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Trust takes time to grow. You don’t have to use all of the below prompts. It’s about quality, not quantity. Go slow and let your mentee open up to you at his/her own pace. It may be more effective to let your mentee voice his or her opinions at a later date through activities and conversations that address the topic in a more natural way
Celebrate the little successes! A caring adult is a very important factor in a child’s healthy decision-making process. Recognize and reinforce any positive changes or choices your mentee makes throughout your relationship.
Listening is critical to building a relationship. Demonstrate active listening by asking questions or repeating things back to ensure you understand what your mentee said or asked. Active listening shows you care about your mentee and value your conversations with them. Active listening builds trust and relationships
Some Conversation Prompts
Some Conversation Prompts
Tell me about your favorite day of school so far this year.
This can lead to a discussion about the mentee's likes and dislikes. Using follow-up questions such as what about that day makes it your favorite? What about your second favorite day? Did you like that day for the same reasons?
What are your favorite subjects in school?
This question will allow you to assess the student's academic interests. Ask follow-up questions like “What is it you like about these subjects?” or “are there some specific topics or activities you like?”.
What can you tell me about the (choose one) Science, Technology or Math class you are taking this year?
This question will allow you to assess the student's feelings about the class. If the response is positive, then you will be able to steer the conversation to a career exploration activity around that subject matter.
If the response is less favorable, this is an opportunity to understand how or why the student is not connecting with the material. You might ask some follow up questions e.g., I am sensing you’re not liking that class, is that right? Why is that? Have you always felt this way about (fill in subject) or is this new? Was there a time when you liked this subject? What about it did you like? What is different now?
What would you do if your teacher asked you to teach your favorite class?
This question will allow you to move in a variety of directions. You can discuss preparing for a presentation and how that looks at your place of employment. Or, you can identify specific tasks your mentee would have the students do and why those activities would be meaningful to learning the material. Alternatively, you could talk about the sort of relationship the mentee as a teacher would build with the class and how they would make this relationship happen.
What do you think it would be like to be in charge of _______(fill in blank of favorite company)?
This question could come from any of the approaches previously discussed. Follow-up conversations could include a discussion about being responsible for the kind of work the organization does or the type of product or service the organization generates and how to keep it connected to the changing world.
What do you think is the best invention?
This can lead to further discussion about the mentee's likes and dislikes.
Likes can be linked to careers that match mentees' interests.
What do you think about having to wear uniforms to school?
Use this question only if the student attends a school where this is not already required. This question can lead to a discussion about what the dress code is at your place of employment.
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