More and more it's been our experience that clients are looking for ways to "tap into" Mentoring expertise in ways that are increasingly more convenient for them. And who can blame them for that - convenience is something we all seek, as we're challenged to meet increasing demands and expectations, while at the same time, working with fewer available resources, not the least of which is time!
We've enjoyed using technology to connect with many of our clients and find that the distances between us can be 'reasonably' offset when proper attention is paid to strengthening the quality of the relationship between the Mentor and Mentee.
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| Professor David Clutterbuck |
We deeply appreciate the insights provided by Professor David Clutterbuck - Practice Lead, David Clutterbuck Partnership (Slough, United Kingdom) on how "Virtual Mentoring" can be made more effective. Over a number of posts we've shared his comments which have included mentoring by email, telephone and Skype / teleconference.
This Post continues from two earlier that can be seen on August 26, 2016 and February 27, 2017. Both of which have served as a foundation with respect to "Mentoring over Distances". With this final post in this series, Professor Clutterbuck addresses some important considerations in order to conduct effective mentoring when distances are involved.
Using Remote Mentoring Media Effectively
Mentoring by email
Useful guidelines here include:
· Agree clear protocols. For example
o Avoid using capitals, unless you want to
shout
o Don’t send large attachments
o Mentees should give enough detail of the
situation for the mentor to understand and ask pertinent questions, but not so
much that they drown in detail
o Whether and how to share documentation
· Where appropriate, indicate strong emotions with emoticons or some
other form of agreed marker
· Agree a maximum frequency of email and a maximum response time
· Make good use of the reflection time by creating a draft, then letting
it percolate for half an hour or more, before sending
· As in a face to face relationship, take time at the beginning to get
to know each other. For example, exchange emails about your learning journey,
your passions, your previous experience of mentoring etc
· Check the meaning and words and phrases, to ensure that you have
understood each other’s intent
· Just as in face to face mentoring, remember to establish a measure of
rapport at the beginning of each virtual mentoring session. Demonstrate an
interest in each other as people, rather than just in the issue the mentee
brings
· E-mail mentoring conversations need structure just as much as face to
face ones. Useful questions in creating structure include:
o What is the issue you’d like to explore?
o Why is it important to you? Why now?
o What do you genuinely know? What do you
think you know? What do you feel?
o What level/ kind of resolution are you
looking for? (Or do you perhaps just want to examine the issue from other
perspectives?)
· Review and recap more frequently than you might with face to face
mentoring, to ensure that you are both on the same wavelength. In particular,
ask the mentee to reflect on whether their perception of the issue, which they
have brought for discussion, has now changed
· As with face to face mentoring, aim to review the relationship once
every few meetings, to establish what you could each do to make it even more
effective.
Telephone and Skype/
teleconference mentoring
Useful guidelines include:
· Ensure that you are both in an environment, where there will be no
interruptions or distractions
· Re-establish the human connection at the beginning
· Have a protocol for dealing with silence – for example, that you will
wait for up to two minutes before asking another question, or checking in
· Agree whether and how you will exchange supporting documentation
during the mentoring conversation
· Have a clear agenda
· Only record the conversation with each other’s permission
· As with face to face mentoring, aim to review the relationship once
every few meetings, to establish what you could each do to make it even more
effective.
Source: Professor David Clutterbuck - David
Clutterbuck Partnership
Coaching and Mentoring International Ltd
www.coachingandmentoringinternational.org
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