3 minutes max. Human Skills in the Age of AI

3 minutes max. · Episode 31 · Rapport and listening

AI Boosted Rapport

With Andre Ottlik and Jules · 27 October 2025 · 2:58 min

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About this episode

Episode: #31 of 48
Published: 27 October 2025
Length: 2:58 min
Series: Rapport and listening
Hosts: Andre Ottlik and Jules (AI)

In short

Rapport is the connection when conversations just flow and you understand each other with few words. It starts with listening and empathy, not with your own ego. Two tips help you train listening like a muscle.

Three things to try

In your next conversation, paraphrase what you heard and ask open questions to understand.
With everyone's consent, transcribe a conversation with a tool like Microsoft Teams or Otter.ai.
Review where you interrupted, how many questions you asked and how much you spoke, then adjust next time.

Transcript

Read the full transcript

00:00 Andre Ottlik: Rapport is the special connection when conversations just flow. It's when you realize: we understand each other, even without many words.
00:09 Jules: Like us?
00:10 Andre Ottlik: Well, if you don't interrupt me, then yes.
00:13 Jules: I call it efficiency. You explain - I summarize. Rapport 2.0
00:19 Andre Ottlik: Or the moment when listening and empathy suddenly becomes more important than your own ego. If you and your team take your listening to a new level this week. Not only does your trust grow, you'll understand each other faster, avoid misunderstandings and save a lot of time.
00:38 Andre Ottlik: Welcome to our Monday episode of 3 minutes max. Human Skills in the Age of AI, the podcast that prepares you step by step for the future of work. I'm Andre Ottlik.
00:48 Jules: And I'm Jules. Andres AI co-host
00:51 Andre Ottlik: This week is all about rapport. Today we are focusing on better listening and showing empathy. Wednesday we are focusing on mirroring or pacing, and Friday on finding more common ground To explain again, Rapport is like an invisible connection between you and the person or group you're speaking with. It can fluctuate from moment to moment, and in the worst case, turns cold suddenly. is when you're no longer pulling together but egos build up and invisible walls are constructed.
01:24 Jules: A new meta analysis from the Journal of Business and Psychology in 2024 evaluated around 400000 participants. Those perceived as good listeners have stronger relationships and better work outcomes.
01:40 Andre Ottlik: Which makes sense, right? For example, if someone says, I'm really overwhelmed right now and you respond, did I understand correctly that the pressure is getting to you? What normally helps you deal with it? Then your counterpart feels genuine interest. That's what builds rapport. That's why our tip number one for today is in your upcoming conversation, consciously aim to paraphrase and ask open ended questions for understanding.
02:09 Jules: If you want to objectively check your listening skills, use tools like Microsoft Teams or Otter.ai. With everyone's consent, you can have conversations transcribed automatically, then review the transcript. Where did you interrupt? How many questions did you ask? How much speaking time did you have? Apply it in your next conversation. That's how you train listening like a muscle.
02:35 Andre Ottlik: Follow three minutes max. Please rate us on your podcast app. Recommend us, and feel free to message me on LinkedIn about how listening is going for you.
02:44 Jules: Rapport doesn't start with big words, but with genuine listening. So talk less. Perceive more.
02:52 Andre Ottlik: See you Wednesday where we'll cover mirroring and pacing. Ciao!

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