Rapport - The Fragrance of Life

Have you met people that you instantly like? You and they have established instant rapport.

What is rapport? Is all rapport good? A quick search on Amazon.com returns 14,961 Results. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the French origin Rapport as, “a close relationship in which people understand each other and communicate well.”

How do we build rapport? The recordings and references I have listened to over the years, define the establishment of rapport as the foundation of successful salesman, “instant” credibility, likeability and relationships. One person defines rapport as, “The Key to Influencing People, Including Yourself.” The techniques include mirroring someone’s body language, voice tonality and pace. Mirroring includes empathizing with others emotionally; agreeing with their position.

Masterful manipulators use these techniques to influence others in taking the manipulator’s desired action. The real question is whether the desired action is Christ’s will for the person being manipulated.

Whenever I attempt to use the above techniques for establishing rapport, I fail miserably in placing hope on myself. For that, I am grateful! Conversely, when focusing on Christ; helping others achieve Christ’s will for their life; I establish instant rapport with all whom have a heart for Christ. II Corinthians 2:15-16 says that we are the aroma of Christ, “To one the smell of death, to the other, the fragrance of life.” Is there a greater way of establishing rapport than being the fragrance of life in Christ?

What kind of rapport do we establish by assuming the smell of death? Have you smelled death, a decaying animal? The smell of death is atrocious! We go out of our way to avoid the smell of death.

The fragrance of life is greater than the greatest fragrance on earth. The fragrance of life is better than any flower, cologne or perfume; past, present or future. The fragrance of life in Christ has greater attraction than the world’s most powerful magnet. Yet, just an object lacking the proper chemical properties is not drawn to the most powerful magnet, those lacking the spiritual qualities of Christ will not be drawn to the fragrance of life. Can iron be injected into plastic for magnetic draw? Absolutely! Can Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit be injected in into those currently opposed to the fragrance of Christ? Absolutely!

As you search for techniques of building rapport, thoroughly investigate your motives. If your motives are secular, the techniques above will work just fine; especially for those who continue smelling Christ as death. However, if your motive is loving the Lord your God, with all of your heart, mind and soul; loving your fellow man as much as you love yourself; establish rapport with the saturation of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in your every thought, word, and deed. Allow Christ to saturate you with the fragrance of life.

See Christ, Believe Christ, Achieve with Christ!

In Christ,

Rick E. Meyer
See, Believe, Achieve Inc.
www.rickemeyer.com