
In this blog post, SACHA group coaches Lesley Kelly, Sophie Rippinger, Valerie McIntosh and Amer Khushman share top tips for group mentoring. This post belongs to June-July Hot Topic series: Students as Change Agents (SACHA)↗️.
Group work can be a powerful tool for learning, enabling students to engage with a wider variety of ideas and perspectives and providing practice for future team dynamics in the workplace. For the coach, tutor, or lecturer organising group work, however, knowing how to best support each group and steer them towards success can be a challenge. In this week’s post, past and current SACHA group coaches share some of their own top tips for group mentoring.
1. Get to know your group members
If coaching or mentoring a group, it’s important to get to know your group members. Finding out what subjects they study, where they are based, what their timetables are like and what their interests are can help to inform your approach to coaching. Knowing a little bit about their circumstances can help to shed light on any barriers they might face to participating effectively in the group. It’s also helpful to try to find out what each member of the group wants to get out of the experience. This provides information about motivations and expectations and can help coaches to adapt their approach to suit the group members. – Lesley Kelly
2. Think Positive!
It’s important to create an environment that allows for real ideation, open discussions, and free exchange of their ideas. Go into meetings with an open mind and engage with students’ ideas from a place of possibility, rather than immediately focusing on potential alternatives or pitfalls. Students are very innovative and have so many great ideas, I am just here to help them realise that they have the talents and skills to make these ideas a reality. – Sophie Rippinger
3. Promote Accountability
Accountability can serve as a catalyst for advancement and helps mentees stay committed to their goals. As a coach, by fostering accountability, mentees are encouraged to assume ownership of their actions and remain dedicated to their objectives. Accountability can be encouraged by:
- Establishing explicit milestones
- Creating actionable strategies – comprehensive action plans to make milestones achievable
- Sticking to regular cycle of meetings to evaluate progress and adjust goals.
- Acknowledge accomplishments (even minor ones!) to maintain motivation.
As a coach and mentor, you need to be a servant leader – at some point – to help mentees stay focused, overcome challenges, and achieve their goals by promoting a sense of responsibility. – Amer Khushman
4. Act as a ‘champion’
One of the most important aspects of coaching or mentoring a group or an individual is to become their champion. For ‘coachees’/mentees, knowing that someone is fully supportive of what they are trying to achieve, has faith in their abilities and will fight their corner can have a positive impact on their experience. – Lesley Kelly
5. Frame the Problem
Focus on framing the problem. Ask the team to really understand the problem before the group tries to find solutions. I suggest to deep dive into the assumptions they might have of the problem and to find data to fully understand the problem. Then it’s all about following the “…how we might”. As a coach I ask what they have discussed so far, where they are in their thinking, suggest that they write these down in the platform provided, and I let them work out what they need to do next! I keep asking them questions, so they imagine and create solutions for the well-defined problem. – Sophie Rippinger
6. Learn to let go
Listen deeply and let go of knowing the answer – take time to pause, be curious and ask for more. Your role as a coach is to provide a space for coachees to hear themselves think, unlock their potential and maximise their performance. – Valerie McIntosh
7. Develop Emotional Intelligence
Supportive mentoring involves more than just resolving problems; it aims to build mentees’ resilience and improve overall performance both within and beyond your specific coaching context. Emotional intelligence – the capacity to comprehend and regulate emotions skilfully, both within oneself and in others – has a vital role in this context. Both coaches and mentees benefit from a high emotional intelligence as it improves communication, strengthens relationships, and enhances conflict resolution abilities.
Coaches and mentors establish a dynamic and empathetic mentoring relationship by prioritizing the development of emotional intelligence. This approach covers not only the attainment of professional objectives, but also its nurturing of personal development and satisfaction for all individuals involved. If you’re interested in developing your emotional intelligence, this toolkit from the University of Edinburgh’s Human Resources department is a great place to start↗️. – Amer Khushman
8. Be reflective
A great coach/mentor is committed to their own as well as their coachee’s/mentee’s growth, strives for continuous improvement and takes time to reflect on their practice. Trust yourself. – Valerie McIntosh
Lesley Kelly
Lesley Kelly is an Academic Developer in the Taught Students Development Team at the Institute for Academic Development (IAD) In addition to the one-to-one study development work delivered as part of the IAD core programme, she has coached Mastercard Scholar Students and EUSA Sabbatical Officers, acted as a Group Coach for the Students as Change Agents Programme and is a mentor on the Edinburgh Teaching Award programme.
Sophie Rippinger
Sophie Rippinger worked for Edinburgh Innovations, the commercialisation arm of the University of Edinburgh. She led the BOOSTalent project which aims to foster innovation in AI and machine learning (ML) across five European Higher Education Institutions particularly in the fields of aerospace, electronics, advanced materials, sustainability, and biodiversity. Before this she led the CloudEARTHi project, where she developed the award-winning EARTH Centred Business Design, a circular net zero business model framework for first time founders and startups. Prior to the University, Sophie worked as a Circular Economy Senior Consultant for Wood Group Plc where she supported multiple projects including supporting small and medium enterprises moving towards a Circular Economy; developing Circular Economy strategies for international institutions; and reviewing plastic pollution prevention policies for local and European governments. Sophie is also an accomplished Waste Manager. She has project managed new waste strategies for the automotive industry, contracted and implemented waste management contracts for the University of Edinburgh, and benchmarked and conducted waste management gap analysis for many private and public organisations. Sophie is a Chartered Waste Manager, with a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Law
Valerie McIntosh
Valerie currently leads on the development and delivery of the Business School’s Alumni Mentoring Programme. She has 9 years’ experience contributing to the development and delivery of strategies that support students to flourish and enhance the student experience. Valerie is Carbon Literate, passionate about helping others grow and succeed, as well as social and environmental impact.
Amer Khushman
Amer is a second-year research student in International Development with a focus on forced migration and examining how digital skills in the context of the digital transformation, particularly after COVID-19, can facilitate the integration of forced migrants into their host countries and contribute to economic growth. Amer has a background as a business development strategist, creating and executing innovative plans by utilizing analytical thinking and strategic skills.