Ways To Improve Mentorship Programs With Technology

Virtual mentorship is more common because of COVID-19. Participants can meet via Zoom and watch training videos online. Program managers can leverage technology to reduce the time it takes to onboard, match and coordinate meetings. Mentor Matchmaker Foundation interviewed nine mentorship program managers to learn about the challenges they face with their current mentorship programs and transitioning to an online solution. Here is a summary of what was learned from this small study, and a few thoughts about how virtual mentorship can improve.

Virtual meetings save commute time but take longer to build trust and rapport.

People prefer in-person meetings because they are intimate - they can make eye-contact, shake hands and read nonverbal cues like tone, gestures and body language. Virtual meetings block eye-contact and make handshakes impossible, and can make it harder to empathize and stay attentive. One program manager explains, “The pride of our programming is face-to-face so [virtual meetings] are a real challenge. We are trying to keep all the qualities of community and one-on-one as best we can. I think [virtual] lacks some of the ‘authentic’ connection but comes pretty close.” Another says that the “quality of mentoring goes down in a virtual setting.”

Program management is still messy.

Program implementation takes many hours to onboard, coordinate, and manage participants. One manager explains: “It takes a lot of time and energy to follow up with all participants to see if the program is going well. How do I remove myself from the match up, follow up and check-in process? I want [mentees] to find their own match/they are accountable/they have easy access to the meeting tools they need.” Several programs are adding Zoom and Calendly to coordinate meetings, but this is fragmented and still requires many hours behind the scenes.

The results are difficult to track and measure.

All managers want to know if their participants are meeting and making progress. Their results and outcomes are reported to management, donors or sponsors. They have access to some data but it’s difficult to contextualize. One manager explains, “The tracking is important, and we do evaluations and feedback at the end so we know if they connected through the platform, or if they connected outside... We look back at the patterns of participants who succeeded so we can learn how to improve in the next cohort.”

Mismatches and mentor swaps are common.

Managers make matches based on participant interviews, skills and industry, but a formula for a great match does not exist. One program offers a pool of mentors and makes matches based on their interest level and technical background (engineering, green collar, installation, repair work, hands on work, and non-technical administration). As the mentees’ needs evolve, their mentor may not be able to give tailored advice, so they can recommend a replacement for themself. The pool frequently interacts with each other to track progress and needed resources. Another manager wants a “first call trial, then a 90 day trial, either can cancel during that time if they have a bad experience.“

Mentees often do not follow through.

Mentees need consistent encouragement to overcome their challenges and build courage in their new environment. It is common for participants to be passive and abandon the mentor after the first meeting. One manager explains, “We put all of this time in building a program, recruiting the mentors, make matches, and then the mentee does not show up. Or they engage once and don’t follow through... You cannot force engagement or get the momentum of corporate culture.” It takes time to recruit mentors, and you do not want them to have a bad experience or do nothing if not selected.

Some programs require hands-on and group activities.

One manager found hands on activities are extremely helpful for tactile learners. A music program manager explains, “The challenge is working with a group who no longer can hear each other while playing together, and the time delay in transmission. You can do one-on-one but [mentees] would need instruments at home and have a teacher online with the mentor… Demonstration is one thing, but interaction is another. Perhaps viewers could ask questions.” The programs for businesses and startups also have groups, one mentor per team of two or three entrepreneurs. Another program has mentees fill out a worksheet during their session and references the document frequently.

Mentor communication skills are the key to success.

Several managers emphasized that their mentors need communication skills training. One explained, “they need to learn how to meet the mentee where they are at, in terms of sub- culture and industry. They can improve in “diversity in thinking, empathy and humility, how to give direction, and use more storytelling.”

Moving Forward: How technology can improve mentorship programs

Mentorship programs are really time consuming. It is difficult to make a good match, track results, and keep participants accountable and engaged. Virtual mentorship can make it easier to coordinate and manage program but must address the new challenges for communication and hands-on learning. Here are some ways technology can advance mentorship programs:

1. Leverage video meetings to filter compatibility.

The first match meeting reveals compatibility and the likelihood of a second meeting, and video conference minimizes the time and effort for this meeting. The in-person meeting can be an incentive for follow-through.

2. Require participants to watch an onboarding training video before the first meeting.

Publish training videos to watch before participants can join their first meeting. These videos can include communication tips for building trust and rapport in a virtual setting. Participants can also watch the videos together during the meeting.

3. Incentivize participation with VIP admission to events, classes, and workshops.

The programming surrounding mentorship can be used to “gamify” participation. For instance, mentees can open access to a one-on-one meeting with the organization’s CEO if they complete a certain level of follow-through.

4. Hold participants accountable to request their own meetings.

Mentees can filter through a pool of mentors by their skills and industry expertise, browse profiles, and request a meeting. If the mentor likes the mentees profile and believes they can help, then this can trigger a virtual meeting.

5. Let surveys do the tracking for you.

Direct participants to a virtual survey immediately after their meeting. At the end of a cohort the mentee can announce their accomplishments with the mentor’s “sign-off.” Then give the mentee a badge acknowledging progress, giving them credibility for their next mentorship. You can also track how long participants meet and how often.

6. Leverage screen sharing and group meetings.

Multiple participants to join at the same time and to share their screen. They can complete worksheets prior to meetings and easily share them for group discussion.

Virtual mentorship can aid a program’s mission to help mentees build confidence, clarity and communication skills so they can advance their careers. Technology can make it easier to manage programs and make mentorship more accessible for participation.

Thank you to the managers from these programs for your input to this study: CSUN College of Business and Economics, CSUN Entrepreneurship Program, Entrepreneurs Organization Los Angeles Accelerator, HNDP LA, Los Angeles Clean Tech Incubator Founders Business Accelerator, Los Angeles Clean Tech Incubator Advance Prototyping Center Fellowship, Sages and Seekers, TiE Global, and an anonymous music nonprofit.

For more information about this study, please contact Brian Frankel at 818 585 7013 or Brian@MentorMatchmaker.com.