Whether you’re networking, building rapport in a mentoring relationship or standing around the office water cooler, knowing how to strike up a conversation is a must.

Here are three tips to break the ice:

1. Ask open-ended questions. Asking questions with a straightforward answer quickly shuts a conversation down. Instead, ask questions that require thought and discussion. 

• Instead of asking: “how was your weekend?” Ask: “what did you do this weekend?”

• Instead of asking: “what do you do?” Ask: “what do you like best about your job?”

2. Ask follow-up questions. Open-ended questions often lead to follow-up questions, which lead to a conversation. For example, if your first question is “where are you from?” you can follow that up with “what’s it like there this time of year?”

3. Learn to listen. Making small talk isn’t just about talking; it’s also about listening. Be present in the conversation and use emotion when responding. Your demeanour will put both of you at ease and lead to more meaningful conversations. 

You’re sitting on an idea that could save your company money, gain new clients or improve employee productivity (e.g. starting a mentoring program). But how do you sell it to your boss?

1. Build a solid business case. Turn the idea into something tangible. Show how it aligns with company objectives, doesn’t conflict with other company priorities and has a respectable ROI.

2. Time it right. No one likes being blindsided by something that requires deep understanding and careful consideration. Schedule a meeting to present your case.

3. Polish key points. If your idea is rejected, find out why. It may not be the validity of the idea but the strength of the business case. Listen to the feedback provided and ask to revise and present again when the time is right.

The benefits to being mentored are no secret. Career guidance, insider industry perspectives, support and skills development are all amongst the advantages of having a strong mentor.

But, a mentor benefits from the relationship as well. Aside from paying-it-forward as a role model, the relationship allows a mentor to develop his or her leadership skills and listening skills – both of which can be a career boost.

And, by simply connecting with each other, both mentee and mentor are expanding their professional network. Regardless of professional experience, everyone has a network. By connecting with each other, the doors to both networks are opened to new opportunities and possibilities.

What do you hope to gain from a mentoring relationship?

By definition, listening means to pay attention. It does not mean hearing – which refers to sound – but means actually focusing on what’s being said. The trouble is that many of us only listen some of the time. The rest of the time, we’re only hearing.

Practicing these three listening techniques builds strong social skills and boosts professional relationships. Developing good listening skills leads to better customer satisfaction, greater productivity and more innovative work.

1. Show that you’re listening. Nodding frequently or smiling shows the speaker that you’re engaged. If you notice yourself losing focus, remind yourself that every conversation deserves your full attention.

2. Don’t interrupt. Even if someone is saying something that you don’t agree with or don’t understand, avoid interrupting. Continue to focus and once the speaker has finished, pause to formulate your questions or rebuttal.

3. Avoid distractions. Whether you’re on the phone, online or in person, don’t split your attention between the speaker and something else. Multi-tasking hints that you’re uninterested.

In a mentoring relationship, listening is a crucial skill to put into practice.

We set goals of different calibers all the time. We set them to better ourselves, improve our life experiences, and realize milestone achievements. But even though reaching a goal is important, sometimes, the motivation wanes.

Next time motivation slips, try one of these innovative ways to turn momentum around.

1. Create a vision board. Seeing a goal is powerful. Use words and images to make it tangible and bring it to life.

2. Take small steps. Tackling a big goal all at once can be daunting. Instead, take at least one small step (e.g. read a relevant article) towards achieving it every day.

3. Tell someone. Talk to a friend, colleague, family member or mentor about the goal, and the progress you’re making towards achieving it. This person will help motivate and keep you on track.

Self-confidence is key to both personal and professional success. But it doesn’t always come easily and there are days when a new challenge can shake our confidence. 

Sometimes that challenge goes well and the positive reinforcement that comes with it builds confidence. Other times, that challenge has a less than desired outcome forcing us to learn from the experience.

Having a mentor builds your confidence by guiding you through a challenging experience. He or she helps identify strengths – strengths that may have come from past experiences that you dismissed as irrelevant – and helps build your skills and abilities to meet the upcoming challenge. And, since a mentor has the benefit of ‘been there, done that’ he or she may share their own experiences.

A mentor helps you plan, prepare and practice, as well as offers support and guidance. That’s the power of mentoring.