Mentor Training comments from participants

Mentor Training

The Mentoring Matters Mentor Training course offers participants an experiential journey as they prepare to enter a meaningful mentoring relationship with an adolescent. I believe, and it has been proven by all the programs I have been associated with, that volunteer adult mentors and mentees are likely to form meaningful relationships when mentors receive adequate and relevant training. Many youth mentoring programs falter because their training lacks substance and is too short.

Participants, who come from all walks of life, university students, retirees, educators, business owners, employers and employees, just some examples, complete an evaluation at the conclusion of the Mentor Training course run by Robin Cox. Comments include:

“I was very impressed – he made me feel comfortable and relaxed.”

“Very skillful presentation and being able to pick up the message effectively.”

“Lucid explanations; positive attitude; good material and lots of it.”

“Robin uses his extensive experience to communicate in a manner that makes it easy to grasp the issues.”

“The whole exercise was incredible. Given me a bit more confidence.”

“Effective, competent and knowledgeable.”

“Very positive. Robin is quite passionate about the subject matter and gave great examples to back-up the key competencies.”

“Good choice of materials; great presenter – made it very interesting. I did not feel that giving up my time was a waste. I came away each week with more valuable information from both the presenter and others in my group.”

“Presentation very good; persuasive and made you understand and believe in the course.”

“Fantastic, realistic and informative. Great to hear actual feedback and comments made by the mentees.”

“The program is so very privileged to have such a dedicated, wise and experienced trainer as Robin. He is a true Gem.”

“Well paced, comprehensive material – Power Point presentation matched with material. Good mix of using examples to illustrate key messages along with stories/poems/quotations.”

“Well done Robin. All excellent. Non-threatening style made us all feel welcome and a part of something good.”

“Brilliant. Very experienced and knowledgeable. Inspirational and positive. Thank you.”

“Brilliant, awesome, more! more! more!”

“Thoroughly enjoyed the trainer’s presentation and willing attitude to teach and listen at the same time.”

“Awesome – it was obviously a passion of the instructor, not just a job, that was inspirational in itself and made the course more real. It also instilled the importance of our commitment being paramount going forward.”

“Trainer is amazing. Full of knowledge and wisdom. A mentor to me.”

“Robin’s experience in dealing with a diverse range of people shone through.”

“Robin is amazing! Everything was professional and fun.”

“Robin, I’m not sure that it could be done better. Very impressed with your presentation, your patience – you live the role of a mentor. Thank you for all that you’ve done.”

“Robin is a highly skilled and experienced facilitator. A professional training seminar directed at people serious about mentoring.”

“Wonderful variety of activities with superb quality of input  - very professional. Great blend/flow for all Sessions.”

“Excellent lecturer  -  knowledgeable and passionate. Excellent balance of theory, self analysis and team/group sessions.”

“Robin’s heart-filled commitment to sharing his love and experiences; sharing time with others.”

“I really feel inspired.”

“I know we’re not supposed to condone cloning, but a few more Robin Cox inspirations would make the world a much better 
  place! Thank you Robin.”

“A wonderful self-awakening (especially enjoyed the thought of the beauty inside everyone and putting it into practice). 
Fast-tracked some of my personal goals. Affirmed to me the greatest gift is the gift of giving. Very enriching.”

“Great that course is presented by someone who has a strong sense of where teenagers are at.”

“A fantastic course of self-discovery. Should be open to everyone as a lot of people would learn about themselves and their
 actions.”

 “Wonderful course, keep up the good work. Keep sowing the seeds, the fruits will bear in abundance.”

“Very informative, sharp, ability to grab attention and get the point across; was outstanding. Incredible teaching skills.”

“Great course  - wish I’d been involved earlier! Quite aside from how this will assist with my mentoring process, 99% of it is
 transferable to my work situation  -  and life in general! Thank you. Reinforcement of themes is very effective. Very positive!

“Liked Robin very much; made the class at ease with open discussion and stimulating ideas and opinions. Course content was
 very appropriate and say this from experience having worked professionally with young people in social services – Robin taught me a lot.”

“It’s a great life skill course that every parent should do.”

“Very good, easy to listen to presentation, which was coherent, well thought through material and very perceptive observations. 
Robin maintained a very positive attitude and had a very good manner, which showed empathy and understanding for 
what/how he was communicating. Keep up the good work  -  the potential is unlimited.”

“I liked the approach of talking with us rather than talking at us.”

“Robin is an excellent presenter who clearly has a great deal of experience and passion for mentoring. Loved the humor and his flexibility.” 

“Excellent  -  a less skilled presenter would not have let people relax and participate.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed the course and would recommend everyone to do it who has the capacity to be a mentor  -  which is most people.”

“Excellent. Robin is a positive communicator with an enjoyable, relaxed approach. A thoroughly researched and planned course. I would recommend this to anyone looking for this type of training.”

 “The energizers and the role plays as they really made you stop and reflect about your own reactions. Made you consider how influential you can be.”

“He had a marvelous presentation of himself and how to be a good mentor.”

 “Clear, concise, open to debate/disagreement on issues taught.”

“Fantastic attitude and knowledge of the subjects; course material was all relevant, quotes were great. Great, very professional presentation skills  - great facilitator.”

“Ex-teacher – very professional. Pitched right to suit the audience. Consistent – good time-keeping.”

“Trainer was brilliant. He speaks with great knowledge. His stories of his own experiences with his kids I think will be of value.”  “Robin is great – very passionate – which is contagious.”

“Robin is great. Really knows his stuff. Open and honest and shared with us own experiences.” “Extremely well researched from a lifetime experience. Copies of some of the stories would be useful to show mentees.”

“Terrific presentation skills  – relaxed, confident, fun, but serious when appropriate. Can’t speak highly enough!”

“Robin was excellent. Made it a safe learning environment, shared experiences we can all learn from … inspiring learning … course material was good. The course exceeded my expectations.” 

“Robin’s experience and knowledge passed on in his dealings with teenagers was the best part. Very good. Great attitude and told it like it was. Clear, concise, asks for feedback, always picks up on your comments and opinions.” “Robin is and was a fantastic presenter. I can’t say enough about his skills. A true inspiration – someone to look up to.” “Very skilled and experienced. Lucky to have him.” “Excellent trainer. Robin is one of the most interesting trainers I have ever been in front of.” “I thought Robin did an excellent job. I learnt a lot about myself as well as skills to take into mentoring. Thanks for a wonderful experience.”  “One of the best – a really good mix of content, stories, exercises. He is clearly very experienced and well read on the subject and presents it with passion. A powerful program.” “Absolutely professional, succinct, well-delivered, excellent flow of material and use of PowerPoint, variety of info., activities and group work. Feel like I’ve learned some valuable life skills as well as learning more about myself.” “He is very enthusiastic, caring, patient, has great experience and knowledge and is passionate.”   “Robin’s method of course delivery was excellent for my needs – very enjoyable/humor/hard work/thought-provoking. Excellent delivery of information – easygoing but with firm guidelines. Awesome!” “Excellent, open, honest, encouraging, inspiring.” “Great! Enthusiastic, understands topic well and teaches it clearly.” “Excellent course material. Excellent presentation skills. Robin is relaxed, honest and encouraging. Fantastic attitude. Robin pulls no punches about this course. Fantastic course.” “Great patience and encouragement for us. Very open, but also honest when we needed to learn something. Appreciated the passion and experiences he has.” “Excellent presentation of interesting materials, and I was very impressed with the interactive areas and the skill with which the entire program was run.” “Has great integrity and respect for all participants. Wealth of knowledge, but more than that so many life experiences and wisdom to draw from!” “Great speaker. Very caring, yet firm and confident in his presentation style.” “Excellent – worked at good pace, maintained interest. Extremely positive attitude. Inspiring.” “Very informative and a good mix of participation, teamwork and individual teaching. Very positive experience.” “Robin was fantastic. He was very thorough, clear, honest and approachable. Thanks for giving me such an amazing opportunity.” “I believe Robin was one of the best. (I have attended numerous seminars). His skill base within teaching shone through. A positive course, well presented. Course booklet excellent.” “Robin had a conversational, warm style that was completely relaxed and interesting. It was understated, yet lively.” “Robin is excellent. His presentation skills are right up there, the material relevant, succinct and seamless. He is very clear, confident and passionate. Also down to earth.” “Fantastic. Couldn’t think of anything I would see added or subtracted. Robin’s style of presentation and rapport with us was excellent.” “I can’t speak highly enough of Robin’s training. He is highly effective.” “Great presentation skills and time management. Friendly open style of coaching.” “Very inspiring!! A confident attitude I very much respect. Thank you. Course material was excellent and current.”