Transcript Slide 1

Transforming business
transforming communities
Business Class
Mentor Training Programme
www.bitc.org.uk
Welcome to Mentoring Training
By the end of this session you will:
• Understand your role and the wider context of outreach
and education liaison work
• Understand your responsibilities and boundaries as a
Business Class mentor
• Put into practice some new communication skills
• Have the chance to ask questions and learn from each
other
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Training Session Content
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Business Class programme
Educational Landscape
Understanding mentoring
Communication techniques
How to be a good mentor
Responsibilities
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Mentoring
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
What is mentoring..?
“Mentors are many things - a positive role model, an
adviser, an experienced friend. Somebody from outside a
person's immediate circle taking a special interest can
make an enormous difference.”
(Excellence in Schools, 1997)
• Regular one-to-one guidance & support
• Motivation & encouragement
• Overcoming barriers to learning & progression
• Improving self-esteem & confidence
• Increasing commitment & application to studies
• Developing knowledge & skills
• Increasing awareness of & aspirations towards different
career options and broadening their horizons
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Key skills and qualities
Can you think of anyone in your life who has acted as a
mentor? This might be a formal mentoring relationship or
someone you have met through school, work or elsewhere
who has fulfilled this role.
- What did this person do?
- What did they say?
- How did they help you?
- How did they make you feel?
Spend a few minutes discussing this then try to identify the key
skills and qualities that you feel make a successful mentor?
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
An effective mentor…
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Creates and sustains a rapport
Is non-judgmental
Questions effectively
Listens actively
Empathises
Focuses discussion
Motivates
Sets goals
Gives constructive feedback
Assists their mentee to reflect
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
A mentor is not…
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A counsellor
A teacher
A best friend
A parent
A social worker
Perfect!
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Mentoring Lifecycle
All mentoring relationships follow the same cycle:
Getting to know one another
Setting ground rules & boundaries
Planning & setting goals
Motivating & working towards goals
Achieving goals & reflecting
Thinking about the future/aspirations
Closing the relationship
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Mentoring Lifecycle
All mentoring relationships are unique:
• Individual mentees’ needs (e.g. barriers to learning, lack of
confidence, lack of motivation, problems with peers or at
home)
• Aims of the relationship (e.g. completing coursework,
improving attendance, attitude to learning, Post-16
choices)
• Length of relationship
• Timing/length of face-to-face sessions
Business Class
Getting started
Paying attention to details in the first contact is very
important so that you get the mentoring relationship off to
a good start
Organise yourselves into pairs and spend a few minutes
discussing how you would approach your first contact with
your mentee(s)
• What might be important for both the mentor/mentee at
the start of the relationship?
• What questions would you ask your mentee(s)?
• What would you say about yourself?
• What decisions would you need to make together?
• What could you do to make the meeting successful?
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Effective Mentoring Sessions
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Are planned in advance
Respond to mentees’ needs
Build on what has gone before
Are flexible
Include a variety of activities
Thinking about these points in advance will help avoid
awkward silences and difficult situations!
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Communication
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Questioning Styles (1)
‘Closed’ questions are ones where you are likely to get a
‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers.
These are okay when you need to confirm the facts if you
use lots of these you won’t be able to find out any details
or how your mentee is feeling
Examples of closed questions:
- “Did you manage to get your coursework finished?”
- “Have you spoken with your tutor yet?”
- “Was your mum pleased with your report?”
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Questioning Styles (2)
‘Open’ questions however obtain information freely avoiding
‘yes’, ‘no’ or very short answers
Open questions start with ‘how’, ‘why’ or ‘what’
Examples of open questions:
- “How did you get on with your coursework?”
- “Why did your tutor want to speak with you?”
- “What did your mum say about your report?”
- “What are your main options after you’ve finished your
GCSEs?”
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Good Questioning Practice
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Start with questions you know they can answer to
increase confidence
Balance factual and more thought-provoking questions
Use open questions to encourage longer answers
Stimulate critical thinking by asking “How…”, “Why…”,
“Under what circumstances…” etc.
Allow thinking time before an answer
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Good questions are…
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Purposeful
Clear
Brief
Natural
Thought-provoking
Limited in scope
Adapted to the level of the student
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Responding to Questions
Be prepared to respond to different levels of
answers:
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Incorrect
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Partially correct
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Fully correct
How would you respond to each (without denting a
young person’s confidence)?
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Questioning Styles Exercise
Get into pairs and find out what your partner did at the
weekend
The aim of the exercise is to ask open questions so your
partner is unable to respond with just ‘yes’ or ‘no’
Your partner’s aim is to try and catch you out by answering
‘yes’ or ‘no’!
Swap roles when you get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Active Listening
‘Reflecting’ is using words with a similar meaning to repeat
back what your mentee has said to you
This illustrates that you’re listening and understanding, and it
encourages your mentee to keep talking
Example of reflecting:
- Mentee: “I’m just fed up with school…”
- Mentor: “It sounds as if you’re feeling a bit down today…
- Mentee: “It’s because…”
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Active Listening
‘Summarising’ is gathering up everything your mentee has
said into one or two key phrases
This also illustrates that you’re listening and understanding,
and enables you to move the conversation on
Example of reflecting:
- Mentee: “I’m just fed up with school. I’ve got too much
coursework to finish, my mum’s always having a go at me,
there’s this girl in my class who’s doing my head in…”
- Mentor: “It sounds as if you’re feeling quite stressed out
at the moment! Let’s talk about your coursework and try
to sort something out…”
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Non-verbal Communication
We don’t just communicate by talking – a listener’s
understanding and judgment comes from…
- 7% words
- 38% inflection and tone
- 55% body movement and facial characteristics (Mehrabian 1971)
When communicating with your mentee, you also need to
think about:
- Eye contact (too much can be intimidating)
- Body language (maintain an open posture, don’t fidget!)
- Nods and ‘mmms’
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Active Listening Exercise
Get into pairs and think about a subject that you can talk
about continuously for 3mins
While 1 person talks about their chosen subject, their partner
needs to actively listen for 1min, actively not listen for 1
min and then listen again for the final min.
The whistle will tell you when to listen or not listen.
Once you have done this then swap roles and run again.
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What will you talk about..?
Work in groups of 3 or 4
You’ll be given a number of possible topics that your mentee
might want to discuss with you
Spend a few minutes deciding whether you think each topic
is OK to talk about
When you’ve decided, stick your topics onto the board under
one of the headings:
‘Appropriate’ ‘Inappropriate’ ‘Grey Area’
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Responsibilities
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Child Protection
• Make sure you complete your CRB form correctly
• Don’t be left alone with a young person in a classroom and
meet in a public place i.e school library
• Don’t make physical contact or make sexual jokes or
comments
If a young person discloses abuse:
- Explain that you can’t keep secrets and would need to
pass on information if you felt they might come to harm
- Be calm, listen and let them know you take them
seriously and reassure them they’ve done the right thing
- Report any knowledge, allegation, suspicion or
evidence of abuse to a member of school staff immediately.
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Confidentiality
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You have a legal responsibility to act on any information
that puts a young person under the age of 16 at risk, this
includes:
Drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, drug taking and
under-age sex
You must make this explicit to the pupils you work with
Contact your school contact if in doubt
You must keep confidential any data or information you
are given about the pupils you work with, including
anything you overhear from members of staff
If sharing experiences in supervision with other students,
do not refer to pupils by their names
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Diversity, Equal Opportunities
and Disability Awareness
Mentors should …
• be sensitive, open minded and respectful of cultural and
ethic diversity
• be committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all
• be aware of local issues facing young people and adults
• not make assumptions about the existence or absence of
disabilities - if you’re unsure about something, do ask
• challenge stereotypes and build learner awareness so they
can detect bias and challenge discrimination
• challenge any learners’ low perceptions of their own abilities
SW Business Class – www.bitc.org.uk
Professional Conduct
Always:
• Be a professional and responsible role model
• Use appropriate language and behaviour
Never:
• Swear
• Smoke on or near school premises
• Make casual reference to alcohol, sex or drugs
• Exchange phone numbers, email addresses or address
with students
• Meet with students outside school
• Give gifts/money or loan money/possessions
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Thanks for your time
and all the best
with the mentoring...
www.bitc.org.uk