How do you support learners with coaching and mentoring?

When supporting learners with coaching and mentoring, it's important to first explain the difference between the two. Mentoring involves guiding those with less experience, providing answers, and helping them grow. It's like a candle that lights the way with its knowledge. Coaching, however, is more reflective, like a mirror that asks questions to reveal what learners know and don't know. This helps them set their own goals and find their path. Trainers should use coaching to encourage learners to discover solutions on their own and mentoring to teach complex skills. Understanding these distinctions ensures trainers can effectively support their learners.

Coaching and mentoring are both methods to develop and grow individuals. Mentoring is a subject specialist and supports a mentee(s) with a role or subject. Coaching can also be long-term and used for both behavior and skill development. In fact coaching will support personal growth and professional development. Coaching is also more reliant on the coachee already having knowledge. Coaching works more effectively if it is a culture!

As I often come in for a short term to deliver training, I will not have the change to build long term relationships with learners. Both coaching and mentoring are too long term to apply to training. However, I do try in my training to give people as many tips, ideas and challenges they can use after the training for long lasting career development. I always try to have time during my training for people to "pick my brains" and ask anything I can help them with, even if it is beyond the training topic.

While both coaching and mentoring involve guiding individuals towards growth, they differ in focus and approach: Coaching: Focuses on specific skills, goals, or challenges. It's often short-term and solution-oriented. Coaches ask powerful questions to help learners find their own answers and develop action plans.   Mentoring: Offers broader guidance, including career advice, personal development, and networking. It's typically a long-term relationship based on shared experiences. Mentors share their knowledge and wisdom to help mentees navigate their paths.

In my experience, I have found that people like trainers and they love coaches. Trainers get across a concept that is helpful to a group of learners who share certain challenges. Coaches have a more in-depth goal. They see strengths in individuals that can be built upon and opportunities to grow. For example, a coach can see the openness or willingness in someone and show them how that strength will help them in ways they haven't imagined. Like how that willingness will help them take more risks on new projects or speaking up in high-level meetings. We all seek the person that can make us do what we are capable of and that is what coaches do. They shine a light on hidden potential and bring highly capable people out of the shaddows.

Managing the First meeting Why is the first meeting so important? Your first meeting with your SDR or AE offers you the chance to sow the seeds for an easy TIME, or to take the first step on the road to disaster. I start with what the mentee can expect of me: What to expect from me: • To show up on time • To show up prepared • To show up present and engaged • To be free from distractions • To not be judgemental • To actively listen to your concerns • To stay to the end of our allotted time together. I expect the same from you!

Here is what I do: 1. Always spend time speaking to the participants One-to-One and share my feedback with them to help them understand their strengths, how they can work on the strengths to strengthen them further as well as identify areas of improvement that they need to work upon. 2. Always see their development stage and engage with them accordingly 3. I don't copy edit everything or suggest each and every possible areas of improvement. I look at the key learning objectives of the program and see how far they have reached and show them exactly that so that it motivates them to strive harder to get to where they wish to be. 4. Make myself available to them over a phone call or emails so that they can be in touch post training too.

1. Understand the student Learning Requirements. 2. Analyse the Gap where he or she needs help to fill the Copy. 3. Navigate them towards filling Gap and Allow them to continue their Journey.