From the "Get Real Project" by Andrea Howe, three short sentences that, if used honestly, can help build trust and professional intimacy:

... and expanding upon those:

• That makes sense — not necessarily agreeing, but rather "... looking at the world from the other person's vantage point and seeing how things might be pieced together ..."
• Tell me more — saying, "... 'The agenda is yours, my time is yours, and my focus is devoted to you, not me.' Its beauty is in its simplicity and its other-orientation. ..."
• I don't know — courageously "... being forthright in a way that appropriately conveys your overall confidence (so high, in fact, that you're OK to admit what might be perceived as a weakness) and your commitment to find the most accurate answer ... [which] builds credibility (and therefore your trustworthiness) because it shows you are honest. ..."

In conclusion, Howe mentions a fourth sentence:

Of course, we could add "I love you" to the list of word triplets, but then things start to get a little too squishy. (Or do they?)

Yes to adding, and No to "too squishy" — sometimes!

(cf. Trusted Advisor (2012-12-23), Action to Raise Trust (2015-09-05), Principles of Trust-Building (2015-09-23), ...) - ^z - 2017-04-08