Mentors are skilled facilitators. Mastery of facilitation skills enables a mentor to engage a mentee as an active partner in his or her own learning. Facilitation encourages self-reflection and ownership.
As with any other process, there are some keys that open the door to success better than others. For mentors in their facilitation role, these three are particularly worthy of note:
Key #1:
Skilled facilitators know that specific kinds of questions draw upon the unique thinking and learning style of different mentees. When the right kind of question is asked, deeper learning occurs.
Key #2:
Facilitators must show flexibility and openness to learning. A mentor may not agree with a mentee’s point of view, but the willingness to respect a different perspective is critical to creating a shared learning environment.
Key #3:
When a facilitator validates a mentee’s perspective it supports both the learning and the relationship. Positive feedback encourages Mentee growth and development.
For more information about facilitation and mentoring, consider ordering a copy of Mentoring Excellence Pocket Toolkit #2, Feedback and Facilitation for Mentors. The toolkit provides tips, guidelines and checklists to build and enhance your mentoring practice in an easy to reference format.
