Sharing and committing to support each other’s values calms rocky waters and sets the stage for happiness and growth in relationships.

While you can’t be responsible for someone else’s behaviors and values, you can help to create an environment that makes relationships work better. Gaining and maintaining rapport establishes a bond or connection that improves communication. Sharing and committing to support each other’s values calms rocky waters and sets the stage for happiness and growth in relationships.

You can gain rapport by matching and mirroring someone – in other words, communicating in a similar style, to make it comfortable for the other. By giving the person back their facial expression, voice tonality, body posture, word choice or breathing pattern, you connect with the other person on a deep level. Discussing values comes easier when you have rapport. Ask questions to find out what’s important and why, so you can support them, and reasonably expect their support, too. Make your needs and wants understood too, so you can be supported in pursuing what is important to you.