Breaking the ice
It is really had to put your student at ease when you first meet with them but it can be a very powerful tool.
Tyler, Excellent! Using commonalities to help make your student more comfortable is a best practice.
Dr. Jean Norris
I do a very similar thing to this. I find a common ground of rather "it's a great day out" or "I like your shirt" "I am a big fan of that team as well, do you think they will win today" Something simple to get the conversation started and then dig in from there.
This is why I feel that small talk helps..just to break the ice and your more then likely the student will feel more comfortable.
Deborah, that's a great point. It sounds like you use information from the inquiry phone call to reference in order to continue to build rapport with the student. Nice job. I wonder, what ways do you break the ice with someone that walks-in without an appointment?
Dr. Jean Norris
This is why setting your appointment is so important. You can refer back to information discovered: So how is your daughter? You were concerned about finding the school..Did you have any problems?
Sherri,
Very insightful again. Relationship/Rapport building is really the foundation that allows you to connect and move forward.
Dr. Jean Norris
Establishing an easy-going rapport is crucial to the success of your relationship/appointment. You need the trust and respect from the beginning. If you don't get it right off the bat, step backward and try to move forward again for a more successful result.
Absolutely Scott. Using simple topics like the weather can be a great way to start small talk and open the conversation up. Once you have established a connection you can move forward with your conversation.
Dr. Jean Norris
Yes this is a very powerful tool. My favorite way to break the ice with a student is to point out something simple like, "nice day today, huh?. I feel like simple things like that is a great and easy way to break the ice and build a rapport.
Rachel, yes, I agree. Breaking the ice is a key component to building rapport and can be powerful as you say. Tell me, what have you done in the past when perhaps you have found it difficult to break the ice?
Shannon Gormley
