Rapport is a tricky concept to understand. As per the Social Psychology Network survey, only 50% of students said that they could build rapport with teachers. Such students mentioned that this mutual trust between the learners and the teachers led to a positive learning experience.
Also, the students said that they experienced the positive effects of that rapport on their academic behaviour and the course results. They felt motivated to come to the classes more often and naturally paid more attention in the class. Hence, the strong rapport contributes to the enhanced learning receptivity of students.
If teachers don’t build enough rapport with students, the learners may hesitate to turn to them for academic assistance. Consequently, they prefer seeking help with homework from online platforms. Students usually get better grades when they submit such papers, and it reduces the rift between them and their instructors.
In this article, we shall explore the top 9 best ways for students to build rapport with teachers. Let’s first understand why doing so is important for the learners.
Why Building Rapport with Teachers Is Important?
Building rapport with teachers is important for students because, as per the United States Military Academy West Point, it minimises anxiety. Apart from that, it increases students’ participation in lectures and fosters a productive learning environment. This ultimately leads to improvement in students’ learning processes and builds a good rapport between both parties.
In simple words, rapport establishes trust. Trust between a teacher and students is important in an educational setting. The learners should believe that their instructor is working in their best interests.
What Are the 4 Principles of Rapport?
For building rapport, the very first thing that plays an important role is the familiarity of the involved parties. As per a paper published by Scribd, the four main principles of establishing rapport are the following:
- Empathy – it is more about finding joy in establishing new connections via active listening and being considerate towards others.
- Authenticity – it’s about not being over-friendly and being real with the people you are listening to.
- Shared Experiences – similar experiences assist people to connect with each other quite easily via good communication skills.
- Similarity – the more you find common ground, the easier it will be for you to develop a genuine rapport.
How to Build Rapport with Teachers? 9 Quick Steps to Take Today
Now that we have discussed the importance of building rapport with teachers and learned the four basic principles, let’s move a step further. Here, we are going to explore the nine steps that are vital to the establishment of strong relationships with teachers.
1. Small Talk
Busy teachers tend to refrain from engaging in conversations and, hence, save the precious learning time of students. However, it will be alright if you, as a student, strike up a brief conversation with them.
For example, you can ask them about their weekend if you want to build rapport with teachers. A very simple way of doing this is by addressing the name of a teacher in polite tones. It will naturally have a positive impact, and you’ll be more likely to leave a good impression on your instructor.
However, you should also know to respect the time of others and not engage in meaningless conversation during class time. If you do so, you will most likely leave a bad impression on the teachers.
2. Body Language
You can have all the good intentions in the world, but if your body language doesn’t support those, you lose. So, you should be intentional with your words, thoughts, and body language. Remember that our facial expressions mirror our thoughts, so it’s important to regulate your posture and all non-verbal communication.
Also, bear in mind that non-verbal communication is far more effective than verbal communication. Just like a picture can paint a thousand words, your body tends to act like a self-portrait. That’s why your body language must also reflect that you want to build rapport with teachers.
3. Be Passionate About Your Interests
Another important thing to remember here is that you should sound genuinely interested in your passions if you want to build rapport with teachers. The teachers are experienced individuals, and they can smell fake passions from a mile away. So, don’t try to impress them by showing that you care about the course activities when, in reality, you don’t.
Instead, be real about yourself and your passion and be consistent with academic vigour. This will not only show your integrity but also establish good teacher rapport with students.
4. Show Your Personality
Your teacher is a real human being with a distinct set of passions. They are not just robots wearing suits, helping you memorise the textbook pages so that you can pass the exam. So, if you want to connect with them and build rapport with teachers, show your personality.
You can actively pay attention to the things that are discussed in the class. If you find commonalities in your interests/hobbies and those of your teacher, you can connect more easily with them.
Also, you can talk about your interests and try to find common ground with your peers or professors. It’s not rocket science – all you need is a sincere passion for building rapport with your teachers.
5. Talk Politely
A hint of politeness in one’s tone of speaking can convey a lot and can instantly let students build rapport with teachers. So, when you engage in conversation with your professors or course instructors, talk in a civil and polite manner. You must not cut them when they are talking and wait for them to finish speaking.
Also, don’t try to get into meaningless arguments in the classroom just to challenge your teacher’s knowledge. They are there to teach you because they have academic prowess. Some students intentionally mess with their teachers to have some fun in class, but that’s not worth it.
6. Engage in Academic Conversations
Your teacher is in the classroom to teach you and assist you in your learning process. You can easily build rapport with teachers if you pay enough attention to what is being taught. Know that teachers love students who are attentive in the classroom. So, it would be great if you could engage in academic conversations and discuss scholarly ideas with your professor.
However, you should keep the decorum of your class into consideration as well. That is to say that you should not annoy other learners with your non-stop discussion. Remember to keep it concise and considerate.
Also, teachers actually like the students who are consistent with their homework and make efforts to maintain their grades. Of course, you will have to deal with a lot of papers at your college. So, if you are struggling with completing your homework projects on time, you can order your assignments online from trustworthy homework helpers. These writers can actually bring your ideas out on paper and assist you in crafting excellent papers and, hence, maintaining your grades.
7. Respect Begets Respect
It’s a centuries-old adage that one should give respect to others if one wants to be respected. Everybody knows that a little respect goes a really long way, and you should show your teachers that you really respect them. Keep in mind that they will mirror the respect you pay them, and hence, this way, you’ll be able to build rapport with teachers.
Also, if you feel that your teacher is not behaving well with you, consider having a one-on-one respectful conversation with them. When you sort out the issues and settle the problem, everything will start to get better.
8. Give Positive Feedback
Sometimes, students need to use the art of giving feedback to build rapport with teachers. You should use a bit of sweet sauce when filling out the feedback form for your course instructor. However, don’t shower your teachers with undue praise because those sounds flattering and phoney.
Apart from that, you should ensure that you talk positively about your teachers with your peers and fellow students. Our actions ultimately become our reputation, so rest assured that your teacher will know that you think quite highly of them.
9. Write Personalised Notes
As a student, you can craft personalised notes for your teachers. It will be a nice surprise for them, especially when they least expect it. All you need to do is pick your favourite marker or pen and a pack of sticky notes. Then, take some minutes out of your routine and write a few messages for your teacher. It can be about how well they demonstrated a particular concept or how they assisted you with your studies.
Doing so can help you build rapport with teachers and establish a strong connection with them. This little gesture will show the teachers that their help means much to you.
What Is the Best Way to Build Rapport?
The best way to build rapport with teachers and other people is by having welcoming body language and a positive attitude. Remember that non-verbal communication is as important as verbal communication. Your facial expressions, eye contact and posture can convey a lot to the people you are talking to. Also, people feel seen and heard when you maintain a space and mirror their expressions as they speak.
Conclusion
All in all, we have discussed the nine quick ways to build rapport with teachers in your college or university. Rapport serves as an important factor in increasing the student’s motivation for learning and enjoying their course tasks, such as assignments, homework projects, and coursework papers.
However, some students fail to find shared interests or common ground with their peers, and they cannot turn to them for reliable academic support. For such learners, the ultimate relief lies in the hands of affordable assignment writing services UK. Such companies have expert writers who can assist students with fulfilling their academic needs.
Lastly, if teachers and students have rapport, they can thrive in this fast-paced academic world. Ultimately, good rapport is the foundation of a positive working environment and high job satisfaction.