Mentoring Matters

Send us a Text Message. In this episode of Mentoring Matters, we explore the transformative potential of generative AI tools like ChatGPT in the context of graduate student mentoring. As these cutting-edge technologies continue to advance, they offer unique opportunities to enhance the mentoring experience and support the growth and development of graduate students. We delve into the various ways in which ChatGPT and similar tools can be leveraged to provide personalized guidance, facilitate knowledge sharing, and foster meaningful interactions between mentors and mentees. From generating ideas for research projects to offering constructive feedback on written work, these AI-powered assistants have the potential to streamline and enrich the mentoring process. However, we also address the challenges and ethical considerations surrounding the use of generative AI in mentoring, emphasizing the importance of maintaining human connection and judgment. Join us as we navigate this exciting frontier and discuss how to effectively integrate these tools while preserving the essence of authentic mentorship. Whether you're a mentor, mentee, or simply interested in the future of graduate education, this episode offers valuable insights into the role of generative AI in shaping the mentoring landscape. PS- Steph did convince Mary to get on the AI bandwagon, and she's now a happy user of ChatGPT. Steph's pro tip: Just talk to it like a colleague and you'll be surprised how easily the conversation flows. If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this (long awaited) episode of Mentoring Matters we discuss how to get our students started off strong at the beginning of the semester. Things we discussed include: Enjoy! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. Dr. Jodi McGill (Assistant Dean of Research and Graduate Students at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine) joined us to discuss what we learned in our last grad faculty book club. We read the book "Wellbeing at Work" by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter, which is from Gallup and CliftonStrengths-based. The book focuses on 5 pillars of wellbeing, a topic we've been very interested in lately. Some takeaways from this episode: If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. Time management can be a struggle for graduate students and faculty. In this episode we offer tips to make more efficient use of your time, with the goal of reducing everyone's stress. We discussed: Join us in our LinkedIn Group for more conversation! The Graduate Mentorship Blueprint: a faculty forum If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we take you on a behind the scenes journey to hear about our graduate student interactions over a random week. Things we discussed: in additionWe hope you found this snapshot of our weeks useful as you consider your own mentoring strategies. If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we share ideas for improving resiliency in our graduate students. Topics covered include: If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we discuss how we've used book clubs with our graduate students to enhance community and habit building. Other topics include thinking about mentoring strategies with a big ROI and the importance of relationships. Plus we really want to encourage you to go listen to our Team Culture episode! It is so important! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode: Steph and Mary are on vacation! And nerding out about how we use the Clifton Strengths talent assessment in our graduate student mentoring. Similar to how we use Meyers Briggs Type Indicator, Strengths is another way to help us tailor the mentoring experience to get the most out of every student (in the least stressful way!) We discussed: Steph is in the final stages of becoming a Certified Clifton Strengths Coach. Learn more about Clifton Strengths here. If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we discuss what a powerful tool recognition of individual and team success can be, including: Mellody Hobson's interview with Adam Grant on his podcastIf you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we discuss how reflection helps our graduate students learn and grow. We talk about some of the strategies we are already using to cause students to pause and reflect and ways we want to try in the future. What- Recapping the experience So what- Why does it matter? Now what- What's next? What do we do differently next time? We also decided this was just one more example of using powerful questions in our graduate student mentoring. Prior episodes that might be useful here: Quit bossing, start coaching and Phrases to use in your grad mentoring If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. Attending conferences can be a great way to entice a student to finish a project and share their data. But how do we help students get the most out of an often very expensive conference attendance? In this episode we reminisce about some of our favorite conference moments and discussed: For tips on preparing students to present at conferences check out episode # 5 Let's Talk: Tips to build effective oral communicators If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. Hello Mentors! In this episode we reflect on the value of taking time to prepare for our individual grad student meetings. We offer some strategies to find time in your busy schedule and discuss a checklist of items we like to cover in these individual meetings. It's hard to believe we have to schedule time to think about our students, but sometimes that is the reality, so check out the episode for tips to make the most of your homework time! If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. Retreat! Research retreat, that is! In this episode we talked about the research retreat Steph did with her lab recently. We talk about what went well, what she'd do differently, and Mary offered up lots of ideas for what she'd like to do at her own lab retreat. Key points we discussed: If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we discuss the traits we've appreciated in our best bosses, and why those bosses might have actually been our best coaches. We talk about tips for figuring out how to be a better boss/coach for our team. Highlights: We don't want a boss, we want a coach. We want a purpose, and we'd like it to align with our values. Recognition is important (stay tuned for a future episode on this topic!) If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode, we discuss a few resources we’ve found useful for our own professional development. And how we use them with our grad students, of course! Resources we discuss: James Clear, Atomic habits, as interviewed by Brene Brown https://brenebrown.com/podcast/atomic-habits-part-1-of-2/ Goals are about winning the game, and systems are about continuing to play the game. It is not about a single achievement; it is about endless refinement and continuous improvement. Brene Brown, Dare to Lead (book, or podcast) We’ve learned a lot from Brene in the last several months. This is one of Mary’s favorites. https://brenebrown.com/podcast/braving-trust-part-1-of-2/ Clifton Strengths (Gallup) One of Steph’s favorites. A variety of podcasts, articles and books are available. Figure out your top strengths so you can adapt your processes to get more energy and productivity out of your life. Strengths can be a great tool for mentoring students as well. We’ve leaned into Strengths to open discussions about well-being at work. Here are some great resources. https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/357308/strengths-make-wellbeing-work.aspx https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/355019/why-is-wellbeing-important.aspx Your digital mentor podcast Prof. Jeffrey McDonnell, author of “Navigating an Academic Career: A Brief Guide for PhD Students, Postdocs and Early Career Faculty” on writing skills. Mary liked this one for the 1 hour work week concept in particular. But there are many great concepts in the episode and he points to a lot of other great resources. https://soundcloud.com/user-105785173/writing-skills If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we discuss the hard-fought mentoring lessons we have learned not only over the past year, but stretching back to early 2020. We talk about what has gone well and what we still need to work on in the coming year. And we decided being a good mentor comes down to intentionality and being willing to put in the time. A few things lessons we discuss: A Field Guide to Grad SchoolIf you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. Emory University Professor Jen Heemstra joined us for a conversation about strategies for success as graduate student mentors. We also chatted about ideas for faculty development and ways we can foster strong mentors. A few things we talked about: Jen and Steph bonded over sharing our personal writing journey with our students (and Jen's stoked to try writing sprints with her group!) Jen’s writing a book, so look for that in 2023! Steph published a fiction novel in 2021. Steph’s author world is at www.slhansenbooks.com You can follow Jen and her lab on Twitter: @heemstralab @jenheemstra If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we interview one of our own teaching mentors, Dr. Jan Wiersema of Iowa State University. We explore how using type indicators (sometimes called personality assessments) like Myers Briggs can help faculty understand their students on a deeper level, allowing them to tailor a mentoring approach to better connect with the student. Dr. Jan has a background in K-12 and college education and we get into some great conversation on grit as well. If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. Welcome to Season 2! We are excited to be back after our summer hiatus. In this episode we discuss 10 phrases we find useful to have in your pocket when mentoring graduate students. Among others, we talk about the importance of seeking to understand why certain actions may or may not have occurred. If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint

Send us a Text Message. In this episode we cover our top ten tips for things we wish we'd known when we started mentoring graduate students. Have a listen to learn why our number one tip was to keep your mouth shut! Our tips cover the things we've learned in the trenches during a collective 21 years of graduate student mentoring. You might be surprised to learn many of our tips are about our personal mentality when it comes to mentoring. Some of these are things that have taken us a long time to learn (and we're not afraid to say we are still mastering many of them). If you are enjoying this podcast please leave a rating or review, and join us over on Twitter to let us know what topics you'd like to hear more about. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group page The Graduate Mentoring Blueprint