CG LINKS Mentor/Mentee First Meeting

Before the First Meeting

Mentee

 

 

Mentor 

  • Review Mentor Toolkit
  • Review first meeting outline and suggestions (Listed Below)
  • Reach out to mentee and introduce yourself

 

Tips for your first meeting: 

  • Establish the parameters or boundaries of the partnership. This may include role definition, need for commitment from both partners, confidentiality. 
  • Both mentee and mentor clarify their expectations of the purpose and process of the mentoring meetings. 
  • Set agreed on ground rules
  • Decide on the structure of the meetings. For example, what to begin with each time you meet, each meeting includes a review of goal achievement by the mentee
  • Mentee identifies their goals for development which mentoring can support. 
  • Decide on the meeting processes such as frequency of meetings and schedule them in advance

During the First Meeting

Take time to get to know each other before you begin working together. It’s fine to have the first meeting between you and your mentor or mentee be all about getting to know each other and this may even help to forge a positive relationship. Then, spend about 30 - 45 minutes in casual conversation. Ask getting-to-know-you questions of each other to establish a rapport.

Mentee

  
Mentor 
  • Share your experiences, especially those relevant to your mentee's experiences and aspirations
    • Share with your mentee your goals, hopes and fears. What are your strengths and weaknesses? 
    • Recognize opportunities for your own enrichment
  • Ask open-ended questions - Click here for ideas
  • Ask about the workshop they attended. Do they want to learn more about a specific subject? 

After the First and Each Other Meeting

Mentee

    

Mentor 

 

Second and Third Meeting

Mentee

  • Review SMART Goals and plan with mentor.
  • Discuss progress made on tasks. Include the discussion of any obstacles while trying to achieve goals. 
  • Discuss feedback and advice. Make plan for the following week. 

 

    

Mentor 

  • Does the action plan need to be developed? Break down the goal(s) into specific tasks
  • Discuss progress made on tasks. Include the discussion of any obstacles while trying to achieve goals. 
  • Provide feedback and offer advice for future actions.

 

Suggested Meeting Structure

First 10 minutes: Each partner talks about 'what's on top' for them - what's front of mind, what has been happening since the last meeting. 

Next 40 minutes: Focus the conversation on the purpose of the mentoring support agenda. This might involve reviewing goals and actions taken since the last meeting, discussing a particular topic, exploring an issue, sharing knowledge

Final 10 minutes: Review how the meeting has worked and decide on any actions each partner intends to take before the next meeting. Confirm a time and date for the next meeting. Submit mentor/mentee notes. 

Icebreaker Questions

  • How would you change school if you could? 
  • What do you like to do with your friends?
  • How do you deal with stress?
  • What do you hope to be doing in 5 years?
  • How do you plan to achieve your goals?
  • What kind of student are you? 
  • What five words best describe you?