1. The Mentoring Journey: Roles and Responsibilities
16th October 2015 Sports Coach UK
Level 4 Conference
University of Worcester
Michelle Morgan & Rachel Brown

2. Overview of Workshop Set the scene – mentor/mentee backgrounds
Concerns and apprehensions
Look at the ‘why’?
Insight and Examples – What would you do?
Where are we now?
Outcomes and recommendations

3. The Mentee Qualifications: BSc Sports Studies and Physical Education
MSc Sports Coaching Science
Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
Teaching Fellow – Higher Education Academy
Football – Level Two
Netball – Level Two
Netball – currently completing Level Three

4. The Mentee Coaching Experiences/ Roles Undertaken:
Director of Netball at University of Worcester (2012-present)
Head Coach at Disney International Youth Netball Tournament: Orlando, Florida (2014)
Community Netball Coach on behalf of Netball America (2014)
Player/ Coach at Carolians Netball Club (2012-present)
Head Coach of Shenley Radford YFC (u14-u16)
Head Coach of Worcester City Youth Development FC (u12-u16)

5. The Mentor 15 years rugby coaching experience – at various levels
Qualified as PE Teacher
RFU/World Rugby Trainer
SCUK Lead Tutor
RFU Area Training Manager
Level 3 Workforce Mentor
CMI Management, Coaching & Mentoring.
….didn’t complete Level 3!
Started coaching at uni – been involved in coaching/coach education ever since
Taught for a couple of years
Picked up the additional roles whilst working for RFU (started as full time coach)
Picture in Switzerland – working with coaches from all over Europe.
Trainer Training – will go back and work in their own country
Mentoring in sport and business/general content
Reason why – changed jobs and got asked to do the trainer jobs (moving away from coaching into coach eduation) – worked with many level 3 coaches – do you therefore have to have done it

6. Key Points Reasons: Previous success within a mentoring context
Looking for a sounding board
Completing course
Concerns:
Trying to please each other in order to tick boxes
Didn’t want to force the relationship as it has been ‘put’ together
Difference in sports – would there be a lack of common knowledge and understanding to support what was required
Mentoring is a powerful tool in the education and development of sports coaches at all levels (Sports Coach UK; 2015)

7. The ‘why’? Strength of the mentor relationship is understanding ‘why’
Has to be an understanding of why someone does something – not necessarily how and what?
Links to values and beliefs of the individual
Transferrable importance from mentoring to coaching – think ‘why’ with regards to both your philosophy and approaches – but ‘why’ your athletes do what they do…
… Which led me to… THE FACES!
How is Coaching Process skills and rapport built with players
What is the coaching techniques and approaches such as TGfU

9. Discussion: What would you pick up as a mentor/ mentee from the clip
Discussion: What would you pick up as a mentor/ mentee from the clip? What would your next steps be?

10. What We Did Mentee watched the video alone
Mentee then watched the video with the mentor
Open floor for the mentee to openly chat/comment on what they had watched.
Questions from mentor to simulate thoughts including: Feelings after watching? What was trying to be achieved with particular components of session? Why was the approach/aspect taken or included? What could be done differently?
Mentor didn’t give any answers – encouraged the mentee to come up with own and devise own action plan.
Never any judgement or suggestion something had been done badly/wrong/different to how the mentor would

11. Where as a ‘mentee’ am I at now from this process in my coaching?
Engaging use of the whiteboard
Empowering players
Giving the decision-making and evaluating over to the teams
Better questioning to players (including in evaluation)
Sessions are much more relevant and beneficial to the players needs as have considered ‘why’
Awareness of player emotions/mood which informs both coaches and players (further ‘why’ if required)

12. Summary Slide Lessons:
Setting not only goals – but a timescale in which to achieve them
Insight into coaching – not empowering or engaging as much as I thought so was able to make a change
Benefit of video - Franks and Miller (1991) identified coaches are less than 45% correct in post-performance analysis and feedback which adds further rationale for the use of video in reflection as situations can be reminded, reviewed and re-watched.
Have no agenda - let the mentee steer
There is a huge benefit for both parties if done right as supported by The National Coaching Foundation (2010) Don’t have to have gone through the experience to mentor someone through it
Next Steps:
Continue with goal setting
Achieve Level Three qualification
Use of video for self-reflection
The question WHY?