Provide Mentoring Support to a Colleague Establish a relationship Apply effective communication styles to develop trust, confidence and rapport Agree on how the relationship will be conducted Clarify and discuss expectations Offer mentoring support Assist mentee to identify and evaluate options to achieve agreed goals. Share personal experiences and knowledge with the mentee. Encourage mentee to make decisions and take responsibility for the courses of action under consideration. Provide supportive advice and assistance in a manner which allows the mentee to retain responsibility for achievement of their own goals. Change and discuss the mentoring relationship. Make any adjustments to the relationship taking into account the needs of both mentor and mentee.

‘Behind every successful person, there is one elementary truth: somewhere, somehow, someone cared about their growth and development . This person was their mentor’ Dr Beverley Kaye, Up is Not the Only Way, 1997

Mentor = Trusted friend or advisor

Mentoring Purposes Professional Development Accreditation Updating Fast tracking

Roles in Sport Education Presenter Assessor Mentor

Some Characteristics of a Good Mentor Approachable and welcoming Shares information and experiences openly Good communication skills Trustworthy Provides accurate and appropriate feedback Technical expertise Motivating, encouraging, positive and empowering Allocates appropriate time to mentoring Sensitive to the needs of the coach/official

Some Characteristics of a Good Coach/Official (in a mentoring relationship) Drives the process and take responsibility for solving problems, personal growth and development Motivated and willing to develop a good relationship Listens and accepts guidance and feedback Sets realistic and appropriate goals Reliable, trustworthy and maintains confidentiality Looks to be challenged Flexible and open to new ideas Shows initiative and enthusiasm but has reasonable expectations Recognizes, acknowledges and appreciates mentor

Mentoring Roles Coach Facilitate Counsel Sponsor Support

Pros & Cons of Mentors as Assessors Knows coach’s/official’s abilities Coach/official may feel more comfortable Mentor can modify sessions to prepare coach/official for assessment Mentor can assess over a longer period of time Fewer people are required in the process CONS Coach/official may feel threatened during the mentoring process knowing that their mentor will assess them The mentor may not be sufficiently independent to make a fair and valid assessment It may hinder working relationship

Strategies for Mentors who are Assessing Understand why you are assessing, ie for improvement Be open and up front about your dual role Discuss the possible conflicts of the dual role Be clear, and make it clear, what role you are playing at any given time Seek regular feedback from the coach/official on both roles Use an independent assessor if needed Keep accurate and thorough assessment documentation

Skills Mentors Require Role Assessment of participant Skills Required Have sufficient knowledge of what is being assessed Establish impartiality Create a supportive environment Assess what the coach/official can do, not what you think they can Give accurate and concise feedback

The Mentoring Process Goal setting Observation Analysis Providing feedback Action planning Review

Foundations for successful mentoring relationships Develop and communicate clear goals and expectations at the beginning Set the ground rules and develop an agreement Clarify the roles of the mentor and mentee Work out when and how feedback will occur Review the relationship at regular intervals

Goal Setting

Two-way process of mentoring ‘Mentoring is a two-way process in which both mentor and coach benefit from the networking, sharing of ideas and interaction that can lead to lifelong friendship and betterment of the sport’ Adapted from the Lacrosse Case study

Setting the ‘Ground Rules’ Time & place to meet Phone calls at home? Scope of feedback and assistance Preferred learning style Formal versus informal Roles and responsibilities Consider what level of commitment you are prepared to make

Empowerment ‘Mentoring is a process rather than an event; mentors must see themselves as managers of a process, rather than just passing on knowledge.’ (Galvin, 1998)

Empowerment Who is ‘driving’ the mentoring relationship - the mentor or the coach/official?

Empowerment scenarios Scenario 1: Your mentee has not contacted you for two months Scenario 2: Your mentee is having trouble with one of their athletes and asks you to intervene Scenario 3: Your mentee has just ‘failed’ their assessment (you were not the assessor). The mentee thinks that they were ‘hard done by’ and wants you to speak to the assessors.

Empowering the coach/official Communicate openly Encourage them to take responsibility for achieving their goals Give them space and time to complete tasks Guide and counsel as they reach final stages of tasks Help them to learn from mistakes Help them to work out the answer, rather than just telling them Give constructive, critical advice – but don’t expect to solve all their problems for them Introduce them to other people who might be able to help them Give them responsibility and monitor progress Build confidence through ‘extraordinary’ activities

Observation checklist Discuss the sample observation checklist with your mentee. Check if there are areas that the mentee wants you to look at specifically (identify potential ‘weak’ areas) Add any sport specific ‘technical’ aspects

Why use questions??? To eencourage group interaction To hhelp maintain interest and stimulate thought To hhelp facilitate learning by involving coach/official To defuse potential confronting situations To allow individuals the opportunity to get some feedback on what they want to know To create a discussion To redirect a discussion To obtain feedback

Techniques for asking questions Keep them simple (one idea per question, simple language, short) Pause and give the other person a chance to reflect and answer Prompt (repeat or paraphrase the question, recall information related to the question) Deal with wrong answers in a sensitive and constructive way

Use of appropriate questions What questions might be appropriate in the following situation? Situation: The coach/official has difficulty articulating their needs/goals for the mentoring relationship. What questions might you, as the mentor, ask? Possible Questions: What do you want to get out of this relationship? Do you feel there is more that you are after from me as a mentor? If so, what? How can I, as your mentor, better cater for your needs? Can we discuss what you would like to accomplish by the end of the year?

Use of appropriate questions Develop a list of appropriate questions you might use if you were a mentor faced with the following situations: The coach/official has stated that they don’t have enough time to contribute to the relationship. The coach/official is geographically isolated from the mentor and other coaches/officials in their sport. The coach/official has provided feedback to the mentor that they find the mentor ‘overpowering’. The coach/official does not listen to feedback from the mentor and appears arrogant The coach/official is angry because they feel that the mentor ‘put them down’ in front of their athletes

How to give feedback Encourage openness Praise good work Make feedback timely State your feedback in a manner that conveys respect and support Keep comments related to the task not the person Focus on specific behaviours Address areas of strength and weakness identified by the person Ensure comments are clear and understood Support negative feedback with specific examples and facts Link negative feedback to actions for improvement

Reasons for failure of feedback Person perceives little benefit Person perceives too much time and energy expenditure with little result Person uncomfortable with face to face communication Mentor not skilled in the process of giving and receiving feedback

Receiving feedback Take a problem solving approach Discuss suggestions for improvement Thank the person giving the feedback Practise to improve Review again to check that things have improved Listen objectively with-out interrupting Take feedback as advice, not as a personal attack Summarise feedback to ensure you have understood

Components of quality training quality of presenters quality of presenters Competency Standards & Assessment Criteria entry requirements access and equity RPL process articulation and credit transfer course monitoring and evaluation teaching/ learning methods facilities to meet course requirements quality of presenters educational/ instructional design of materials student feedback mechanisms integration of on-and-off the job components valid and reliable on-and-off the job assessment quality of assessors Components which clarify the quality of training Components which define a course curriculum

How can you improve as a coach/official? Learning Studying Reading Observing Discussing Evaluating External review Peer assessment Player evaluation Self evaluation Diary Mentoring Video self analysis Practising Gaining experience as a coach/official

The self reflection process Action Planning for change Self reflection Recognition of things to improve

Self reflection methods Coaching/Officiating Diary Simple Focuses your thinking Long term perspective Mentoring Social and interactive Feedback and advice Guided self reflection Video Self Analysis See yourself as others see you Accurate and detailed Can be sent to a distant mentor

Key aspects of coaching Communicating How good are your people skills? How well do you relate to your athletes? Teaching How good are you at developing your athlete’s fitness, skills and strategic understanding? Managing How good are you at organising and supervising training sessions?

Key aspects of officiating Control Decision making Communication