ITK Blog: Part 2- How to Build Strong Relationships
ITK Blog: Part 2- How to Build Strong Relationships
Today’s blog post is the latest in our series about the Inside Track Coaching that Peirce College advisors and career counselors recently completed. Funded by a grant from the Predominantly Black Institutions program, we’ll continue to share an inside look at the experience and how it benefits our students and alumni.
As discussed in our last Inside Track® blog post, the importance of building relationships in our lives is crucial and definitely has a lasting impact on one’s success. This week, we are going to discuss the HOW of building strong relationships and the imprint these relationships have on our lives.
During the Inside Track® training, specific steps were presented and outlined with how we build relationships within our daily interactions. We will discuss some of those steps throughout this post.
One of the first components in building strong relationships is respect. Respect is crucial in any type of relationship because trust needs to be nurtured in a relationship and trust must work both ways. One way to respect each other is something we all do already – be a good listener! This trait can be applied to multiple relationships in our lives and we want the same in return from others. Being a good listener goes beyond just hearing; one must be able to truly give their attention to the other person and be active in the conversation by providing feedback and understanding their perspective. The key is to make sure the focus stays on the speaker so they are aware that you are truly connecting with them.
Another important quality in building strong relationships is to provide feedback that is specific to what the speaker is discussing. Sometimes the listener can just summarize or paraphrase what the speaker said to make the speaker know that you were definitely listening. When we provide feedback to the speaker, they feel validated and heard, which makes the speaker feel that they have resolved or accomplished their goal. As the listener, it is also crucial to remember to provide this feedback because that is also building rapport with the speaker and allows your understanding in the current situation, too.
The third quality that is crucial for building strong relationships is making sure we share about ourselves, when appropriate. When information is beneficial to the speaker, like when the listener can offer first-hand experience, the connection in the relationship will build due to providing personal insight. However, when someone is disclosing information and the listener shares something that is completely irrelevant, that is not providing a solid example of this quality. When the listener can offer an experience that can help relate to the situation, the bond will grow stronger.
Throughout our Inside Track® training, we all have learned the importance of building these qualities with our students in order to have lasting relationships that are impactful for them as well as Peirce. Have you experienced this connection with your Peirce Advisors?
Our next Inside Track® Blog will focus on how do YOU listen? And in this blog you will be introduced to the three types of listening and how you can apply them to your daily interactions.
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