Ideas for Advanced Mentoring Training

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Ideas about Mentoring
by Dr. Linda Phillips-Jones

IDEAS FOR ADVANCED MENTORING TRAINING

If you're coordinating a mentoring program, let's assume you've provided your mentors and mentees with some basic training. You facilitated orientations or skill-building workshops and gave your participants learning materials and other tools.

Up to now, they've learned (at a minimum):

The steps of the formal mentoring process
How to negotiate all aspects of their partnerships
How to choose mentee development goals and activities
Key mentor and mentee process skills (listening actively, building trust, encouraging, identifying goals and current reality, instructing/developing capabilities, inspiring, opening doors, managing risks, providing corrective feedback, acquiring additional mentors, learning quickly, showing initiative, following through, managing the relationship) and are practicing at least some of the skills
Potential challenges and solutions
How to do some basic evaluating of mentee progress and the relationships

To keep the momentum going, continue to build camaraderie among participants, and share wisdom, consider having a second and even a third training event. You can schedule an in-person workshop (usually best when feasible) or even conduct an audioconference. Here are some ideas and topics to consider:

For Mentors:

Additional training on the more complex mentor skills such as Inspiring, Building Trust, Managing Risks, and Giving Corrective Feedback
Ideas for Successful Cross-Difference (gender, race, culture, style) Mentoring
Career development topics such as: Career Paths in Our Organization, Helping Mentees Market Themselves, Helping Mentees with Informational Interviews, 10 Common Career Mistakes People Make
The Challenging Mentee
Successes and Dilemmas We've Faced…and What We've Learned
Keeping Your Partnership Stimulating (for You and Your Mentee)

More in-depth training on some of the more complex mentee-specific skills such as Creating a Personal Vision, Setting Important Goals, Giving Mentors Corrective Feedback, Learning Quickly, Encouraging Mentors, Managing the Relationship
How to Be a Better Networker
Including Your Manager in the Partnership: What Works and What Doesn't
Ideas for Cross-Difference Mentoring (see Mentor's List)
Career development topics (see Mentor's list)
The Challenging Mentor

We usually recommend separate initial training for mentors and mentees. For advanced training, however, you can hold separate or combined events. Some of the topics (e.g., career development and cross-difference mentoring), may actually be more stimulating and beneficial if both groups are there.

We'd love to hear what's worked for you and your group. For more ideas on programs, see our Products, especially The Mentoring Program Coordinator's Guide.