Ribbon-Winning Speech on Why You Need A Mentor

Photo of President Sushil of Harrovians presenting ribbons to speaker, evaluator and topics speaker, Angela Lansbury.

On Monday January 29th at Harrovian Speakers' Club in Edgware, Middlesex, UK, I won three ribbons, for table best table topics, best evaluator, and best speaker.

Here's my speech on mentoring:

Why You Need A Mentor
I'm your mentoring organizer. Hands up if you are a mentor. Hands up if you are a mentee. Hands up if you are neither. I'm  mentoring organizer. it should be easy. In theory I could toss a dice in the air and match you all up randomly. Or I could run along pairing you up. Numbers one and two in the line mentor each other. Two and three. And so on. Job done.

It's not as easy as that. I belong to two clubs in London and one in Singapore and I've been to more than 50 clubs in Singapore, when I'm there I visit a club every night. They all have problems matching people up and getting them to meet each other. Can anybody guess or suggest why?

No commitment
Audience member Indra replied: People don't want to commit?

Yes!

Today, at the start of this meeting, I said to Kamlesh, "I'm your mentor," - which we had agreed the previous meeting.
But he said, "Well, um, I don't really need a mentor. I haven't got my manual yet. And I haven't prepared a speech."

So we have mentees who don't want to be mentored. If you assign a mentor, they all say, "No. I want to be mentored by the President." So I phone up the president, Sushil.

Too Busy
He says, "But I already have five mentees. Besides, I'm busy running the club. And I have a job to do. And next week I'm off travelling on business to America."

It's like arranging marriages, being a marriage counsellor, and arranging divorces! I've got six singletons and a man with four wives.

Being a mentor also has its problems. I was a mentee to somebody. He didn't have a speech title. He couldn't think of a topic. He didn't have anything to say. After I spent half an hour talking him through a speech, correcting a speech, he decided to change topic. Then not to give a speech. Then to leave the club.

However, it can be very rewarding.
I had a mentee at Harrovians' sister club, the current club president (Martin Doe). His speech was scheduled and by the time he had time to do it, I was off to Singapore. I said, email it to me. He emailed it, it arrived when I reached Singapore.  I corrected. He emailed, I like your suggestions. Now I want you to see me perform it."
I replied, "I'm in Singapore. Send me a video."
"How do I do that? I don't have a video camera."
"Use your phone. Phones take videos. A selfie video."

He sent it.
But it wouldn't go through. Too big.
So we tried drop box. I had to get a password and sign up.
He had to get a password and sign up.

It wouldn't send. He was on on Microsoft word. I was on a Macbook. My husband helped. His wife helped. We must have spent a day.

Eventually, I got a video full of breaks, like a 1910 film. However, by reading the script I'd been sent, I could work out the words matching his actions, and could suggest gestures to match, change of speed and so on.
Finally, he gave his speech and won a ribbon!
I was very proud of him. Even more proud of myself.
I thought it was my help which made all the difference.
He very politely agreed.

I needed to mentor somebody for their first three speeches to complete task number 8? in the Competent leader manual.

In Singapore I went to a different club every night trying to find a mentee. The President of Club A said he'd find a mentor. Nothing happened.

I went to a college Club. I found a menteee, mentored three speeches. Job done.

Back in London, PING! I get an email. 'I am Myanmar in Singapore. My president say you want to mentor me. Here my first my speech."

I don't have time. She has three mistakes in the first three sentences - and that's just the covering note!  So I tell her to run the speech through Grammarly.
Over coffee I suggest putting it in time order.
Later that day she comes back.
PING. She has run it through Grammarly. She urgently wants it checked for her speech tonight.
I read it and suggest she ends with a call to action, tell the members they can ask her about her job in the interval and they ever need advice on (statistics) they should come to her because she's the expert.

Next day I get another email. PING. Her speech was a great success. People particularly liked the ending.
I am so happy for her. I am so proud of her. And myself.

Mentors Helped
So mentees are helping mentors as well as being helped. You can also do mutual mentoring. My first mentor was Indra, who encouraged me to use props.

How Mentoring Helps Members And Clubs
Despite the problems, the marriage of mentors to mentees works. Mentoring helps the club provide a professional and friendly atmosphere with teamwork.
That's why you need a mentor, or to be a mentor. It's rewarding for everybody.
So, as soon as you join the club, contact the committee for a mentor. Harrovians' President Sushil meets new members and finds out their goals and needs and matches them to a suitable mentor. I keep a list and forward it to committee members Amparo and Sarda.

Are you going to sign up to be a mentor or mentee? Please applaud and shout Yes! Yes! Yes!

Angela Lansbury
Member of Harrovian Speaker, UK. Mentoring co-ordination.
Member of HOD Speakers. Secretary.
Member of Braddell Heights Advanced Speakers' Club, Singapore. VPPR.
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