Inspiring Discussions, Best Questions

Katy Dickinson at Elmwood Jail 2016 Katy Dickinson, mentor at Elmwood Jail, Milpitas, CA 2016

Inspiring Discussions

Every once in a while, even the best mentoring relationships run dry.  The Mentor and Mentee have gotten to know each other and are working on their Learning Goals but need a little inspiration for their next discussion.  Here is some homework: pick one of these videos to watch before your next meeting.  Where are you inspired to go now?

Published as a Mentoring Standard web page 6 Jun 2016. Updated 23 Nov 2018.

Katy Dickinson moderates TechWomen Panel on Best Practices in Mentoring, 17 Sep 2019 Katy Dickinson – TechWomen Panel: Best Practices in Mentoring, 2019

Best Questions

Sometimes mentors and mentees work together on a project. Here are some of the best questions to help structure such work:

  1. What problem are you solving? (define the challenge)
  2. How do you know when you are done? (success/completion metrics)
  3. Who is your customer? (target audience)
  4. What is your data? (quantification)
  5. What difference will it make? (impact)

Published as a Mentoring Standard web page 9 September 2019, updated 18 Sep 2019.

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