Method guide · Progress through phases
Mentorship
Begin a one-to-one learning relationship with an explicit purpose, boundaries, and a way to review it, separate from performance appraisal.
- People
- 2–2
- Base procedure time
- 60 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Build working relationships; Explore through dialogue.
English guide
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How this method works
A method for a mentor and learner to begin designing a one-to-one learning relationship. Use it in organisations where people want someone to consult outside the hierarchy and separate from performance appraisal, but relationships fade after a few meetings because expectations and boundaries were never agreed. Ask about each other's background and motivation first, list possible purposes, then check boundaries and firm up an agreement, bringing mismatched implicit expectations into view early. The outputs are an agreement recording purpose and boundaries, a first learning step, and a way to reflect in future sessions. It is not suitable for a direct manager and report where the manager has appraisal authority, or where either person does not want to participate.
Phase schedule
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- Get to know each other0–15 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Get to know. Participation: Pairs.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- List possible purposes15–25 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: List. Participation: Pairs.
Individual record
- Check boundaries25–35 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Check. Participation: Pairs.
Shared record
- Firm up the agreement35–50 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Firm up. Participation: Pairs.
Shared record
- Arrange future sessions50–60 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Arrange. Participation: Pairs.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 15 minutes, use the questions to ask each other about past experience and current interests.
- For 10 minutes, the two people list as many possibilities as they can for what to learn and which capabilities to develop.
- For 10 minutes, check together for topics that cannot be discussed and times when contact is not possible.
- For 15 minutes, choose one purpose from the possibilities and firm it up as an agreement together with the boundaries.
- For 10 minutes, arrange together how to reflect next time and how to keep records.
If something changes
If
Half the time for asking about backgrounds has passed and one person's speaking time is more than 3 times the other's.
Then
Together, switch for the remaining time to alternating brief answers, one question at a time.
If
After listing possible purposes, there is not a single overlap between the two people's suggestions.
Then
Explain one suggestion each to one another; the listener then chooses again from the possibilities that appealed to them.
If
When checking boundaries, only one person names topics that cannot be discussed.
Then
Also ask the other person whether they have constraints involving confidentiality or appraisal.
Preparation
Materials
- Question cards about background and interests: 6 questions per pair, in card format
- One A4 purpose-and-boundaries agreement sheet per pair
- One reflection sheet with a learning-record field per person
- One dark writing implement per person
Room and setup
- One set of a table and chairs where the two people can talk face to face
- At least 2 m between pairs, making neighbouring pairs difficult to overhear
Adjust for people and time
The number is always two people in one pair. Do not proceed with only one person while the other is absent, because that cannot constitute a relationship agreement. If 3 or more people want to do this, divide them into separate independent pairs and conduct this method once for each pair, separately.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Do not pair a direct manager with an employee they have authority to appraise, and do not proceed if either person is unwilling or absent. Check confidential topics and unavailable contact times explicitly.
Historical translation and source notes
These original notes are retained verbatim with their fixed source versions. This historical label does not resolve a source-specific concern or establish current acceptance.
- Scaling requires independent pairs for 3 or more people but provides no allocation for an odd total. No trio, repeat participant, or rotation procedure has been added.
Manuscript's recorded references
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- John Tooth: Mentorship
https://openpracticelibrary.com/practice/mentorship/
Adaptation under CC BY 4.0; changes made
- CC BY 4.0
Current-page licence notice
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Credits on the checked source page
- Named contributors on the source page: John Tooth
- Contributors listed in the official practice source (repository handles): @john-remoteaf
Source page checked on 2026-10-17: Mentorship.
Source lineage
CC BY-SA 4.0 — this site's adaptation and translation contributions · Legal code · Official source policy
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Diagram, print, and video language
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Editorial provenance
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