The Mentorship Program aims to facilitate and provide structure for formal mentorship among members of the Association for Business Communication.
Mentorship is valuable at all stages in one’s career. Therefore, anyone can sign up to be a mentor or a mentee. Naturally, newer members of ABC will desire to be matched with more seasoned members. We welcome graduate students to participate, and on the other end of the spectrum, we can see how a long-term member nearing retirement might appreciate being matched with a mentor that has already retired.
We ask that all mentors and mentees agree to the following:
- Commit to making the time to communicate at least three to four times a year.
- Respond to communication from match within 48 hours.
- Keep the content of your conversations confidential.
- Practice active listening.
- Provide each other with honest, direct, and respectful feedback.
- Provide the Teaching Committee an annual update on the status of your relationship.
Sign up to be a mentor or mentee here. You will be taken to a new browser with a Google Sheet that anyone can edit. Please do not share this link or edit the sheet in any way other than to add your information in the appropriate location. Mentees are responsible for reaching out to mentors.
The ABC Mentorship Program aims to accomplish the following:
- Make it easier for members to seek new knowledge from each other
- Facilitate and provide a structure for formal mentorship
- Increase member satisfaction, engagement, and retention rates
- Improve the value of our association
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often should mentees and mentors communicate?
A: We’ll leave the frequency of communication up to each match. However, we ask that all mentors be available for quarterly check-ins.
Q: How long will a mentor/mentee relationship last?
A: We encourage mentors-mentees to commit to at least a one-year relationship.
Q: How should we communicate?
A: Most mentors and mentees will not be geographically close, so we anticipate pairs will use phone, email, and video conferencing software to maintain their relationship. In addition, ABC Conferences are a great way to connect in person.
Q: What topics should we discuss?
A: Let the mentee’s questions guide the relationship. Topics of discussion might include, but are not limited to teaching, assignments, grading, classroom management, course design, publishing, networking, and understanding ABC resources.
Q: How do I provide my annual update to the Teaching Committee?
A: You will receive an email that asks for two pieces of information:
- Feedback: Please provide us feedback about your experience in the program.
- Status: Do you wish to continue with your mentor, be reassigned, or stop participating in the mentorship program?
If you have any other questions about the ABC Mentor Program, contact Andrew Quagliata.