication as to whether or not rapport has been established with the interviewee.
Mirroring - To test for rapport an officer presents a gesture such as crossed legs, a head nod, or a forward lean. If the interviewee mirrors the same gesture, rapport is established.
Head tilting - Head tilting is a sign of good rapport and usually occurs when a person hears something favorable or they feel comfortable with the interviewer.
Posture - Forward leaning with arms and legs in an open position signals that rapport has been established.
Conclusion
Teaching these rapport building techniques to police trainees presents a challenge to an instructor due to the vast range of life experiences (or lack thereof). Some officers understand the need to establish rapport and have mastered some or all of the techniques discussed above. Others tend to reject the notion that building rapport is essential for an officer to be effective in the pursuit of truth and justice. This article has dealt with rapport building techniques and leaves the issue of why rapport building is important to another discussion.
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