The document outlines a workshop aimed at enhancing mentors' interpersonal and communication skills in the context of mentoring relationships. It includes definitions, stages of mentoring, and essential skills such as rapport building, empathetic listening, and effective questioning. The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation also emphasizes its role in providing training, quality assurance, and resources to support mentoring initiatives.

1. 1
How to develop your mentors’ interpersonal
and communication skills
Date: 8th November 2014
Location: Barcelona
Facilitator: Val Barritt, Head of training & quality
assurance (val.barritt@mandbf.org)

2. Aims of the workshop
To provide an overview of the key stages in a typical mentoring
relationship – starting out together; getting to know the person;
identifying issues to work on; action planning; standing alongside and
concluding the relationship
To explore the interpersonal and communication skills required
at each stage and what educators can do to help their mentors
to develop these skills, for example: rapport building; empathetic
listening; helpful questioning; setting goals with someone and
managing the end of the relationship
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3. About MBF
The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation provides services
which aim to increase the effectiveness and quality of
mentoring and befriending as methods of enabling individuals
to transform their lives and/or reach their full potential:
Training and resources – we provide high quality training
and resources to support the development and management of
mentoring and befriending projects
Quality Assurance – we encourage organisations to achieve
our quality standard, the Approved Provider Standard (APS) as
a way of promoting good practice
MBF network membership – we provide a membership
network for individuals and organisations interested in
mentoring and befriending
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4. Ice breaker

5. Mentoring is...
A voluntary, mutually beneficial and purposeful
relationship in which an individual gives time to
support another to enable them to make
changes in their life.
(MBF)
5
Mentoring definition

6. “Social mentoring is a tool for educational intervention
which promotes the voluntary relationship between
people who offer to provide individual support and
people who are at risk of social exclusion.
This relationship is motivated and supervised by a
professional. The volunteer (mentor) “helps the mentee
make their way” and supports them in their personal
and/or career development.”
6
Social mentoring

7. Stages of mentoring relationship
1.STARTING OUT
Beginning the relationship
Getting to know the person
2. GETTING GOING
Focusing on issues
Helping develop new perspectives
Action planning
4. REACHING THE DESTINATION
Ending the relationship
33. MAKING PROGRESS
Standing alongside
HANDOUT 1

8. Mentoring is about a helping and supporting relationship.
It involves interaction between people - the mentor and the
mentee
A mentor needs to develop and use skills related to:
Rapport building
Empathetic listening
Questioning approaches
Setting goals
Managing the end of the relationship
8
Skills of mentoring

9. 9
The learning cycle
Do something
(Activist)
Think about it
(Reflector)
Make sense of it
(Theorist)
Test it out
(Pragmatist)

10. 10
Your role as educator
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Tell, instruct Ask, listen

11. Rapport – what is it?
 Close and harmonious relationship in which there is
common understanding.
 It’s a relationship in action, our sense of connection
with each other.
 The link and mutual understanding that exists
between two people, often built over time and
through shared experiences.
 Rapport works on features of ‘sameness.’

12. Rapport

13. 13
Rapport?

14. ‘To listen’

15. Empathy is the ability to:
Listen and attend to the other person and enter their
reality
Make sense of what you hear
Identify key experiences, thoughts and feelings
and communicate your understanding sensitively
15
Empathy

16. Empathy involves:
 The skills of active listening
 Awareness of your own feelings and perceptions
 Good communication skills
 Sensitivity and respect towards the other
person’s viewpoint and frame of reference
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17. It enables the other person to:
 Feel valued and understood
 Develop trust and openness towards the listener
 Open up about what is on their mind
 Focus on what they are trying to express
 Express themselves without pressure
 Feel supported
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18. Empathetic listening skills
Empathetic listening skills practise
Working in pairs
Handout 2: listening skills brief
Handout 3: 10 steps to positive communication

19. Questions, questions
Handout 4: questioning styles

20. 20

21. Stages of mentoring relationship
1.STARTING OUT
Beginning the relationship
Getting to know the person
2. GETTING GOING
Focusing on issues
Helping develop new perspectives
Action planning
4. REACHING THE DESTINATION
Ending the relationship
33. MAKING PROGRESS
Standing alongside
HANDOUT 1

22. 22
The wheel
H handout 5
Finding employment
Life skills
Social
Technical skills
Education &
training
Other
Personal
wellbeing
Soft skills
0

23. 23
Goal setting
What is the goal?
What are the steps?
Handout 6

24. 24
Managing endings
 What will a good ending look like for mentor and
mentee?
 How will you help your mentors to manage the ‘ending’
of their mentoring relationship?

25. Summary
Final questions
Find out more about our training, resources, network
membership and our Quality standard (APS) by visiting
our website www.mandbf.org
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Wrap up of session