Starting your first mentoring session?

Good morning everyone,

Hope you’re keeping well 🙂

Two weeks ago, I started my second mentoring cycle with the One Million Mentors team in Cardiff. I’ve been mentoring for a number of years and thought that it could be handy to break down some of the lessons and advice I’ve picked up along the way with you all in today’s blog.

Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!

Mentoring is such a rewarding process, over the last ten years or so, I’ve worked with people of all different backgrounds, with all different skills, experiences and goals for their lives. However, when you’re first starting to learn how to mentor, it can be tricky to know what to do first – how do i approach the first meeting? What if my mentee doesn’t understand me? Do I need to make a schedule?

Fear not! I’ll be here to gradually break down different parts of the process for you. To begin with, here are my top tips for your first meeting ⤵️

💭 Ask Open-Ended Questions – Your first session is all about building a foundation. Ask questions that invite your mentee to share more about themselves, their goals and the challenges they’re facing. You can’t know how to efficiently mentor your mentee if you don’t know who they are, where they have come from and where they want to go in their lives

😊 Ease the Pressure – It’s okay to feel nervous, your mentee likely does too. There’s no need for a script. Be authentic, let the conversation flow naturally and remember it’s a journey you’re taking together. Treat the whole process like a conversation, as if you would if it was somebody else you were meeting for the first time

👋 Share Your Story – Share relevant experiences, challenges and mistakes you’ve learned from. This provides your mentee with a clearer picture of who you are and the journey you are on in life. Mentoring is a two-way relationship; it’s as much of a learning experience for you as it is for your mentee

Above everything, enter each opportunity with openness, curiosity and patience, you never know how you might grow from the experience. I’ve learnt such a lot from each of my mentees, I never set any expectations for what I can learn next 🙏

One final little bonus tip – no matter what happens along the way, enjoy the process. As a mentor, you get to play a part in somebody else’s development, helping them to realise their full potential. Celebrate and enjoy the process as much as you can, you won’t regret it.

That’s all for today’s blog, what do you think? Would you like to see more posts on mentoring? Who’s one mentor that has inspired you in your life? What’s one thing holding you back from being a mentor?

I’d love to hear your thoughts 🙂

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day!