How To Develop An Effective Mentorship Online Training Program
As George Bernard Shaw once said: "We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future." Employees who have wisdom, insight, and expertise have a lot to offer junior staff members. They have the power to foster a new generation of successful corporate learners who can carry the torch in the years to come. However, organizations must give them a way to share their experience and knowledge, such as developing a mentorship online training program that follows these best practices.
- Identify your primary goals.
Every participant needs to be aware of what skills, knowledge, or tasks they need to work on during the mentoring sessions. Identifying your key goals and objectives also gives you the ability to develop a solid framework for your mentorship online training program. For example, a new hire mentorship online training program will involve different online training resources and activities compared to a program intended for mid-level employees. Meet with managers, supervisors, and employees from every department to get their input and create goals for their particular needs. - Focus on specific skills.
Mentoring is most effective when it targets specific issues, such as improving necessary skill sets. This helps you create more focused mentorship activities and online training materials, as you have a clear idea of which sub-topics or secondary skills must be honed. Conduct surveys, focus groups, skills assessments, and on-the-job observations to identify which skills must be developed. This also gives you the opportunity to discover performance gaps that need to be filled based on the mentee's job responsibilities. - Choose the right mentorship team.
There are three key roles that you must consider when developing a mentorship online training program. The first is the mentor, who will offer guidance. Then there is the mentee, or the employee who benefits from this guidance. Last, but not least, you have the facilitator or team leader who oversees the program. This individual serves as a mediator who ensures that every pair stays on track and that all conflicts are resolved amicably. The leader should also become the most notable advocate for your mentorship online training program, as they will need to bring new employees into the fold and offer support to the mentors when the need arises. - Find the best online collaboration tool.
If you are working with a distributed workforce you will need an effective online collaboration tool, such as a project management οnline platform or video conferencing software. These tools allow all participants to hold regular meetings, share documents, and keep track of milestones and deadlines. Many Project Management sites even feature calendars, reminders, and chat tools that help your mentors and mentees get the most out of their partnership. Research a variety of different platforms to find the one that's ideally suited for your organization's online training needs. Pay close attention to the user interface and top features. Another option is software that is designed specifically for mentorship online training programs, which serve as a database that matches participants based on certain criteria. For example, a mentee would be paired with a mentor who specializes in a specific task or field. - Collect feedback and track progress.
Your mentorship online training program is a constant work in progress. There are always ways to improve the collaboration between your mentor and mentee or develop more effective online training materials to suit their evolving needs. Therefore, the success of your mentorship online training program relies heavily on the feedback and input of its participants. Carry out periodic surveys, focus groups, and questionnaires to discover the strengths and weaknesses of your online training strategy. This also allows you to track their individual progress and determine if the corporate eLearning teams may need to be shuffled. For example, if one mentor-mentee group isn't achieving the desired results, you may need to pair them with other participants. Make sure that every employee is aware of the fact that they can speak with the mentorship leader when problems occur, as this will reduce the likelihood of having to rematch your participants. - Create mentor-mentee guidelines.
Every mentor-mentee pair needs detailed guidelines they can follow in order to maximize productivity. This outline should include the preferred method of communication, how often they should meet, how their progress will be assessed, and how long the mentorship online training program is expected to last. It may take some time and planning, but creating a solid foundation for your mentors and mentees will prevent confusion in the future. Additionally, the guidelines should mention all of the tools and resources that are available to the mentor and mentee. They can use this list during the mentoring process to develop online training activities on their own or explore related sub-topics. - Get mentors involved in the development process.
Invite your mentors to participate when you are developing the mentorship online training activities, content, and resource lists. All of these training aids should center on the goals and objectives you've identified. For example, if an employee needs to build their customer service skills the mentor might opt for a simulation-based activity that's followed by an online discussion with their mentee. You should also ask your mentees to offer their input, such as how often they would like to check-in with their mentors and what they hope to get from their online training experience.
A mentorship online training program provides employees with a framework they can use to share ideas, offer feedback, and impart insights. Consider these 7 best practices when you're developing your mentorship online training program to ensure the future success of your organization and help every member of your corporate eLearning team achieve their goals.
Your mentors, as your supervisors, managers, and department heads, are the cornerstones of your organization. Read the article Applying The Path-Goal Theory In Leadership Online Training Courses to discover how to apply the path-goal theory in your leadership online training initiatives by discussing leadership roles, types, and variables.
Originally published on May 13, 2016
