Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, then you don’t understand it yourself.” We couldn’t relate more. Therefore, every educator’s primary tool should be the ability to convey information in a clear way, adaptable to different comprehension patterns. But to excel as a great mentor, you must master much more than just methodology.
The mentor should be a psychologist, leader, motivator, and listener. These characteristics don’t necessarily entail a five-year college degree. Like your key expertise, they are developed and improved through dedication and interaction with others.
Do you aspire to be a mentor yourself? Along with expertise, here’s what it takes to stand out and earn your students’ trust and respect.
Enthusiasm for Sharing Knowledge
Perception governs everything in learning. You can’t expect a student to enjoy the subject if you show zero passion for it. When students are exposed to positive energy and an enthusiastic approach to the topic, especially the more difficult ones, they become motivated to master the material. The more appealing your presentation, the more likely the audience will effectively receive and be interested in the message you want to convey.
Respectful Approach
Even if you are the best mentor in the world, not everyone will enjoy your subject. For example, linguistics can be difficult for someone gifted in mathematics. A linguist may need help understanding how molecules are synthesized in an organism. Everyone has weak points, but that shouldn’t change your attitude toward those students. You should show respect regardless of someone’s progress and point out mistakes kindly, without judgment or ridicule. The mentor’s encouragement in areas where the protege lacks self-confidence boosts their motivation far more than you probably realize.
Adaptation to Students’ Learning Patterns
A genuine understanding of apprentices and listening to their difficulties or delight when they learn something complex is a desirable quality. However, as said before, everyone has an affinity for a particular discipline, a slightly more developed type of intelligence, and a specific way their brain creates associations and stores information in long-term memory. This means there is no universal way to convey a particular topic to all students, so everyone understands it. However, once you know your protege’s thoughts, strengths, and weaknesses, you can align the presentation or eliciting system with their prior knowledge and intellectual capacities.
Investing Extra Time
The great mentor knows when it’s time to invest a little more in their apprentice. The aim could be to direct them toward better self-discipline, assign additional tasks, encourage autonomous learning, or introduce new interests, whatever is needed for their progress at the time. A few extra minutes spent researching material or providing feedback won’t significantly disrupt your work-life balance. Instead, it will distinguish you as a dedicated mentor who genuinely cares about their protege.
Honesty
When you want to point out something your apprentice could improve on or did poorly without demoralizing him, you use a psychological trick known as the sandwich method. Praise them first for something they did well, then tell them what could be improved and then praise them again for something, such as overall progress. In this way, they won’t feel humiliated but will accept criticism better when it is followed by thumbs up. They will appreciate your honesty, enhancing your relationship with even more trust. Remember, you should neither conceal nor be painfully honest. The golden mean does wonders!
Believe You’ve Got What It Takes?
You could be the future Fake Interview mentor team member in that case. If there is one place where quality mentoring is required, it is on the path to a desired career. Our finance or IT expert mentors devote themselves thoroughly, patiently, and with a great deal of confidence building and respect to all candidates. And a little help is always welcome. So, if your skills will benefit the next generation of experts, let’s meet!
Or perhaps you still need to practice some of the skills mentioned in the text. Take your time. Find a suitable method for perfecting your craft, and you will intuitively know when it is time to lead others to the mission for which they were endowed.