Group, peer, one-to-one; which do you choose?
There are so many mentoring types out there, it can get a little confusing choosing which one is the right one for you.
And it doesn’t help that sometimes the terms are used interchangeably, just to keep you on your toes.
In this blog we want to explain the difference between Group and Peer mentoring, at least how Strivin approaches the different formats.
All types of mentoring are valuable
Let us just say that we don’t favour one type of mentoring over another. In fact, if you have the opportunity to access all types at the same time then take it! Grab it with both hands. You can’t underestimate the value of diversity of thought, and let’s not forget that you have a huge amount of value to share with others (even if you haven’t realised it yet, we’ll get you there).
You can access all types of mentoring as part of a standard Strivin membership. Isn’t that just convenient? Check out memberships here.
But this isn’t a sales pitch. Back to the reason we’re here…
Group mentoring vs. Peer mentoring: what’s the difference?
Here’s how we do it at Strivin.
Group mentoring is an open forum facilitated by an experienced mentor with a group of other professionals. Think of it as a drop-in-clinic where you might have a different group with different expertise each week.
It’s an open forum where any questions can be asked and problems can be shared. Then, as a group, problems are workshopped.
Peer mentoring isn’t too far removed from group mentoring, but the key difference is that you meet with your peer mentoring group every month for 6 months rather than just once like in Group mentoring. For example, if you’re a HR professional, you’re buddied up with five or six other HR pros and one HR mentor and you meet regularly to discuss a similar topic.
Every time you meet you can troubleshoot and share ideas, just like in group mentoring, but you have the added benefit of building on previous ideas, sharing the outcomes of things you’ve tried since the previous sessions, and building your network.
Group Mentoring
- Unlimited numbers in the mentoring session
- Group changes each week, drop-in-clinic style
- Opportunity to ask any question and leverage the expertise of the lead mentor and group
Peer Mentoring
- Limited to five or six people
- Fixed group of professionals in similar fields
- Conversation centres around specific topics and can be built on each session
You can find more information about how Strivin structures peer mentoring sessions in this blog.
Which should you choose?
If you can do both, then absolutely do. Even if conversations in group mentoring sessions aren’t 100% relevant to your field or current situation, you’ll find that a lot of solutions shared will centre around soft skills, like communication, resilience, negotiation etc. and we challenge anyone not to find value in that.
But, as a guide, here’s what we’d recommend.
Choose group mentoring if:
- You have a specific, short-term problem you would like to solve
- You want to drop in and out as you need help and not to commit to working with one group for 6 months
- You want more regularly interactions (once a month just isn’t going to cut it for you right now)
Choose peer mentoring if:
- You have a specific, longer-term project, problem or program of work you’d like external expertise to help you with
- You want to discuss more niche subjects and get quite granular with your group
- You’d like to build your network
You can access group, peer and one-to-one mentoring as a Strivin member. Check out our membership options here.
