Again? Mentor or Coach. Me as Protégée?

Perhaps still the most difficult project for me, Understanding Mentoring, remembering a time when I was protégée. I can not tell again and again the same story, and... But in fact, each time I come back to a project, I notice and remember something new.

Here is this slide: "A virtual mentor is an experienced member who shares knowledge and experience in a specific area via the internet." I believe, that is the main difference between Mentor for 3 speeches (in real it was coaching) and the new Pathways Mentor certificate. It allows, even encourage to mentor through Internet, Web, not only meeting in the same room.

 Last Sunday, I completed Active Listening, and now here I am to work through "Introduction to Toastmaster Mentoring" again. I got a great inspiration from Graham, who spoke about his father as "mentor by osmosis". 

I am not sure if I am a "successful protégé" but I did mentor many, and each time some of this ingredients were missing. I am now believing more in Coaching for a purpose.

Again, in another page, the role of a Virtual Mentor is explained, adding the difference from in-person mentor. It can provide expert information around the world.

Experts in different fields, can help indeed, many across culture, in variety of fields. That is what we try to do also on online toastmasters speciality clubs, like Witty Storytellers. With time, more ways to connect, help, get help will arrive. That is what I try to do it even if not one to one with this blog.

Here is how the role of Coach is defined now by Pathways, at least in this project. 

Responsible for one specific short-term goal and helping to aquire that skill or attain that goal. That works better for me.

Today, I hoped to help someone who did need it, through Zoom, he did not come. I waited 20 minutes, did not get even a message "I can not come now or today". That is why the nexts Mentor manuals in Pathways, make a longer discussion between the two and each determine when and how they meet or what each duty is or is not.  

I have prepared to explain "How to close or not close a project" (and a Level) and will write about it tomorrow. I realised, it is not so simple for a beginner, as I see it now.