One of the areas that we take a look at in our mentor training program is the ability to plan ahead for mentoring sessions. It is like most things in life – you would like to have some sense of where you are going and how you might be going to get there. Effective mentoring is no different. One of those tools that you can use is mental imagery.

What is mental imagery? “The English language supplies quite a range of idiomatic ways of referring to visual mental imagery: ‘visualizing,’ ‘seeing in the mind's eye,’ ‘having a picture in one's head,’ ‘picturing,’ ‘having/seeing a mental image/picture,’ and so on. There seem to be fewer ways to talk about imagery in other sensory modes, but there is little doubt that it occurs, and the experiencing of imagery in any sensory mode is often referred to as ‘imagining’ (the appearance, feel, smell, sound, or flavor of something).” (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mental-imagery/)

Mental imagery/visualization is a tool that I would teach with people that were part of my team. They would be preparing for meetings and dealing with senior officials in an organization. To assist them in being self-confident and having a high level of self-esteem we would focus on visualizing the conversations that may take place and how we would respond to them. Over time you become very adept at the process and can enhance your ability to “think on your feet” when asked a question. This technique is definitely one that great leaders have in their tool box as it can help stimulate an environment of critical thinking skills.

This all sounds pretty straight forward doesn’t it? Here is where it gets a little more complicated for some. Once you have become comfortable with the mental imagery process I want to then add into the process the ability to be effectively communicating – so actively listening to the person that you are working with and using mental imagery thinking of responses and what if scenarios. The idea is to develop the skills to multitask! You would be active listening to their conversation and visualizing where the conversation may be going and at the same time preparing potential responses. In more simplistic terms, if your mentee takes the conversation in one direction you follow along and respond accordingly, but if they change directions and take the conversation in another direction you are prepared as you have already thought your way through that change in direction. Over time you become adept at responding with minimal thought process as it becomes second nature to you.

There are some folks that would say this is impossible. I can honestly say that I have seen people demonstrate this technique albeit at an entry level. With time they would become very adept at this process and would be very successful. It is not something however that all of us can do. It does require critical thinking skills, effective communication which includes effective listening, and the ability to be able to multi-task in a conversation. Some would say that if you are doing all of that you are not actively listening to the person you are talking with. What I am suggesting is that this is a skill that can be learned and then put into practice in a number of different scenarios. This is a transferable skill with many different applications once mastered.

Effective mentoring using techniques such as this can assist you in growing on a personal and professional level. Techniques such as this can enhance a leadership development program in your organization. You and/or your organization need to take the first step. Embrace the power of “effective mentoring” and begin your journey. Experience the “gift of mentoring.”