3 tips for facilitating a mentoring session

How can you facilitate a mentoring session? One approach is to follow the classic ‘5C’ model which is based on creative problem-solving. This encourages the mentee to focus on their challenges, choices, consequences, creative solutions and conclusions. Let’s explore how you can follow these steps in your own way.

* You can welcome the person, create a stimulating sanctuary and, when appropriate, explore their first challenge.

Good mentors begin by making the person feel welcome and creating a stimulating sanctuary. They then establish what the person wants to explore during the session. You will do this in your own way – but here are some questions you can ask to clarify the person’s agenda.

“What are the topics would you like to explore? What for you would make it a successful session? Looking at these various themes, which is the first challenge you would like to tackle? Can you give some background and explain what is happening at the moment? What is it you can and can’t control in this situation? Looking at the challenge, what are the real results you want to achieve? What is your picture of perfection? What are your specific goals? Let’s be crystal-clear on the ‘What’ before moving onto the ‘How’.”

* You can clarify their choices, consequences and creative solutions.

Good mentors help the person to explore their choices – the possible options for tackling the challenge. They then move onto the consequences – the pluses and minuses of each option. Finally during this stage, they help the person to consider possible creative solutions. Again, you will do this in your own way, but here are some trigger questions you may ask the person at each stage.

“Let’s consider the possible choices you have for tackling this challenge. What do you see as Option A? (Doing nothing is, of course, an option.) What is Option B; Option C; Option D; Option E? What other strategies have you tried before? Are there any other possible options?

“Let’s consider the consequences of each option. What are the pluses and minuses involved in pursuing Option A; Option B; Option C; Option D; Option E? We will soon be exploring potential creative solutions, but first let’s check your gut feeling for each of the possibilities. Rate the attractiveness of each option. Do this on a scale 0--10.

“Let’s move onto the possible creative solutions. First, let’s re-establish your goals. What are the real results you want to achieve? Looking at the different options you have outlined: Is it possible to take the best parts from each option and create a new road? Let’s learn from your successful history. Have you ever been in a similar situation in the past and managed it successfully? What did you do right? How can you follow these paths again in the future? Looking at the challenge: Are there any other possible creative solutions?”

Good mentors move onto sharing any ideas, tools and models the mentee can use to achieve success. They pass-on this knowledge in a way the mentee can accept and check-out which ideas resonate. You will do this in your own way and continue until the mentee is ready to move onto the next stage.

* You can help the person to clarify their conclusions.

There is often a natural rhythm to a mentoring session. You will encourage the mentee to explore the first challenge, choices and consequences. After considering the potential creative solutions, the mentee reflects and then, at a certain point, will be ready to move onto the final stage – their conclusions. They settle on their plan for tackling the challenge. When it feels appropriate, you can enable them to take this step by using some of the following questions.

“Looking at the different options we have discussed, which route do you want to travel? What will be the pluses and minuses of pursuing this option? Are you prepared to accept the whole package? Let’s move on to your action plan. What steps must you take to reach your goals? How can you make this happen? Momentum is vital, so how can you get an early success? You can only do your best, of course, and make sure you also have a back-up plan. What is the next challenge you want to tackle?”

You will have your own style of facilitating a mentoring session – but the 5C model can be a useful approach to add to your repertoire. It provides a good framework for helping people to find creative solutions to challenges.

You can find out more about this approach in The Art of Mentoring or by downloading The Mentor's Pack at:

http://www.thestrengthsway.com