Abstract: This study examined the effect of sensory predicate matching on the development of rapport within a collegiate instructional context. sensory predicate matching is a form of verbal synchrony, whereby the instructor matches categories of sensory predicates evident in the student's speech. This study was limited to an examination of the effect of this variable on rapport maintenance within individual discussion situations. To test the effect of this procedure the design entailed semi-structured discussions which simulated a collegiate instructional/ discussion context. Experimental manipulation of instructor verbal behavior was conducted with the following three conditions being assessed: Unspecified, matching, and mismatching. Each condition entailed a method of instructor behavior used throughout the discussions. Other relevant variables such as voice tone/tempo, gestures, posture, etc. were controlled for as much as possible. At the conclusion of each discussion, Ss completed the Anderson and Anderson Interview Rating Scale. This scale provided an operational definition of rapport and scores to measure the gegree of rapport experienced by Ss in each of the experimental conditions. Groups of scores for the three conditions provided the data for statistical analysis. An ANOVA applied to the data yielded non-significant results. The implications of thees findings with respect to the complexity of rapport, NLP, design limitations and implications for future research were examined.