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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
