The Park City Toastmasters club strives to have a healthy mentoring program where new members and experienced members can benefit from insight and encouragement from other members. [Mentoring list]
Purpose
New Members:
- Acclimating: helping them understand roles, meetings, speech requirements, etc.
- Encouraging: complete the first five speeches, get on the schedule, etc. (nickel award)
- Challenging: complete the competent leadership manual
- Resource: be a sounding board for ideas, challenge them in specific areas, give them even more feedback than you would others, etc.
- Follow up: on absenteeism, progress, etc.
- Be an example in attendance, progress, learning, etc.
Existing Members:
- Encouraging: complete awards, get on the schedule, etc.
- Challenging: complete the competent leadership manual
- Resource: be a sounding board for ideas, challenge them in specific areas, give them even more feedback than you would others, etc.
- Follow up: on absenteeism, progress, satisfaction, etc.
- Be an example in attendance, progress, learning, etc.
Assigning -vs- Choosing a Mentor:
- Assign new members to make sure they get acclimated; when they join they get membership, manuals, magazine, and a mentor.
- Encourage members upfront to choose mentors too (these can be more meaningful) when they join (you can have as many mentors as you want)
Frequency
Sometime during the first two weeks of membership:
- Sit down with them within the first two weeks and go over the ‘new member orientation’ material.
Once-A-Month:
- Creating an auto reminder on your computer helps to remember to make contact.
Other Rates:
- when you think of a mentor and an idea, send a quick email off – spontaneously
- debrief after a speech
Form
- Phone
- Over coffee
- After a meeting
Content
- Help them get scheduled – sign them up, remind them to sign up, encourage them to have Hae write them in.
- Challenge them to compete in a contest either as a contestant or another role
- Encourage them to attend a contest at a higher level to be inspired
- Challenge them to serve on the board or help the club out in some capacity (missy – video, Brenda – hosting, etc.
- Suggest resources: youtube videos, books, magazine articles, blogs, strategies that worked for you, etc.
Requirements to be a Mentor
- Be a member of the Park City Toastmasters Club for at least one year
- Complete at least six speeches out of the Competent Communicator Manual
Expectations
- Mentor/Mentee expectations covered in new member orientation meeting
- Mentors who are failing to be aggressive in follow up will have an additional mentor assigned to their mentee.
