From the 2013 essay by Charles H. Green, "8 Ways to Make People Believe What You Tell Them", some obvious and redundant and important advice on how, personally and professionally, to connect:

• Tell the truth. This is the obvious first point, of course — but it's amazing how the concept gets watered down. For starters, telling the truth is not the same as just not lying. It requires saying something; you can't tell the truth if you don't speak it.
• Tell the whole truth. Don't be cutesie and technical. Don't allow people to draw erroneous conclusions based on what you left out. By telling the whole truth, you show people that you have nothing to hide. (Most politicians continually flunk this point).
• Don't over-context the truth. The most believable way to say something is to be direct about it. Don't muddy the issue with adjectives, excuses, mitigating circumstances, your preferred spin, and the like. We believe people who state the facts, and let us uncover the context for ourselves.
• Freely confess ignorance. If someone asks you a question you don't know the answer to, say, "I don't know." It's one of the most credible things you can say. After all, technical knowledge can always be looked up; personal courage and integrity are in far shorter supply.
• First, listen. Nothing makes people pay attention to you more than your having paid attention to them first. They will also be more generous in their interpretation of what you say, because you have shown them the grace and respect of carefully listening to them first. Reciprocity is big with human beings.
• It's not the words, it's the intent. You could say, in a monotone voice, "I really care about the work you folks are doing here." And you would be doubted. Or, you could listen, animatedly, leaning in, raising your eyebrows and bestowing the gift of your attention, saying nothing more than, "wow." And people would believe that you care.
• Use commonsense anchors. Most of us in business rely on cognitive tools: data, deductive logic, and references. They are not nearly as persuasive as we think. Focus instead more on metaphors, analogies, shared experiences, stories, song lyrics, movies, famous quotations. People are more inclined to believe something if it's familiar, if it fits, or makes sense, within their world view.
• Use the language of the other person. If they say "customer," don't you say "client." And vice versa. If they don't swear, don't you dare. If they speak quietly one on one, adopt their style. That way, when you say something, they will not be distracted by your out-of-ordinary approach, and they will intuitively respect that you hear and understand them.

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