Mentoring conversations are often most useful when both people arrive with some idea of what they want to discuss, but without assuming that they already know the answer. This guide provides a structure for the conversation while leaving room for it to develop naturally.
The mentee can complete the first sections before the meeting, identifying what has happened, what they would like to explore and what would make the conversation useful. The mentor can use the suggested questions to understand the situation before offering advice or sharing their own experience.
You do not need to complete every section during every meeting. Choose the parts that are relevant to the conversation and focus on one or two issues at a time. Use the guide to explore assumptions, consider different options and agree a small number of realistic actions.
At the end of the conversation, record what each person has agreed to do and when progress will be reviewed. The reflection section can then be completed separately or discussed at the beginning of the next meeting.
The guide can also be used to check that the mentoring relationship is working for both people. Mentoring should support the mentee’s thinking rather than make decisions for them, and either person should feel able to discuss expectations, boundaries or changes to the arrangement.
You can complete the guide online and print it or save it as a PDF. Make sure you do this before leaving or refreshing the page, as your entries will not be stored automatically.
