By Maggie Fox
Maggie is a third year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at UCLA. She is the FY21 Undergraduate Mentoring Match Coordinator (UMMC).
Maggie is a third year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at UCLA. She is the FY21 Undergraduate Mentoring Match Coordinator (UMMC).
Mentorship, as we know it, has become completely virtual. So in the world of virtual mentoring, here are some tips and tricks to make your mentoring relationship a successful one.
- Prep when potentially meeting new mentors/mentees. Establishing a mentorship relationship online can be difficult, and in the case of speed mentoring, there won’t be a lot of time to make a connection. Try writing down some of the things that you want to get out of the connection or things that you want to prioritize so you can use your time wisely.
- Make sure you have a stable internet connection and, if possible have a video camera. It can be hard enough as is making a connection online, not being able to see each other or having the screen freeze won’t help that. Before the meeting, test your equipment to make sure that it works properly and that you have a space that you are able to carry a conversation uninterrupted. This will also help you make sure you are on time when the meeting day comes.
- Body language. Things can come off strange when you are trying to connect through a screen. Try to make eye contact with the camera, so it seems like you are making eye contact with them through the conversation (that might feel weird at first and definitely worth the practice). You also might need to exaggerate your body language a little more so that whatever point you’re making comes across.
- Communication. Make sure both parties are on the same page, try to confirm things like meeting times or even previous points via email before the next meeting. This also helps iron out more clear expectations of responsibilities.
- Take notes! The more meetings you have virtually, the harder it is to keep track of what was said in what meeting. You can always ask if it would be okay to record the meeting or just take notes one what was said. It’ll serve as a good call back before the next time you meet and give you a chance to either revisit topics or not cover the same things twice.
