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Group Mentor: Position Description

Group Mentors – Adults with disabilities who can facilitate small group sessions. As a team, they will be assigned to one of four small groups, along with a Program Assistant, to assist students with completion of leadership exercises; facilitate small group discussions; assist students in developing their personal leadership plan; and prepare students to select their Legislative Day issue and to actively participate in the Legislative Day at the Capitol. Responsibilities also include providing supervision, support, and guidance to student delegates.

Roles and Responsibilities of Mentors

Facilitate Small Group Discussions

1. Show your interest in the participants

· Use delegates’ names

· Mingle with delegates before meetings, at breaks, during free time

· Accept and acknowledge participants’ responses & ideas

· Use participants’ words when summarizing discussions

· Deal respectfully with difficult participants

· Try to remember what is was like when you were in high school

2. Set excellent conditions for learning

· Ensure meeting rooms provide comfortable setting

· Be aware of individual participants’ needs

3. Set the tone and pace for the session

· Create an informal atmosphere

· Promote a climate of openness and acceptance

· Keep delegates focused on program content

4. Share personal experiences related to the topic to give life and practicality to the presentation.

5. Be natural: show enthusiasm and energy

6. Provide a fun atmosphere-use humor

7. Ensure maximum attentiveness on the part of the group

· Promote involvement of all participants (“Anyone else had a similar experience?”)

· Call on participants by name (“Kelly, what do you think?”)

8. Lead productive and satisfying group discussions

· Emphasize important points made by delegates by restating them

· Encourage differing points of view

· Summarize comments at the end of the discussion

9. Encourage discovery of connections between the large group presentations and delegates’ own personal situations

· Draw out delegates’ experiences

· Give examples of real world applications of the learning points

10. Be aware of basic presentation techniques

· Prepare in advance to ensure clear communication of concepts

· Smile, show friendliness

· Be aware of body language

11. As small group facilitator, you will

· Encourage & monitor participation (use open ended questions, inclusive activities)

· Support (reinforce learning, recall successes previously shared)

· Clarify (restate, question, and test information)

· Elaborate (expand on ideas to see full implications)

· Monitor differing points of view & confrontation

· Facilitate conflict when it occurs

· Explore reactions and feelings

· Keep on topic

· Summarize results (without frequent summarizing, delegates may lose their direction)

Listen Effectively

Active Listening Includes:

· Paraphrasing

· Clarifying

· Feedback - Immediate, honest, supporting

Listen With Empathy:

· Everyone is trying to survive

What need is the feeling coming from, what danger is this person experiencing, and for what is this person asking

Listen With Openness:

· Hear the whole statement, the entire communication before responding or evaluating

Listen With Awareness:

· How does the communication fit with the known facts

· Is there congruence between what is heard and what is observed

Four Causes of Poor Listening:

· Not concentrating

· Listening too hard

· Jumping to conclusions

· Focusing on delivery & personal appearance

How to Become a Better Listener: