Preston Persuaders Mentoring Program 2009-10
by Jyo Pai, DTM
December 17, 2009
A lot of people have gone further than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.
—Unknown
The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.
—Benjamin Disraeli
Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.
—John C. Crosby
Fellow Toastmasters,
Each of you decided, for your own personal and/or professional reasons, to become a member of Preston Persuaders Toastmasters Club. What were your reasons for joining?
At the very least, you are here to become a more confident communicator, to give impromptu speeches that flow easily and naturally, to be less nervous, more effective in getting your message across, to learn in this supportive and fun environment where everyone is happy when you succeed…
Perhaps your goals are to become a professional speaker…
Perhaps you need to be an effective communicator because your job, profession, or career requires great communication skills…
Perhaps you want to discover your leadership qualities and polish them with regular practice at Toastmaster meetings because, in real life, you may not get a second chance to make a good first impression. Here at Toastmasters, you have the freedom and the unequivocal support of your fellow members to work at your own pace and reach your highest level of competency.
Whatever your reasons for being a member, please know that your membership brings many rewards…to you AND to every member in the club. Here are just a few:
- A Toastmaster Club thrives when members take full advantage of the supportive and positive learning environment, which is the mission of every club.
- The Toastmaster Mentoring Program exists to further the mission of a club by creating an environment in which experienced members (mentors) are available to assist the newer club members (mentees) develop their full potential.
- A well structured Mentoring Program benefits the mentor and the mentee taking each to higher levels in their development as communicators and leaders.
As a member of Preston Persuaders Toastmasters Club, you will be working closely with a mentor of your choosing or one assigned to you by the club Vice President of Education.
Please read on…
What is the Toastmaster Mentoring Program?
The aim of the Mentoring Program is to help new and established club members hone and fine tune their speaking and leadership skills. Most new members decide to join Toastmasters because they have an interest or need to improve their communication skills. Research has shown that a majority of these people equate the self-improvement they seek from Toastmasters with career advancement or professional development.
What does a Mentor do?
A mentor is a more experienced member who takes a personal interest in helping another member. Each member’s success is facilitated with the guidance of an experienced peer. Mentors serve as role models, coaches, and confidantes, offering knowledge, insight, perspective and wisdom to less experienced members.
The Mentor not only helps the mentee in the preparation of speeches, but also provides information on club customs, procedures, meeting roles and responsibilities, all of which will assist the new member become more familiar with our Toastmaster club and the opportunities available in the Toastmasters educational program, both within and outside the club.
Who can be a Mentor?
Any club member who has a desire and time to help their fellow club member develop and hone their skills. A mentor should have completed a minimum of five speeches from the C&L Manual, and served in most of the meeting roles.
How much time will Mentoring entail?
Whether you are a mentor or a mentee, the time required will vary. You can discuss your needs over the phone, by email or in person. The time you put into the program is totally up to you. Generally, 15-30 minutes each week is sufficient.
Where do Mentor/Mentee meetings occur?
That’s totally up to you. You may choose to meet before each week’s meeting, meet for a few minutes after the meeting, talk on the telephone between meetings, or email each other. Any and all combinations of the above will get the job done – make sure your communication plan is established before the mentoring begins.
Why would a Club Member want to participate in such a program? (How do I benefit from becoming a Mentor?)
When you become involved in the mentoring program you will quickly gain valuable skills that include, but are not limited to:
- Developing confidence as a coach.
- Insight into the art of speech craft.
- Building a lasting rapport (perhaps even a friendship) with a fellow club member.
- Serving as a role model for newer club members and much more.
- Applying these coaching and mentoring techniques in your career, profession, personal life or in your other activities.
Mentoring provides lessons on motivating others through our words, actions, and most importantly through our interest in the development of another human being.
As a new member, how would I go about getting a mentor at Preston Persuaders?
That is just the question we want every new member to ask! The benefits of mentoring are magnified by starting the mentoring early, and establishing a consistent routine for communication between you and your mentor.
Our club VP of Education should speak with you about mentoring within one week of becoming a member.
If you have a strong desire to work with a specific mentor, our VP of Education will try to honor that request.
If that particular mentor is mentoring several new members, the VP of Education will assign an alternate mentor within one week.
The Mentoring Program is structured to allow new members to work with their mentors until they:
- Complete at least three speech projects from the basic C&L Manual.
- Give at least one speech evaluation.
- Serve at least once in each of the “Big Three” roles of Toastmaster, Table Topics Master and General Evaluator.
The Mentor – Mentee relationship may continue even after completing these projects – it will be up to the two individuals concerned.
As a Mentor you will not only be the “brain” to pick, you will also be the ear to listen, and the push in the right direction for a fellow member.
As a Mentee you will have a coach, a buddy, a fellow member, who has your best interests at heart, and who willingly shares his/her time and experience to help you reach your goals.
A mutually supportive, positive learning environment...that’s the mission of every Toastmaster meeting!
