2. To do list Strategies for Conversation Questions to Ponder
1. Get to know What kind of information might
you exchange to get to know
each other better? What points
of connection have you
discovered in your conversation?
What else do you want to learn
about each other?
2. Talk about
mentoring
Explain what is it. Share your
previous mentoring experiences.
What did you like about your
Experiences as mentee? What do you want to avoid?
3. Share your
learning and
development
goals.
Describe your career vision,
hopes and dreams and why they are
important.
Why do you want to engage in
this relationship?
4. Determine
relationship
needs and
expectations.
Ask your mentoring partner
what he or she wants, needs,
and expects out of the
relationship.
Are you clear about each other’s
wants, needs, and expectations
for this mentoring relationship?
5. Candidly share
your
personal
assumptions
and limitations.
Ask your mentoring partner
about his or her assumptions
and limitations. Discuss
implications for your
relationship.
What limitations do you each
bring to the relationship?
6. Discuss your
personal
style.
Talk about your personal styles. How might each other’s styles
affect the learning that goes on
in the mentoring relationship?
4. 1) What is it that you really want to be and
do?
What is it they do or wish they could be great at doing?
5. 2) What are you doing really well that is
helping you get there?
What is it that someone does better than the average
person that can help her achieve her aspiration?
6. 3) What are you not doing well that is
preventing you from getting there?
This is about facilitating an honest and critical
assessment of the roadblocks, challenges or
weaknesses.
7. 4) What will you do differently tomorrow to
meet those challenges?
Questions two and three help determine whether people
are spending the right time on the right things. Maybe he
is not focused on the right priorities. People also have a
tendency to practice and repeat what they are already
good at doing. It is human nature to show off your best
side and hide weaknesses. Use this question to probe
whether the person has the aptitude to change behavior.
8. 5) How can I help / where do you need the
most help?
10. LEVEL 1: Listening
When individuals begin to express what they
are learning and what they want to do with
their life, they become more confident and
accountable to those ideas.
11. LEVEL 2: Asking Questions
The act of asking for more information
through questioning gives the individual the
opportunity to expand and develop on their
ideas (e.g. “What do you mean by that?”;
“Tell me more about this.”)
12. LEVEL 3: Offering Feedback
Giving a person constructive feedback on
their ideas, encourages them to look at them
from a different point of view and this
process of review helps to strengthen the
ideas.
13. LEVEL 4: On-going Support
Taking interest and offering on-going
encouragement to the ideas will help to
make sure the individual takes action in
accordance with the ideas.