Tips from the AEJMC Teaching Committee

Top 10 Tips for Great Mentoring

(Article courtesy of AEJMC News, January 2011 issue)

I witnessed the profound effects of mentoring at AEJMC’s inaugural “Magnanimous Mentor” initiative (termed “MM” for short!) at the AEJMC conference in Denver in August 2010.

I initiated the MM program to facilitate mentoring around a simple idea. We all need the friendly care and assistance of a mentor who is an empathetic colleague, reliable adviser and a trusted counselor. To that end, the MM mentors and mentees are committed to developing a simpatico spirit of camaraderie and loyalty. We accomplished that and more. Several MM participants gained a mentor who sharpened and reshaped their work ethos. Before you say “wow,” let me humbly accept that some MM match-ups did not work! And, that’s my point. Successful mentoring is a lot of trial and error.

The success of the MM program set me thinking about effective mentoring strategies that may benefit our students and colleagues alike.

Here’s my list of top ten tips for developing successful mentoring relationships.

1. Commitment: Good mentoring is fueled by a deep commitment to devote the time to it.

2. Reciprocity: A reciprocal interaction strengthens mentoring relationships. For instance, the young mentee may benefit a mentor with new technology tips and other expertise of the young. Also, reciprocal roles bond the mentor and mentee to switch roles and provide expertise to each other.

3. Multiple Mentors: In our multifaceted world, it is effective to seek the wisdom of multiple mentors facilitated by non-hierarchical, collegial, and cross-cultural collaborations based on ideas and expertise.

4. Honesty and Intelligence: Good mentors and mentees cherish intelligent interactions and steadfast honesty, regardless of consequences.

5. Power of Perseverance: The omnipotent effect of persistence and determination has fostered most mentoring relationships.

6. Empathy: As Sophocles said: “One who knows how to show and to accept kindness will be a friend better than any possession.”

7. Good Listening: Assiduous listening sets the mentoring agenda. It also helps to understand opportunities and challenges based on teaching and learning from constructive criticism.

8. Confidentiality: It is important to protect the confidentiality of the message and the messenger.

9. Time Together: Mentoring is always sustained by priceless time together either face-to-face or online. This fosters clear communication, harmonious conciliation, give-and-take collaboration, and mutual cooperation.

10. Act Now: As they say, we have a choice: to plow new ground or let the weeds grow.

AEJMC has helped forge and sustain several mentoring relationships and the MM initiative is off to a great start. Please let me know if you wish to participate in it, either as a mentor or a mentee.

As immediate past chair of the AEJMC Teaching Committee, my work is not over, for good reason! The AEJMC Teaching Committee has assigned me to coordinate a pre-conference workshop on “Effective Teaching Strategies” at AEJMC’s annual conference in St. Louis, Missouri in August 2011.

The first such workshop in Denver was a resounding success. With lively discussions and a mentor meet-up, this interactive workshop covered proven strategies for effective teaching and developing mentoring relationships. Each workshop participant was paired with individual mentors, as part of the MM program. The workshop featured winners of the Scripps Howard Journalism Administrator of the Year and Scripps Howard Journalism Teacher of the Year awards, renowned educators, and students who celebrated and critiqued teaching in its current state and style.

This workshop marked a three-year pilot plan based on the “strategic directions” outlined by the AEJMC 2009 State of the Discipline report <http://www.aejmc.org/_about/discipline/index.php>. The AEJMC pre-conference workshop addressed four objectives: (i) Examine what we teach, how we teach and allay anxieties about a discipline in transition; (ii) Adapt course content to the new realities of communication and draw upon core values; (iii) Harness research, creative and professional activity, media and industry support, professional organizations and community resources to incorporate curriculum changes, technology innovations and assessment of learning outcomes; and (iv) Develop peer-to-peer and co-mentoring relationships.

If you have workshop ideas for the AEJMC’s St. Louis conference, please share them with me.

Debashis “Deb” Aikat, immediate past chair of AEJMC’s Teaching Committee, is a faculty member at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

By Debashis “Deb” Aikat
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
AEJMC Teaching Committee