The Importance Of Mentoring

This Saturday one of my mentees will be giving his Icebreaker speech, and it got me to thinking about being a mentor. The Competent Leader manual has the requirement that in order to get credit, the mentee has to speak through three speeches. Sure, that's measurable, but to me, it's only the minimum.

I have had one of the most "intense" mentors, Aparna Valluri. Intense on her words, "DeAnna, you EXUDED confidence," intense on her encouragement, "DeAnna we're number one baby!"  And intense on her guidance, "DeAnna, here is a link to 17 sites to help you with speech #4." Okay, maybe she didn't send me 17, but it was plenty. She has taught me so much (and still does), that I can use her as an example of what a mentor can provide.

Guidance on Roles 

When a new member attends his or her first meeting as a member, it can seem daunting.

• Being a Listener? "What do I say?" 
• Being a Grammarian and Ah Counter?  "I have to tell all these people I've never met about all the crutch phrases they used and expect them to not be upset when I correct them on grammar?" 

A mentor tells the mentee how to handle the role without feeling under prepared.

Guidance on Speeches

Despite taking two years for my CC, I did at one point actually blaze through my first few speeches, but by the fourth speech, I couldn't come up with a topic.  With the bare minimum three speeches, Aparna could have felt her job was over and not helped, but she did, which brings me to one of my biggest emphases: there's no set stopping point.

Aparna is still my mentor, even now that I have finished my CC, and if there is anything I struggle with, I am free to talk to anyone, but I know I have Aparna rooting for me to keep pushing. To me, a mentee ought to feel the mentor is in his or her corner of the ring.

Guidance on Toastmasters

Toastmasters is an organization with so many levels above the club, and it's nice to excel within the club. But if ever a member feels that he or she wants to reach higher, by all means, the mentor should encourage. We're all here to get something out of Toastmasters and those who want to give back should have the opportunity to. A mentor encourages that spirit.

Having a mentor is an excellent benefit to Toastmasters and being a mentor is an excellent opportunity to have. I hope that both of these are promoted even more in Toastmasters as we see our clubs grow.

DeAnna Wolf, CC