Mentoring Checklist: 9 Ways to Make the Most of Each Meeting

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So, you’ve agreed to mentor someone or a group of people in your organisation. While you are excited to share your knowledge and expertise with your mentee(s), you’re a little bit nervous about the mentorship sessions.

It's the first time you are mentoring someone and aren’t sure how to structure the sessions for maximum impact. There’s so much knowledge to share and a lot to learn from your mentorship meetings.

So, how do you set up each meeting to ensure your mentee gains the most from your relationship?

No worries, I’ve got you covered. In this article, I will share a mentoring checklist you can use to manage your sessions with your mentees. I’ll also share tips and advice that will help you become a good mentor.

Let’s get started.

What’s a Mentoring Checklist?

To make your mentorship sessions effective, you will need a mentoring checklist. It’s a list of the things you will do before, during, and after each mentorship session to ensure your mentee gains maximum value from your relationship. A mentoring checklist will support you in your mentorship journey by helping you:

• Set clear goals for your mentorship program
• Stay on track as you pursue your mentorship goals
• Determine the type of support and resources your mentee needs

With a mentorship checklist, you will not miss anything as you work to help your mentee progress in their career. It will also give you ideas on what to talk about during your mentorship sessions and guide you on how best to support your mentee to reach their career goals.

Ready to take your mentorship program to the next level?

Use this mentoring checklist to set the foundation of a successful mentoring relationship and make the most of each meeting.

Prerequisites for the Mentoring Checklist

Before every meeting, you need to do the following things as a mentor:

1. Set Goals and Outcomes for the Sessions

Before you start any mentorship sessions, you need to define the goals and desired outcomes for your workplace mentorship program.

What do you hope to achieve at the end of the mentorship program? What new skills do you want the mentee to gain from your sessions?

With clear goals in mind, both you and the mentee can focus on achieving the objectives of the program and use your time effectively.

2. Choose a Topic of Discussion

Choosing a topic of discussion beforehand is crucial if you want to make your mentorship meetings impactful. This is because both of you will know what’s coming up and how best to prepare for the meeting.

Prior knowledge of the topic of discussion gives the mentor time to collect valuable resources and share them with the mentee so they can prepare adequately for the meeting.

3. Share Videos That Are Relevant to the Topic of Discussion

As you create your mentorship checklist, don’t forget to share videos that are relevant to the topic of discussion. Video content is easier to consume than any other content format, and the mentee will appreciate interesting videos on the topic of discussion.

Gather videos that are suitable for your upcoming session and combine them with an online video editor. Give your mentee access to the video and ask them to watch it keenly in preparation for your mentorship meeting.

During the Mentoring Meeting

Add the following activities to your mentoring checklist when the meeting starts to make your sessions effective.

4. Ask the Mentee What They Think About the Topic

The first thing to do as you settle into the mentorship session is to ask the mentee to tell you what they think about the topic under discussion. This is an effective way to make your mentorship meetings interactive and encourage the mentee to share their views.

Both parties benefit when the sessions are interactive. The mentee will be free to share what’s on their mind and you’ll know how best to support the mentee to reach their goals.

5. Discuss the Learning Materials You Shared Ahead of Time

If you had shared any resources for the mentee to go through ahead of the meeting, take some time to discuss those materials. For example, if you are mentoring a new marketing executive in your workplace and had shared several articles to help them learn the different types of CRM software, take time to discuss those articles.

Let the mentee share what they learned from those articles and address their thoughts and concerns on that topic. You can also share your experience with the software in question and provide relevant resources to deal with any potential challenges.

6. Get Feedback About the Session From the Mentee

As you get to the end of the meeting, it’s important to collect feedback from the mentee about the meeting. Ask the mentee what they think about the discussion and if they’ve gained anything valuable that will help them grow in their career.

Feedback from the mentee helps you better prepare for upcoming meetings. You will know how best to run the mentorship program and build a thriving relationship with your mentee.

7. Agree on a Topic for the Next Meeting

Before completing the session, it’s important to agree on a topic for the next meeting. The topic should align with the career goals of the mentee. Mentors know what the mentees need to learn at different stages of their careers, so you should take the lead in choosing the topics.

After the Meeting

Add the following activities to your mentoring checklist after the meeting is done to improve the quality of your sessions.

8. Follow Up With Fresh Thoughts After the Discussion

If you’ve come across new information after the discussion, share it with your mentee. Following up and sharing new information shows that you care about the mentee. It also encourages them to put more effort into the mentorship program.

9. Share Resources for the Next Meeting

To keep things moving, you should share resources for the next topic of discussion before it takes place. This can be videos, articles, or publications related to the topic to be discussed in the next session. In the meantime, make sure you’re available for your mentee for any doubts they may have.

Conclusion

To become a great mentor, you need to plan things out well. After all, you’re going to be teaching your mentees how to go about things that will eventually help them grow in their careers.

A mentoring checklist will help you stay on track and ensure you're doing what it takes to support the mentees reach their career goals. So, go ahead and start using the checklist to take your mentorship program to the next level.

Author Bio

Gaurav Sharma is the founder and CEO of Attrock, a results-driven digital marketing company. Grew an agency from 5-figure to 7-figure revenue in just two years | 10X leads | 2.8X conversions |  300K organic monthly traffic. He also contributes to top publications like HuffPost, Adweek, Business 2 Community, TechCrunch, and more.