Good rapport substantiates effective patient care; however, communication barriers can subvert the building of rapport and the evolution of a therapeutic relationship, possibly ending in poorer health outcomes. This article explores the evolution of rapport by registered nurses (RNs) from a diversity of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Discourse analytical techniques are employed to trace rapport‐building in naturally occurring interactions via the course of the participants' nursing care. Ethnographic techniques covering participant observations and audio‐recordings of interactions were conducted in Sydney, Australia, and assayed employing interactional sociolinguistic (IS) and theme oriented discourse analytic approaches. This article shows how rapport is attained by the RNs via strategies like humour, reassurance, small talk and use of colloquial language.