Every company is unique, and so are its mentoring needs. Here are some guidelines for mentoring pairs that are not able to meet face to face.
- It’s important to have visual contact with the individual from the get-go. Utilizing a video conferencing system like Skype can help to accomplish this. It is becoming increasingly more common for companies to designate certain areas (conference rooms) where people can go and Skype their partner and have a private conversation.
- It’s important for those that are e-mentoring to have more frequent contact than a face to face mentoring pair. So, for example, we recommend that the mentoring pair that is physically meeting to get together every other week for 60-90 minutes. But with e-mentoring we recommend telephone or video conferencing once a week for 45 to 60 minutes for the first month or two until there is a comfort level that has been established. Once the pair is comfortable, then the meetings can gradually decrease to every other week.
- When you are engaged in a phone conversation and there’s a silence that occurs, be careful not to quickly end the meeting. Instead, use the silence to explore the reason why there’s a pause—sometimes a pause is an indication of some discomfort—so rather than close the meeting, it’s best to address that.
Every company is unique, and so are its mentoring needs. The skills of your company’s employees are your most valuable assets. Corporate mentoring programs provide a means of cultivating those skills throughout your organization. This translates into talent retention (instead of turnover), happier employees and management, and a healthier bottom line (among other things!).
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