Our Story: Building Rapport on Day One

Keywords: Classroom Rapport, Icebreaker, Cross-Cultural

Abstract: The first day of class similar to the first line of a speech sets the tone for the remainder of the course. As professors, we choose our course material carefully. Day one content should be no different as it is an opportunity to build rapport with students. Classroom rapport has been associated with many positive student outcomes. This session will explore the importance of building rapport and related strategies, particularly in a cross-cultural online setting. Session attendees will engage in a classroom rapport building day one icebreaker which allows the use of seemingly random items to create a management theme-specific story. This activity, facilitated using Zoom breakouts rooms, has been implemented in various formats with graduate and undergraduate management students (i.e., online, face-to-face, cross-cultural, etc.). Outcomes, successes, and challenges of the activity will be shared.