Goal Setting

The first stage is to agree and understand the goal that the mentee wants to cover in the session. This is important! Some questions to help with this are:

• What would you like to get out of this session?
• We have half an hour for it. Where would you like to be by then?
• What would be the most useful/helpful thing for you to take away from this session/time?

A Goal Should Be

• Smart, Pure and Clear
• Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic and Time phased.
• Stated Positively, Understood, Relevant and Ethical.
• Challenging, Legal, Environmentally sound, Appropriate, and Recorded.

Agreeing on Goals

1. State what you want in the positive. What do you want?
2. Find out what evidence they need to show success. How will you know when you have what you want? How will you look, sound, and feel? What will be the same – different? This is necessary for recognising success.
3. Can you start and keep the process to get what you want? What stops you from having it right now? What do you need? What is your first step?
4. You presently do things which work, so what part of your present behaviour can you use to get what you want?
5. In what context do you want this? Everywhere or somewhere specific? When do you want it – all the time? When, where and with whom do you not want it?
6. What are the costs of what you want? Is it worth the cost to you? What will you gain? What will you lose?
7. Is it worth the time it is going to take?
8. Is it what you want in keeping with your own purpose, your sense of self and identity?