Mentor Training Program

Introductions name organisation and role who has influenced you the most? what motivates you to become a mentor? what are your expectations of today?

What is mentoring? “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 however, “A mentor provides information, shares their experience or expresses an opinion. However it is always the mentee that decides, acts and produces outcomes” Anne Rolfe, Synergistic People Development

How does mentoring work in your sport? Does it occur formally or informally? How are mentors and mentees matched up? What are the roles and responsibilities of mentors? What are the benefits for the mentor, mentee and sport?

Purpose of mentoring professional development accreditation updating fast tracking others

Adult Learning Principles Autonomous and self-directed Life experiences and prior knowledge Goal-oriented Relevancy-oriented Practical Need to be shown respect

Learning styles Visual They like: Graphs, charts, mind maps/flow charts and images. Auditory Discussion groups, questions, audio recordings, key points and cue words. Read/write Lists, headings, written cue words/phrases. Kinaesthetic Demonstrations, doing the activity, learning by experiencing, video feedback, visualisation. www.vark-learn.com

Characteristics of mentees Mentee 1 - is in awe of mentor, not confident, wants the mentor to tell them what to do, struggles to self reflect and drive things. Mentee 2 - is very confident, thinks they know it all and wants to argue with the feedback from the mentor, mentor has difficulty relating to the mentee. Mentee 3 - is very hard working, but very tough on themselves, ‘beats themself up’ mentally if they make a mistake, high achieving and a stress head.

Establish an agreement The mentoring process Identify needs Set Goals Establish an agreement Review Action plan Feedback Observation

Getting started – The first meeting How would you approach the following: Building rapport, trust and empathy Identifying needs and setting goals Establishing ground rules Developing an agreement

Establish an agreement The mentoring process Identify needs Set Goals Establish an agreement Review Action plan Feedback Observation

Mentoring in action Who set the goals for the session? Where did the mentor position herself? How and when did the mentor provide feedback to the mentee? What was the outcome? How does observation and feedback occur in your sport?

The mentoring process Identify needs Identify needs Set Goals Establish an agreement Establish an agreement Review Action plan Action planning Feedback Feedback Meetings and observations Observation

Facilitating feedback How did the mentor establish rapport? What questions did the mentor use to help the mentee self-reflect? How did the mentor show they were attentive and interested? How was the action plan developed? Were the next steps clear? If there was conflict, how did the mentor deal with it?

Planning a difficult conversation What outcome are you hoping to achieve? Identify the emotions the mentor and mentee may be feeling How would you start the conversation? What questions could you ask to challenge assumptions and perceptions? What behaviours would you like to display? How will you defuse conflict if it occurs?

The self reflection process Action Planning for improvement Analysis and evaluation Identification of things to improve

Summary Mentoring enhances the coach/official education process Effective mentors facilitate learning Mentoring is a two-way process that benefits both the mentor and mentee Taking the time to set up the mentoring relationship at the start is important for it’s long term success Providing effective feedback is a critical skill for all mentors

Good luck with your mentoring Thank you Good luck with your mentoring