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4. Drive Active Relationships
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22 mins

How to Give and Receive Feedback

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The objective of feedback is to help your mentee learn and improve, and not to criticize them. Done well, feedback can:

  1. Enhance communication and trust.
  2. Clarify expectations, and help partners be more open and honest about what each expects of the other.
  3. Increase engagement and commitment, so both mentoring partners feel they have a stake in the journey.
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Giving productive feedback

Feedback needs to be consistent and constructive. Here are some tips on how to give productive feedback. 

  • Permission: Ask permission before giving feedback.
  • Intention: Question your intentions. Why are you giving this feedback? Will it help your mentoring partner learn?
  • Be specific: Provide tangible examples of behavior you have observed. Discuss its impact.
  • Frequency: Give feedback frequently when it is still actionable.
  • Positive: Also focus on positive feedback. What’s going well? 
  • Two-way discussion: Allow your mentoring partner to respond and think about what they are saying. Discuss ways to move forward and potential solutions. 
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Receiving feedback

How you receive feedback is also important. Be sure to listen and think carefully about feedback. Here are some suggestions:

  • Listen: Listen attentively to what is being said. Don’t begin to plan how you will respond, and tuning out what is being said.
  • Be open to feedback: Try to have an open mind, and be willing to change your behavior if necessary. 
  • Reflect: Reflect back to your mentoring partner what you have heard to ensure you understand it clearly. Ask any questions. 
  • Two-way discussion: Together, discuss potential solutions so you can move things forward. 
  • Appreciate: Thank or recognize your mentoring partner for what they have shared with you.

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Up Next

How to End the Mentoring Journey with Your Mentor

You and your mentor will have acknowledged that your next meeting will be your last.
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2 mins

You and your mentor will have acknowledged that your next meeting will be your last. Here’s how to prepare for your last meeting. 
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1. Prepare for your final meeting

  • Set aside some time to reflect on what you have achieved so far. What have you learned? Did the journey meet your expectations? What would you do differently? 
  • Go through the goals you set. Were they achieved? 
  • Make notes on what you would like to discuss during your final meeting. Is there advice you would like?
  • What would you like to thank your mentor for? 
  • Would you like to be a mentor in the future?

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2. Your final meeting

  • Now is the time to celebrate your journey together. If possible, make it special by choosing a different place to meet, such as for lunch in a nice restaurant. You can choose a location to meet and enter it under Sessions. Simply select Schedule and go to Session Location and select Physical Location. You can type in the address within the Location details text box. 
  • Reflect on what you have achieved so far and celebrate your successes. Share what you learned and how you have grown.
  • If you did not achieve all your goals, discuss your plans going forward. 
  • Share with your mentor what you felt was effective and where their mentoring could be improved.

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3. What’s next?

  • Your formal mentoring journey is over, but you both may decide to remain in contact. If so, how will you stay in touch? 
  • Appreciate your mentor. Thank them for what they have done for you.

Don’t let your mentoring journey fizzle out without formally concluding it. When a mentoring journey ends well it adds to the overall positive experience. 

MentorCloud Inc, 90, Middlefield Road,
Menlo Park, CA 94025 USA
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