Mentoring. A quality assurance tool for dentists. Part 4: some tools for mentoring and coaching. The mentoring encounter.

Abstract

This paper reviews a range of tools that a mentor may use to facilitate the mentoring process. In particular, six 'Master Tools' are highlighted and discussed. Some tools represent mentor qualities and attitudes whereas others represent particular strategies, especially asking questions, which may be employed to move the conversation in a helpful direction for a mentee. The use of 'scripts' is described as part of a mentor's preparation for dealing with difficult or unexpected situations or questions. Because it is important for mentors to be able to give feedback effectively, a section of the paper is devoted to this aspect in which some specific tools are described. A brief description of transactional analysis is given and a template for use of the GROW model is illustrated.