Topic 5c: FOE

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ILM Level 3 Award in Effective Mentoring

FOE - Preparing yourself and your mentee

In this topic, we will explore some of the things we need to know and learn about (knowledge) including tools that help us prepare for the mentoring conversation to make it as effective as possible for our mentee.

Helping us to be in the moment Trust and openness are essential in an effective mentoring relationship and our behaviour is an important factor in building solid foundations. The quality of attention a mentor brings to the conversation is a key part of this. Being truly present, giving the mentee your full and undivided attention, will show them how important they are. There are things that can stop us from bringing our best selves to a mentoring session and Peter Hill’s FOE tool (2004) can be very helpful to identify any barriers and how to overcome them. It can also be a great tool for reflection after the session.

FOE Tool

Explore the FOE tool and definitions:

FOE Tool

Energy

Openness

Focus

FOE Grid Template

Activity: Complete an FOE assessment

Activity: watch the "FOE Assessment Tool" pearl of wisdom®

This pearl of wisdom® explores how focus, openness and energy impact on coaching and mentoring. By watching this pearl of wisdom® you will be able to:

• Define what is meant by focus, openness and energy
• State the impact that focus, openness and energy have on sessions and relationships
• Identify some simple strategies for improving your focus, openness and energy

Well done! You have completed this section. Head back to your course page and continue working through the topics.

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Openness: This is essential at all stages of mentoring. Openness allows us to be receptive to the mentee’s needs, values and beliefs. It allows us to listen to what they’re saying and not saying, and provide honest, constructive feedback without being judgmental.

Focus: Being fully in the moment with your mentee, not caught up in your own work pressures and challenges. If you have some pressing work matters to deal with, how can you put them out of your mind for the duration of the session? Would it be better to rearrange?

Activity: Complete an FOE assessment for yourself using the template provided. What does it tell you about how you’re feeling? What could you do to improve scores in each area? How could you use this before each session? How helpful would it be to use this with your mentee to get them in the right frame of mind too?

Energy: Giving another person your undivided attention can be tiring, so we need to make sure we have enough energy to do this, both physical and emotional. What time of day is your energy highest? Can you arrange your mentoring sessions for this time? If you find your energy is lower, what will help you to raise your energy levels before the session?