Newport Center Toastmasters Club 231-F Mentoring Program

What is a Mentor? Generally the word means a “wise and loyal advisor”. In Greek legend, Mentor was Odysseus’ trusted councilor. Mentors are consultants, professional critics and friendly advisors.

The Mentor and Mentee Mentor Mentee The Mentor is a guiding hand for the Mentee.

What is a mentoring program? The program helps new and established club members more effectively develop their speaking & leadership skills. A Mentor serves as a Role Model, coach, confidant to the mentee. A Mentor offers Useful knowledge, insight, perspective, wisdom to the mentee. A Mentor can take some of the new member fear out of Toastmasters.

Who can be a mentor? Any club member who has the desire and time to develop and hone their skills. Mentor should have completed several speeches in the basic manual and have performed most meeting roles. It takes a new member about six months time to qualify.

Benefits for Club 231-F Clubs with mentor programs: Have a reputation for higher standards. Have more members. Have more satisfied members. Retain more members.

Benefits for Members New Members Learn the Mentoring Program. Learn Club standards and customs. Develop confidence. Participate more. More quickly learn speaking skills. Experienced Members Further refine their skills. Learn new skills.

Benefits for Mentors Learn from mentees. Remain productive in new ways. Do something for others. Receive recognition/satisfaction. Hone organizational skills. Share skills with others.

Critical Mentor skills Be a good listener. Give useful suggestions confidently. Be flexible to new ideas. Be supportive. Be sensitive to mentee feelings. Be respectful of different cultures.

Critical Mentee Skills Be grateful for a mentor’s efforts. Be eager to learn. Be open to new ideas. Be loyal and not violate confidences. Be receptive to feedback. Remember a mentee is not necessarily a new member.

The Mentoring Process Get assigned as a mentor (mentee choice). Sit with new members at club meetings. Review with them their TM notebook. Orient them to club customs/procedures. Explain their member responsibilities. Help them with their Ice Breaker speech. Remind them to solicit your input.

The Mentoring Process Provide positive feedback often. Describe the TI organization. Explain club 231-F officer’s duties. Explain speech contests. Invite them to other events. Acknowledge their progress. Tell them how you have benefited.

How much time does this entail? For mentor or mentee the time required varies. You can discuss needs by phone or in person. The time you put in is totally up to you. Generally 15 minutes a week does it. Some time is better than no time.

Where do you meet? Totally up to you. Meet after club over coffee. Conduct your business by phone.

Why participate? When you are involved you will also gain new skills such as: Developing confidence as a coach. Gaining insight into speech craft. Building lasting rapport with a fellow member. When you are involved you add value to our club by: Increasing the quality of our members. Helping to strengthen our membership.

The Close Everyone should be mentored. E.g.: Everyone should be a mentor. Everyone should be a mentee. Sign up for Mentoring – see handout: Let’s make this into a very rewarding part of our Club’s activity. Let’s all take part in strengthening Club 231-F. Thank you.