When you’re knocking on doors in a neighborhood, you’re trying to make a positive impression on a lot of voters in a short period of time. After all, each talk might only take a couple of minutes, and sometimes you’re even trying to earn a commitment not long after meeting someone for the first time in their lives.

Being a strong grassroots warrior for your campaign means building rapport in a short amount of time. Here are a couple of tips that have worked for me in the past.

Make them feel safe after knocking on the door: An unexpected knock on the door on some random afternoon can be disruptive to some. It’s up to you to make a good impression in a hurry. That means you want the voter to feel safe. After you knock on the door or ring the doorbell, take a couple of steps back. Don’t crowd the door and let the voter close the distance when talking.

Point out common ties: If you like cats and they have a cat, compliment it. If they like a sports team and you feel the same way, ask about it. If you and the voter share a connection, that’s another step towards a connection. And be sure to mention it, even during a close. It’s fun to share interests with the people you meet.

Let them talk and listen to everything: If you’re doing your survey and the voter wants to share something with you, let them go, and listen to everything. That’s gold. If they’re sharing a part of their life with you, you should learn and make a common connection to your campaign.

You must build rapport with voters. And at the door you don’t have a lot of time. But when you learn the approaches, and how to make those connections, you’ll be a force for your campaign at the doors.