I do my best to find some sort of common ground as soon as possible. I do all of my work via telephone, so I maybe look at their geographical location and say something around that theme. For example, if a student lives in the South, I might say, "I've always wanted to visit the South. Are there any sites near you that you would recommend visiting?" It gets them talking about their hometown and helps them to relax a bit.
Some best practices for building relationships are: listening, positive feedback, and maintaining rapport.
Continue to offer any advice and help for the student, but express that my sole job is to assist them on THEIR journey and my interest are with them.
As an enrollment counselor working with thousands of online students, there's no way that I'm going to remember each student's specific situation, needs, worries, etc. Therefore, it is so key to take notes when working with students to be able to review and address their concerns and situation each time you talk with them. Not only does this let the student know that you genuinely care, but it will help develop a meaningful relationship, and let them know you don't see them as a number.
Tina, very interesting. So it looks like writing notes was actually distracting you from listening. That's great insight and now it sounds like you have a plan to move forward.
Dr. Jean Norris
the use of prompting them, asking questions, nodding, body language lets them know I'm engaged..and not writing down what they are saying when they are saying it. We use an interview form and I found I got in the habit of being so tied to that I lost the contact, so now I put down my pen and listen, then fill in the blanks after.
Tina, it looks like listening will play a huge role in building rapport with the student. I wonder, what specifically do you do in order to make sure you are engaged?
Dr. Jean Norris
Sandra, it sounds like you check in with inquiries to follow up on conversations you may have had in the past. That's a great way to continue to build a relationship with them.
Dr. Jean Norris
Thanks for sharing this technique Guilyne. Using different forms of communication is a great way to make sure you are connecting to your students. Keep up the great work.
Dr. Jean Norris
Andrew, thanks for sharing this. It sounds like you ask questions throughout the interview in order to continue to build rapport. This is a great way to continue to tailor the experience to the student as well.
Dr. Jean Norris
You have to be truly engaged. To be able to understand their motives as well as their obstacles we need to really hear them and take the time.
Sometimes leads don't always convert right away, so I think it's great to keep good, detailed notes on them so when you call maybe 6 months later they will be impressed that you remembered their goals or dreams. This will make them feel like they are the only one you're concerned about.
I like to send them a thank you card in the mail. within the card I express my appreciation for coming in to see me, I also highlight a few things they said to me that impressed me about their goals. Ive had alot of positive feed backs since doing that.
I believe that continuing to ask questions throughout the entire visit ensures that the relationship is ongoing. Asking more detailed questions about the students previous answers and relating the content to a part of the campus (this is usually done on the tour) also helps them develop a personal attachment to the college through imagination and visualization.
Great point Javier. By building rapport with a student it will create a relationship of trust. I wonder, what are some of the steps you take to start creating the relationship?
Dr. Jean Norris
Creating a relationship that will allow them to confide in you in order to ensure their trust throughout the process.
Being in an Admissions atmosphere I realized that what works best is to always have an open mind as to the reasons why this student came in. I'm always myself and I make it very clear that I'm here to help them out so they can see all there options.
Roberta, great points here. It sounds like you want to build meaningful relationships with your students and always want to keep their success your main goal. Excellent job!
Dr. Jean Norris
One of the more important best practices to me is to alsways listen - really hear what they are saying. Ask them about their dream/vision that they feel they are able to attain with the course/program they are interested in and once they tell you, speak to it throughout the interview. When we remember to keep it about them and what they are looking for the relationship becomes stronger, the trust level grows and then we can truly help them to decide what is best for them at this time.
Kimber, interesting point. It sounds like you ask questions to build rapport and relationships with your students. I wonder, what are the responses that you are receiving when you ask those questions?
Dr. Jean Norris
