TM Insider: Becoming a Mentor
There is a tradition in every Toastmasters club to have mentors for new members. Mentors are usually senior members who will help show the ropes to new members or member show need extra help in their Toastmasters journey. At times, not so senior members can also become mentors if they are keen. All they have to do is volunteer. There are a number of benefits mentors have to the new member (mentee), club and mentor themselves. For the Mentee 1) Mentees have someone to guide them. Every new Toastmaster can tell you that the first few times they walk into a meeting, they have no idea what is going in. They don’t know how far they can go, the many terms that are used and they don’t know the hierarchy of clubs, area, division and district. The mentor’s role is to explain to them the big world that is Toastmasters. 2) Mentees have someone to help them prepare for their assignments. New members may take forever to do their first speech, not know if it’s