1. Ground Rules

2. Meet Our Webinar Support Sergeant
Sean DaSilva

3. Program Quality Webinar Series
Mentoring Webinar
Program Quality Webinar Series

4. Agenda Why should you make the mentor program a priority?
Starting your mentor program
Mentor training and tips
Mentee guidance
Q&A
Raffle

5. Why should your club make having a mentor program a priority?

6. What is your club’s goal for this year
What is your club’s goal for this year? Mentoring Can help with whatever that is!
Reduced turnover
Distinguished club program
Quality of support
Spread a message
Reduced turnover -
-> relationships between mentor and mentee create a sense of community and allow for more opportunities to check-in
-> A lot of people think that there’s only two books and then they graduate from the program, it’s important to address that perceptions from the start

7. Your Mentor Program

8. First: Think about your club’s needs
How big is your club?
How much work will it be to track the program
How often are there new members?
The demand needs to match the supply
Does your club have a lot of experienced members?
Important when thinking about base qualifications

9. Mentor Program Format Ideas

10. Automatic Assignment Anyone who joins the club gets a mentor
VPE takes someone out of the mentor pool each time someone joins the program
PROs:
Everybody gets support and basic information
CONs:
Difficult to get enough mentors
High-maintenance
ADVICE FOR IMPLEMENTATION: Don’t do this retroactively
GOOD FOR: Low retention

11. Buddy System VPE has a mentor list and a buddy list
Every new member is assigned a buddy
Buddy meets with member once: explain books, program, & mentor options
If member is interested in mentor, someone from mentor pool is assigned
PROs:
Everyone gets all the basic information
Mentors are assigned to people who actually want them
CONs:
Need to maintain buddy and mentor groups
ADVICE FOR IMPLEMENTATION: Low commitment for experienced buddy
USEFUL FOR: Busy experienced members, more people join than you can find mentors
Gina - Feel free to change the pro’s and con’s. I am not sure if these fit what you are looking to present.

12. Opt-in Assignment Mentors by request only PROs: Low Maintenance
Better for small mentor pool
CONs:
Not all members will get basic information
Tougher to channel as means to meet club goals
Difficult to maintain program interest
IMPLEMENTATION: Marketing the program will be crucial to its survival.

13. Whatever you do…

14. Start small, build it up
Talk to the club’s most experienced members about what time they can commit
Take advantage of tools available from International
Mentor interest survey
Mentor Assignment Notice
Mentee Assignment Notice
Figure out a couple of small goals to start based on the format you choose

15. Finding Good Mentors

16. In General The Ideal Mentor: Is approachable
Is knowledgeable of the Toastmasters program
Hugely Important: Have Standardized Requirements
Examples:
Number of speech or leadership projects done
Formal or informal mentor training

17. Clear Expectations
The club has to make a decision about exactly what you want to get out of the program, based on your club’s unique needs.
Examples:
Discuss CC and CL
Walk through first 3 speeches
Explain meeting roles
Explain the agenda
Give them additional feedback

18. Training Your Mentors

19. Ideas for Formal or Informal Training
Consider using concepts from Toastmasters International mentor trianing
CUSTOMIZE IT for your club’s needs
Make sure mentors know how the books, meeting roles, and program beyond the basic books works (applicable for buddy training, too)
Discuss ways to help people think about speeches
Discuss positive encouragement strategies
Mention ways of providing constructive feedback: Sandwich Method

20. Mentor Tips

21. Mentor tip 1: Always find out what the mentee is looking for
Understanding mentee goals is crucial to a succesful mentoring relationship
Try to explain the educational program in terms of how it can help them meet their goals

22. Mentor tip 2: Always cover the basics
Some people join Toastmasters with one goal, not realizing all the other goals the program could help with!
Discuss key Toastmasters topics:
The “red book” (CL)
What happens when you’re done with the CC & CL manual?

23. Mentor tip 3: Self-Paced Learning
Make sure your mentee understands the onus is on her
Mentor can and should encourage mentees to move along in the program, but Toastmasters is self-paced.
Mentees are responsible for their own learning.

24. Mentor tip 4: Communicate on your own availability
Best way to reach you
Easiest ways to meet
Extent of availability

25. Mentee Responsibilities

26. Mentee Tip 1: Basic Rules of Interaction
Be respectful of your mentor’s time
Basic professionalism
After initial contact, reach out to your mentor if you have a question
It’s a two-way street: Don’t wait for your mentor to reach out!

27. Mentee Tip 2: It’s ultimately up to you
The program is self-paced: progress is ultimately up to the mentee.
Don’t be afraid to seek other people and resources: It’s OK to work with someone else, too
You and your mentor might not click, reach out!

28. Maintaining Your Mentor Program

29. Persistence, persistence, persistence
Remind everyone you’ve started a mentor program
Some people will say they don’t need a mentor the first time you ask
People may not realize what a mentor means and that they might need one down the line
Offer program as resources to those who aren’t giving speeches

30. Track Mentor Mentee relationships
Document relationships and available prospective mentors:
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Materials Provided by Toastmasters International:
Worth noting:
Mentor Interest Survey
Mentor Certificate

31. Templates
Have a standard template you use for mentor and mentee assignments
Include basic ground rules and expectations
Lookout for:
Sample Mentor Assignment Notification
Sample Mentee Assignment Notification

32. Make it sustainable Key because our leaders change every year
Establish a mentor program that is easy to maintain
Strategy will be different for every club. Consult district leadership for help:
Area Directors
Division Directors
Trio

33. FAQs

34. FAQs
What happens if a mentor is having a hard time fulfilling the CL requirement?
Try to pair that member with people who said they expected to need more help.
Ultimately the mentor is there to be a resource to the mentee, make sure the CL doesn’t sound like the primary motivation
Who qualifies as a mentor? Are there strict guidelines?
Guidelines should be club-specific based on your needs and expectations
Make sure you have specific guidelines, whatever they are

35. Q&A

36. Raffle time! https://www.miniwebtool.com/random-name-picker/ PRIZE:
3 Mentoring Kits ($18 Value Each)
Raffle time!