Build Meaningful Rapport

You picture a silk cord running from each of three people you connect with well, and hold the ends in your hand. You then feel their rapport flow through the cords into your hands and body, like energy. The idea is to take on the qualities you admire in them, so they fuel your confidence as a communicator. You can imagine the silk in any colour you like.

Pick people you already communicate well with: family, loved ones, colleagues, friends, or even a spiritual being or God. The session describes them as people with whom there is trust, understanding and compassion, and who value your opinion as you value theirs. You then link each one to something you respect, such as their listening, their honest advice or the way they ask the right questions.

It suggests remembering their name, their face, or something they told you, and using that to find common ground, perhaps through a shared experience or your own opinion. If common ground is hard to find, you simply stay curious and ask about who they are and what they like to do. The aim is to make the other person feel important.

The session describes listening without interrupting, making good eye contact, and using small signals like a nod or a smile. You also notice the other person's posture, expressions and mannerisms, and match them when appropriate while keeping your own body language positive. Keeping the conversation free of criticism and strong judgment is part of it.

You breathe in for four, hold for four and breathe out for six, repeating it as a signal to your body that it is time to relax. The longer out-breath helps your muscles release, so the later suggestions land while you feel calm and safe.

After thanking each of the three people for the gift of communication and rapport, you hear that these suggestions grow stronger by the day, the hour and the minute. You are then counted up from one to five, with eyes opening at five, alert and ready to carry on with your day.