Why Employees Stay Silent: Vanessa Van Edwards on Building Rapport to Foster Openness

In a recent LinkedIn post, Vanessa Van Edwards discusses the critical issue of employee silence in the workplace, highlighting a significant disconnect between what matters to employees and what they feel able to communicate to their superiors. Van Edwards frames this phenomenon not as a lack of courage, but as a deficit in interpersonal rapport.

According to Van Edwards, a staggering 85% of employees have refrained from speaking up about important issues due to a perceived inability to do so. This statistic underscores a widespread problem that can have significant repercussions for businesses.

“In one study, 85% of the employees interviewed said they’d been in a situation where they felt unable to raise an important issue with their boss — even when they thought the issue was important.”

Van Edwards argues that the root cause is a lack of rapport, which she describes as a “social lubricant.” When trust and openness are present within a team, employees are more likely to voice concerns early on, when they are easier and less costly to address. The absence of this rapport, however, means that issues do not simply disappear; they tend to resurface later in more damaging forms.

The High Cost of Unspoken Concerns

Vanessa Van Edwards points out that the consequences of employees remaining silent can manifest in various detrimental ways. These include missed deadlines, unexpected resignations, or problems that escalate because they were never flagged when they were manageable.

“Without it, the concern doesn’t disappear. It resurfaces later as a missed deadline, a surprise resignation, or a problem nobody named while it was still small.”

This highlights a crucial business imperative: fostering an environment where open communication is not just encouraged, but is the norm. Van Edwards suggests that the lack of rapport prevents timely problem-solving, leading to inefficiencies and potential crises that could have been averted.

Building Rapport: The Three-Level Conversation Blueprint

To address this pervasive issue, Van Edwards introduces her “Three-Level Conversation Blueprint.” This framework, developed over two decades of research, utilizes nine specific questions designed to move conversations from superficial topics to deeper, more substantive discussions. She advocates for its use in various relationships, including those with team members, partners, and other significant individuals.

“So how do you build rapport on purpose? The Three-Level Conversation Blueprint — 9 power questions that take a conversation from surface to substance. Use it with your team, your partner, or anyone who matters.”

The implication of Van Edwards’s post is that actively cultivating rapport is a strategic necessity for leaders. It’s not about forcing employees to be braver, but about creating the psychological safety that naturally encourages them to share vital information. By implementing tools like the Three-Level Conversation Blueprint, leaders can aim to transform their communication dynamics.

The Impact of Intentional Communication

Van Edwards expresses a profound hope that her research, detailed in her new book “CONVERSATION,” will fundamentally alter how people interact. The core message is that intentionality in building conversational depth and trust can prevent significant downstream problems and foster a more productive and open organizational culture.