Reference table
How much rapport-building each interview needs
A quick guide to how much rapport-building to do in six common research interview situations. Exploratory sessions with new users get a long warm-up, sensitive topics need normalising first, short sessions and busy experts get a brief opening, remote calls need more verbal signals, and concept checks with existing customers stay focused. Use it when writing a discussion guide. In Koji, importing your list gives each participant a personal link, and the AI interviewer greets them by name.
Where this appears
What's in this reference table
| Situation | Approach |
|---|---|
| Exploratory research with new users | Extended warm-up, 8 to 10 minutes before diving into topics |
| Sensitive topics (health, finances, work stress) | Normalise experiences before asking the participant to claim them |
| Short research sessions (15 to 20 min) | Brief but warm: 2 to 3 minutes of small talk, then clear framing |
| Expert or senior participants with limited time | Skip extended small talk, respect their time and get to substance quickly |
| Remote video interviews | More verbal signals, to make up for limited body language |
| Concept validation with existing customers | Don't oversell rapport. Keep it professional and focused |
Use this image
Free to use in your docs, decks and posts under CC BY 4.0, as long as you credit Koji with a link to this page. To embed it, paste this into your page:
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<a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/rapport-building-by-interview-situation"><img src="https://www.koji.so/visuals/rapport-building-by-interview-situation/rapport-building-by-interview-situation.png" alt="Table matching six interview situations, from exploratory research to expert participants and remote calls, with how much rapport-building each needs." width="1200" height="852" /></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.koji.so/visuals/rapport-building-by-interview-situation">How much rapport-building each interview needs</a>, Koji</p>
