Coaching builds the rapport that convening then leverages.

observation — attributed to Kathy 'Coach' Kemper

Kemper coached tennis to CIA directors, kings, queens, Supreme Court justices, and a long list of cabinet members for thirty years before she ever hosted them at a dinner. The coaching built the relationship the salon then activated. When she invited security details to step back while she and a head of state picked up tennis balls, the off-court conversation that followed was where the rapport developed. You learn about their marriages, their kids, their families, month after month, a few times a week. A coach can also tell a king to move his feet, which puts the convener in a rare position: the only person in the room who has authority over the person at the top.

For conveners who built their access through a previous role: coaching, teaching, advising, hosting. The principle is useful as an explanation for why some salons work and others do not.

coaching, rapport, access, longitudinal-trust