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2. Initiate Relationship

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22 mins

How to Build the Relationship with Your Mentee

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Time you spend building rapport and trust with your mentee will improve the success of the journey.
Here are key components you need to build that relationship -

1. Confidentiality in both directions is key. Do not discuss anything your mentee shares with you unless you have their permission. Remind your mentee of confidentiality at the beginning and end of every session.

2. Building rapport and trust are essential. Here are some ways you can build trust.

Don’t rush. Spend enough time in the beginning getting to know each other, rather than rushing into goal setting and solutions.
Do your research about your mentee so you’re not starting cold. Acknowledge their strengths.
Believe your mentee has the best answers within themselves. Your job is to ask the right questions.
Follow through – do what you say you are going to do.
Be prepared to be vulnerable – don’t just share your hero stories. Also share the times you failed.
Ask for and be open to feedback from your mentee.
Be non-judgmental.
Listen a lot! Talk a little.‍
Ask open-ended questions‍

3. Ask open-ended questions to get to know your mentee.

What ^are your values?
What do you believe are strengths?
What are you passionate about?
What motivates you?
What are you most proud of?
What successes have you had?
What have you taken away from your failures?

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What to Do in a Mentoring Meeting as a Mentor

Having a structure can help you and your mentee make your time more productive.

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xyz_mentor

2 mins

Having a structure can help you and your mentee make your time more productive. The format can be adapted to suit your requirements so there’s a natural flow.
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1. Feedback And Update

Remind your mentee about confidentiality as well as any ground rules.

Talk to your mentee about:

Feedback on their progress on the action plan.
An update on what has happened in their work or personal life since you last met.

Progress on what you committed to do since the last meeting.

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2. Discussion

This is where you will spend the bulk of your time. Ask your mentee to go through the discussion points on their agenda, and identify the issues they want to discuss.
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Example of prompting questions:

“What would be most useful for you to discuss today?”

“What would you like this session to focus on?”

Ask questions to clarify the issues your mentee has presented; be sure you fully understand before moving on.

Guide your mentee to think about their issue more thoroughly. Ask open-ended questions to encourage them to think more deeply.
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Example of prompting questions:

“What options have you considered?”

“What do you see as the pros and cons of each?”

You can then share some of your experiences and advice, if it's requested.

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3. Close

Action Plan - Ask your mentee to put together an action plan of what they would like to work on before the next meeting. If needed, help them to think through options. Make a note of anything you could provide, such as an article or video, to help them. Make sure you send them to your mentee.

Discuss and schedule your next meeting. Set up a recurring meeting if you mutually agree on a time that works for both of you. Finally, sincerely thank your mentee for their hard work.

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