September 28, 2010 Faculty Advisors Effective Mentoring Skills for Advisors: Goal Setting and Action Planning

What is Mentoring? A purposeful and personal relationship in which a more experienced person (mentor) provides guidance, feedback, and wisdom to facilitate the growth and development of a less experienced person (mentee).

Potential Barriers 1.I’m already too busy to do this  Enhancing what you already do  Putting more responsibility on students  Spending more time up front 2.Students don’t want/know how to do this  Students looking for guidance  Building personal and professional skills  TRUE – need to teach them – also career counselors, RA’s, others. NOT just advisor’s responsibility

Learning Objectives Learn to use the Mentoring Conversation Model to help students to set goals and create action plans Share best practices and implementation strategies

Mentoring Conversation Model What is the Current Situation? (Where are you now? What did you learn? How will you apply that in the future?)

Effective Mentoring Conversations What is the Current Situation? (Where are you now? What did you learn? How will you apply that in the future?) What is the Desired State/Goal? (Where do you want to be?)

Effective Mentoring Conversations What is the Current Situation? (Where are you now? What did you learn? How will you apply that in the future?) What is the Desired State/Goal? (Where do you want to be?) What is the Action Plan? (How are you going to get there?)

Effective Mentoring Conversations What is the Current Situation? (Where are you now? What did you learn? How will you apply that in the future?) What is the Desired State/Goal? (Where do you want to be?) What is the Action Plan? (How are you going to get there?) Take Action

Effective Mentoring Conversations Ask thought-provoking questions –What is it about that (class, topic, activity) that (interests, excites, challenges) you? –Where do you see yourself (in 5 years, in 1 year, at the end of this semester)? –How does that align with your (strengths, passions, expectations)? Practice active listening –Be present –Be focused –Eliminate distractions ( , noise) –Pay attention to non-verbals

Effective Mentoring Conversations Provide objective feedback and guidance –Focus on behavior, results –Focus on factual details –Focus on observations –Share wisdom through experiences Facilitate self-reflection and self-development –Don’t solve their problems or do the work –Provide guidance and support to develop their own solutions

Goal Setting Specific – the goal should be concrete and action-oriented Measurable – how will you know when you have achieved it? Achievable – the goal should require effort, but be attainable Realistic – do you have the ability and commitment to reach it? Timely – what is the specific time-frame for achieving the goal?

Goal Setting Not a SMART goal: Have a good first year at Wake Forest A SMART goal: Develop a personal support network of faculty, staff, and peers by the end of my first year at Wake Forest

Goal Setting Goal: Develop a personal support network of faculty, staff, and peers by the end of my first year at Wake Forest Action Steps: 1.Identify and meet with 2-3 faculty members outside of classes to discuss and receive feedback on my academic and personal interests 2.Identify and meet with 2-3 staff members to discuss personal interests and challenges 3.Identify and join at least 1 social club or organization 4.Research opportunities to develop interpersonal skills, for example, CHARGE, VSC

Goal Setting Not a SMART goal: Pick a major. A SMART goal: Explore my interests, skills, and career aspirations in order to choose an academic major by the end of my sophomore year.

Goal Setting Goal: Explore my interests, skills, and career aspirations in order to choose an academic major by the end of my sophomore year. Action Steps: 1.Create a T-chart of likes and dislikes and discuss those with key influencers 2.Take career assessments to explore alignment between interests, skills, and aspirations 3.Meet with career counselor to explore alignment between interests, skills, and aspirations 4.Discuss requirements and options for potential majors with my academic advisor

Keys 1.Be intentional – Mentoring Conversation Model  Where are you now?  Where do you want to be?  How are you going to get there?  What happened/What did you learn? 2.Develop/use a tool  T Chart  Action planning form  Assessments 3.Guide them, don’t do the work for them  Ask thought-provoking questions  Practice active listening  Provide objective feedback and guidance  Facilitate self-reflection and self-development

Mentoring Resource Center Reynolda Hall, Room 17B PO Box 7328 Winston-Salem, NC Director, Allison E. McWilliams, Ph.D (voice) (fax)