What are Coaching and Mentoring?

Both coaching and mentoring are processes that enable the coach and the client to achieve their full potential.

Coaching and mentoring are similar whether the services are offered in a paid (professional) or unpaid (philanthropic) role. Both coaches and mentors:

•Explore the clients’ needs, motivations, skills and thought processes to assist in making real change.
• Support the client in setting appropriate goals and methods of assessing progress toward these goals
•Observe, listen and ask questions to understand the client's situation
•Creatively apply tools and techniques that may include one-to-one training, facilitating, counseling & networking.
•Encourage a commitment to action and the development of lasting personal growth & change.
•Ensure that clients develop personal competencies and do not develop unhealthy dependencies on the coaching or mentoring relationship.
•Evaluate the outcomes of the process, using objective measures wherever possible to ensure the client’s success.
•Encourage clients to continually improve competencies.

Source: http://www.coachingnetwork.org.uk/resourcecentre/WhatAreCoachingAndMentoring.htm