Speaking and Listening: Toastmasters Experience

 Is there a "right" way or a "wrong" way to be a mentor?  I would say there are some pretty obvious "wrong" ways: Never talking to your protege == WRONG Not listening to your protege == WRONG Not showing any interest in your protege == WRONG Not answering questions while also not trying to find answers == WRONG Mentoring just to "check a box" == WRONG These "wrongs" are pretty obvious, by after reviewing the "Advanced Mentoring" project from Toastmasters, I realized there was a key thing I'm not  doing as a mentor that I really should, and that's getting feedback on how I'm doing . As with most things, I can't really know if I'm doing well or not unless I have some way to assess how I'm doing.  With being a mentor, that means checking with my protege from time to time on how our relationship is going.  Toastmasters provides some questions both for regular (suggested monthly) check-ins on the relationshi...

Yesterday I attended a Toastmasters workshop on "corporate clubs," meaning Toastmasters clubs that are fully supported and managed by a corporation.  The workshop, led by Pat Johnson, DTM, PIP, emphasized the importance of the corporation  partnering with Toastmasters in this effort.  Rather than simply "allowing" the club to exist, the decision-makers in the corporation actively work with the Toastmasters leaders to ensure the educational program provided by Toastmasters is effective at their corporation. This got me thinking about the difference between "allowing" something and actively partnering with others to make it successful.  If I think something is a good idea but I'm not really invested in it or I have higher priorities, I might "allow" someone else to work on it - I won't get in their way and I might even offer advice - but I won't be active in making it happen.  There is no "partnership" and no "ownership...