Attention is the component most readily established, but an interviewer could select any
component as the starting point. If mutual attention cannot be readily established, the
interviewer can attempt to coordinate his behaviour with the sources or express positivity
unilaterally in an attempt to establish mutuality in one of the dimensions of rapport.
Coordination can be both a cause (Chartrand & Bargh, 1999; Stel & Vonk, 2010) and a
consequence (Gueguen & Martin, 2009) of positivity between partners. However,
positivity and attention can be faked, leading to a state of pseudorapport (DePaulo & Bell,
1990). One or both parties may convey positivity that they do not genuinely feel, or an
interactant may give back channel responses (nodding, saying ‘uh huh’) at appropriate
times without listening to the verbal content, leading to an overestimate of rapport by
one of them. Pseudorapport carries the risk that once detected, the relationship will be
damaged and the interviewer will have to spend time trying to repair rapport and trust.
Some relationships do not cover from such a break.