Goal

The mentee leaves with practical strategies for growth and a clear area to continue developing.

Mentoring skills used (from Peer Mentoring Framework)

Self-awareness, emotional intelligence; people skills (active listening, authenticity and vulnerability, trust-building, inclusion, communication); building supportive relationships (encouragement and empowerment, peer coaching, role modeling, conflict resolution); navigating campus resources (advocacy, campus engagement, campus resource knowledge, referral skills)

Suggestions

  • Mention that there are a variety of skills to work on as a student (examples below). You can also have your mentee choose one skill to focus on rather than trying to cover too many. Examples include:
    • Communication
    • Teamwork & collaboration
    • Self-leadership/accountability
    • Managing emotions
    • Decision-making & problem-solving
    • Conflict management
    • Confidence or self-advocacy
    • Boundary setting or adaptability

Discussion questions

Mentor Reflection & Sharing

  • Share an example of a skill you’ve worked on (e.g., “In this situation, I wanted to improve my communication because…”).
  • What helped you grow in this area? What would you do differently now?

Identifying a growth area

  • What is one skill you want to improve right now?
  • When have you noticed this skill being important in your current experiences (classes, organizations, relationships)?
  • Can you think of a recent situation where you wish you had handled something differently?

Skill development in practice

  • What would success look like for you in this area?
  • What strategies or behaviors could help you improve this skill?
  • Where will you have opportunities to practice this (residence hall, group projects, job, etc.)?

Conflict & challenges

  • How have you been handling conflict so far?
  • Have you experienced any challenges living or working closely with others?
  • What approaches could help you navigate conflict more effectively?

Action steps

  • Identify one skill to focus on over the next few weeks.
  • Choose 1–2 specific strategies to practice in real situations.
  • Set a simple goal for applying this skill before your next meeting.
  • Plan to reflect together on progress and challenges in your next conversation.