Online Mentoring & Training
Online mentoring and training connects experts with people who need advice by using online software and email to conduct conversations. Mentoring programs support both children and adults. Mentors provide friendship, reinforcement and support to help a protege develop new skills and knowledge. Mentoring relationships with children enable students to complete homework, set goals and make good choices about daily life challenges. Mentoring relationships for business professionals tends to focus on developing professional or technical skills.
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Features
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Mentoring programs feature individuals with a desire to help others. Mentors tend to have good listening skills, the ability to empathize and have respect for people looking for guidance. Online software typically matches potential proteges with experts. Online mentoring programs seek to reach a wide audience and support diversifying the global workforce. Online mentoring programs usually have requirements for participation for both mentors and proteges. For example, mentors usually have a high school diploma and at least two years of work experience in a specific industry. They often have advanced degrees in their fields. Proteges must be enrolled in an educational program. Both mentors and proteges must make a commitment, such as six to eight months, to participate in the program. Online support includes email and forums. Conversations are private. Mentors provide training on an as-needed basis in areas such as software applications or writing essays.
Benefits
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Providing online mentoring to those with less experience tends to be a rewarding encounter for everyone involved. Mentoring children helps students improve their grades, self-image and life skills. Mentoring business professionals helps adults get the tips, tools and techniques they need to further their careers. Volunteering to make a difference in another person's life provides benefits to the mentor as well, such as the satisfaction of giving back and contributing to a less fortunate person's ability to succeed. Working online allows people from all over the world to make connections. The mentor provides training materials, such as presentations, resource guides and checklists to help the protege succeed in achieving his goals.
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Setting up a Program
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To set up an online mentoring and training program, organizations typically align the program to the organization's overall strategic goals. For example, arranging for subordinates to receive online mentoring from more experienced colleagues located around the world typically helps an organization develop and maintain an environment of cultural diversity and respect. Program organizers typically provide templates for creating action plans and act as a help desk or escalation point, should problems arise. Participants should set specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time-constrained objectives to stay focused. Training for mentors typically includes providing guidelines on how to coach and guide proteges, based on past experiences.
Software
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Online mentoring software solutions such as MentorComplete, Chronus and MentorNet enable mentoring relationships using the Internet. MentorComplete connects remote workers by using social media technology such as email, wikis, blogs and forums to develop talent in an organization. It supports traditional one-on-one mentoring, group sessions and self-directed programs. Chronus provides a secure Internet user interface and allows administrators to import professional information from the LinkedIn website. Students get practical advice, establish a network of contacts and develop entrepreneurial skills. MentorNet connects mentors and proteges and encourages them to use free email and social media technology such as Facebook and Twitter to communicate.
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