When running a mentoring program, it is important to…

When having a running program it is important to have contact with all the participants. And especially in the start of a program. A short phone call or maybe an email to both the mentee and the mentor, just to get information about the first mentee/mentor meeting and the match. It is important for the participants because they feel taken care of and we can lure out if it´s something wrong.

Not wrong maybe but if it´s a good or bad match or maybe if the mentee isn´t prepared or maybe the mentor is talking to much. Maybe the mentors isn´t that clear as a mentor and the meeting is almost as an information meeting.

I have no been sitting for two days and having those calls. And I am loving it!!!

They have all sort of feedback, but they all are saying something like: I love my mentor, the mentor is great, It is great meetings and very useful discussions. And the mentor is telling me about their great mentee and how they are running the meetings and using case.

In these two days I have only experienced one mentee who was not that satisfied with the mentor. But through the conversation we concluded two important things for the mentee for the next meeting. Number one: Be prepared and number two: have some concrete to talk about before the meeting. It could be the leader role, budgeting, new as a leader or other things. And when we said goodbye the mentee the mentee thanked me for the feedback and the little mentoring I have done.

As a coordinator for mentoring programs this is important, you can´t have your mentees and mentors living their own lives between the start and the ending of a program.

MENTOR-model

The premier for a new tool, called the MENTOR-model was a success yesterday.
The MENTOR-model is a model for the whole meeting and would help mentors in their meetings with the mentee.

The participants also come up with several different ways to use the tool, and in ways I haven´t thought about.

Thank you!

Why You Need To Train People For Mentoring

The purpose of training is to enable mentors and mentorees to establish effective relationships. Some programs simply introduce people and leave them to «get on with it». Occasionally, this works. But people need to know what is expected of them, how to go about it and why it is important and you need to be confident they have the skills for mentoring.Why Train?

  • Building a relationship of rapport and trust can be tricky when there are many individual differences;
  • Managing people is different from mentoring people; and
  • Motivation will be critical to success.

Mentoring is different from other workplace relationships. It is professional and personal, it deals with rational and emotional motivation and it non-directive but offers guidance and advice! The paradoxical nature of mentoring needs to be understood and the key skills developed.
In addition, participants usually need ongoing personal support and reassurance. Establishing an interactive network of participants will add value. This is most likely to happen when participants meet and work together in training sessions.

Training Mentors and Mentorees

The role of the mentor, communication styles, strategies and practical techniques for applying the mentoring process can be explored in workshops. It is usually beneficial to provide mentors with an initial session separately from the mentorees so that they are able to discuss any issues candidly.

Mentorees need to be primed to make the most of the mentoring experience. Their responsibilities, communication and goal setting are topics you want to cover in their training.

Bringing mentors and mentorees together for a workshop is highly desirable. This way you can enable them to identify expectations of each other in a non-threatening group process. You can also ensure that they have a common understanding of mentoring etiquette, procedures and reporting. Being part of a group reduces the feeling of isolation and you can set up a mechanism for ongoing group contact. Within this workshop mentoring pairs can have a structured first meeting to break the ice. Debriefing the meeting as a group, you can draw out do’s and don’ts for effective future meetings.

 

The author of this article is Ann Rolfe, and was first published 04. februar 2010 on www.mentoring-works.com.