Why Authentic Rapport Is the Foundation of Finance’s Influence

Why Authentic Rapport Is the Foundation of Finance’s Influence

Influencing skills for finance

The Challenge for Finance – Finance needs to be able to influence the rest of the organization, and building trust is at the heart of this.

Research into trust and credibility shows that people are far more likely to accept advice when they believe the adviser understands their world—not just their role.

That’s why, at Threshold, we teach Finance professionals how to build rapport deliberately, using tools drawn from social psychology, neuroscience, and strategic communication.

Why This Matters Now

In today’s decentralised, fast-paced organisations, people don’t follow rules.
They do, however, follow people they trust.

And trust isn’t built on likeability. It’s built on alignment – on presence, tone, empathy, and timing. In other words, it’s about that intangible quality that psychologists call rapport.

When two people are in a state of rapport, there’s a sense that they are around the same side of the table, looking to solve shared problems together. There is a willingness to communicate openly and honestly. And the evidence shows that this is the most

Why Authentic Rapport Is the Foundation of Finance’s Influence

At Threshold, we help Finance professionals master the art of building rapport. We use a framework that was honed in the world of clinical psychology, where clinicians frequently have to overcome resistance and influence their clients to change their behaviour – often in the face of resistance.

Take the recent example… We worked with a rapidly expanding tech company, riding a wave of new products and market launches. Finance had an important role to play – challenging spending decisions to keep costs under control. But soon, Finance became branded as “the handbrake”. Tensions grew with commercial and operational teams, who feared that Finance was slowing them down.

And while Finance wasn’t wrong in its analysis, it lacked the influence to bring the business with them. As a result, relationships grew increasingly tense.

Effective conversations

We worked with the Finance team to help them rebuild rapport. The focus was on asking the right questions and better listening. This led to more effective conversations with the business that showed that they understood their perspective. Finance was then able to frame cost control as protecting future investment capacity, not killing creativity.

Rapport is at the heart of influence. It does not necessarily mean that you both agree, but it does mean that you trust one another and you are able to communicate openly and honestly, respecting one another’s perspectives.

Failure to build rapport means that Finance is seen as unsympathetic or out of touch. Advice is challenged but not because it’s wrong, but because of how it’s delivered. Finance gets shut out of early conversations, where it could have the most impact.

How Threshold Helps Finance Build Rapport

We use:

• Live stakeholder simulations – designed to feel emotionally real.
• Feedback loops – helping Finance teams see how they’re perceived, and how to shift it.
• Motivational interviewing techniques – a proven framework from clinical psychology for building trust and connection, using three key moves:
  • Asking the right questions.
  • Reflecting to check for understanding.
  • Affirming to build trust and openness.

When rapport is present, Finance:

• Becomes a trusted advisor, not just a gatekeeper.
• Grows influence faster, with less effort.
• Has better conversations – even in high-stakes moments

Practical Tips for Building Rapport in Finance

• Mirror the emotional tone of the room – match, don’t clash.
• Show that you understand first, before trying to influence.
• Ask high-quality, low-friction questions – make it easy to engage.
• Follow through consistently – trust is built over time, not in a single meeting.

At Threshold, we help Finance move from function to partner – by applying the science of trust. Because without rapport, even great advice goes nowhereAt Threshold, we are helping our clients to ensure that their human workforce is committed, engaged and ready for the technology revolution. We do this by bringing about small shifts in line manager behaviour that make a big difference. To find out more visit  www.threshold.co.uk