communication department

By Garret Romaine, Associate Fellow, Willamette Valley Chapter, and Rachel Houghton, Senior Member, LCR Public Relations Manager, Willamette Valley Chapter

According to legend, when Odysseus sailed away for the Trojan War, he left behind his son Telemachus, entrusting the boy to the wise and trusted counselor Mentor. Ever since, the word mentor has signified actively sharing information between an experienced mentor and a less-experienced mentee. These formal partnerships are important for community health, but leaders are also encouraged to practice “on-the-spot” mentoring, which is faster and less formal, but crucial to your recruiting activities.

Types of Mentoring

Within STC, formal mentoring programs try to pair new technical communicators with a specific, and sometimes hand-picked, senior member. The pair typically meets regularly to review career goals and discuss plans and actions that should help the mentee advance. The mentor is expected to informally “inventory” the mentee’s strengths and weaknesses, assessing his or her tools expertise, management experience, formal education, or industry knowledge. Based on that input, the mentor can then suggest tailored career counseling and professional advice about local training programs, educational opportunities, and even volunteer positions within STC that can help the mentee.

Some chapters host a formal “get acquainted” meeting where potential mentors and mentees meet and pair up; other chapters use a mentoring manager to perform those duties via e-mail and telephone. However they get together, the mentor/mentee pair usually works hard to determine a course of action for the mentee that should lead to a promotion or a career change. These formal programs are based on developing long-term relationships and going deep into issues and ideas, and require time and effort to be successful. Formal mentoring programs are not wildly popular probably for just those reasons. Most communities are lucky to develop one to two formal mentoring relationships each year.

More common is what we call the “on-the-spot” mentor—a leader who interacts freely with members, answers question after question on a case-by-case basis, then moves on to the next question. These, in fact, are the most successful leaders at STC, because they are perceived more as valuable resources because they repeatedly offer members sensible solutions. On-the-spot mentors can think on their feet and respond quickly to almost any question related to the technical communication profession. They also are able to share real experiences about their own successes and where they learned from their own failures.

Think for a moment about your image of a successful STC leader. Is that person cloistered away with a core group of close friends, whispering like coconspirators and aloof from the group? Of course not—that person is table-hopping, dropping in and chatting with as many people as possible. Successful leaders are always recruiting, developing personal relationships with members, and constantly looking for “new blood.”

One of the most successful leaders we ever watched in action was Margot Beutler, a vibrant and gregarious woman who graced the Willamette Valley chapter in the late 1990s, before she was tragically killed in a boating accident. Margot was a true joy to be around—her presence instantly filled a room. She attracted volunteers like moths to a light, and instilled a real sense of loyalty to the new members she recruited. She had a great knack for sizing up a volunteer’s abilities and instantly talking them into getting involved in the perfect opportunity. For years after her involvement, the chapter benefited from that dedicated core group of people she personally recruited.

How to Be a Mentor

The on-the-spot mentor at an STC meeting or responding to e-mail should be able to answer just about any question related to our profession. The questions asked by new members are fairly predictable: What tools should I learn? What classes should I take? What’s a good style guide to follow? Those are softball questions, pitched underhand, and great conversation starters. As you gather more information to answer such a question, you are probably already starting to get a feel for where to plug that person in as a volunteer.

Management textbooks suggest that people in leadership roles should always “model the way.” In all your interactions as an STC leader, you are being watched and evaluated from all positions on the food chain. Your ability to make your position look enviable will have much to do with your success. After all, who wants to emulate someone who appears frantic, rushed, and panicked? We want our leaders to be comfortable and easy to approach.

As an on-the-spot mentor, listening is your first responsibility. Get a sense for a person’s background and the motivation for their taking the time to get advice. Ask open-ended questions to gain more information and to discover the bottom of the issue or problem. When you provide an answer or solution, share examples and experiences that make your response seem more logical. A successful mentoring partnership requires two-way communication. Your role is to listen and understand, then coach and recruit.

Making a Difference

Most of us don’t have the time or resources to serve as a full-time mentor, such as young Telemachus enjoyed. But we do have our own stories and insights, and our experience matters. Sharing that experience can make a big career difference for members and nonmembers just starting out or seeking guidance. And the more that your members and nonmembers see their involvement paying off, the more likely they will become solid volunteers for years to come or decide to join STC to serve as volunteers in your local chapter.