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Description

Mentoring: Framing the Relationship, Sharing Experience and Growing Talent

Support a less experienced colleague without doing the work for them or leaving them alone with their questions

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

People become mentors because they know the job. But sharing experience is not the same as recounting your own career path. Without a clear framework the relationship fades: meetings get postponed, advice falls flat, and the mentee no longer dares to ask. Meanwhile the mentor hesitates constantly between giving the answer and letting the other person search for it.

Two days to set a clear framework from the very first meeting, run conversations that prompt reflection rather than dictate solutions, and support progress through to a successful closure. You leave with your own mentoring conversation template and a written plan for your first three meetings.

Learning objectives

  • Set the framework of the mentoring relationship during the first meeting
  • Distinguish the mentor's stance from that of the manager and the trainer
  • Run a conversation in which the mentee articulates the solutions
  • Share experience in a usable form rather than offering general advice
  • Prepare the end of the engagement and measure what has progressed

What makes this programme different

A mentoring conversation template tested and refined on your own situations
Conversations role-played in trios: mentor, mentee and observer, with immediate feedback
The plan for your first three meetings drafted and peer-reviewed during the programme

Programme

1The mentor's role

What is expected of you and what is not your responsibility

  • Mentor, tutor, coach and manager: four roles that should not be confused
  • The mentee's implicit expectations and those of the organisation
  • The boundaries to set: confidentiality, assessment and reporting lines
  • Situations in which mentoring is not the right answer

2The framework of the relationship

A first meeting that commits both parties

  • Defining the purpose of the engagement together
  • Agreeing the frequency, duration and format of meetings
  • Writing down the ground rules: confidentiality, availability and the right to say no
  • Spotting the signs of a framework that is eroding and renegotiating it

3Running the conversation

Prompting reflection rather than supplying the answer

  • Opening on the mentee's situation before speaking about yourself
  • Questions that move things forward and questions that close them down
  • Telling your own experience in a usable way: context, decision, consequence
  • Reformulating and having the mentee articulate the next step
  • Handling silence, hesitation and requests for an immediate solution

4Supporting over time

From growing autonomy to closing the relationship

  • Tracking progress without turning mentoring into performance assessment
  • Dealing with missed meetings and loss of motivation
  • Responding when the mentee makes a decision you disagree with
  • Preparing the final session and the review of the engagement

Who is it for

Experienced professionals who support more junior colleagues, along with subject-matter referents, workplace tutors and buddies for new joiners

Prerequisites

Sufficient professional experience in your own field to be in a position to share expertise

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.