Trust is closely linked to rapport. But although rapport can be built immediately, trust takes time.
There are things you will need to do, or demonstrate, to gain a person’s trust. These apply across contexts – as a colleague, a manager, a coach or NLP practitioner, a writer, a friend, a family member, a neighbour. Although you demonstrate them by things that you do (or say, or write) they flow from the way that you are being.
Joseph O’Connor suggests six ‘ways of being’ for coaches to use to gain a client’s trust – approaches that would make a significant impact whatever field you are working in:
- Be real
- Be sincere
- Be competent
- Be honest
- Be congruent
- Be there
Can you imagine what difference these could make to relationships that you are building?