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A guide for mentors: After-Action Review for Mentors

How to send the After-Action Review, read the answers and plan the next try together.

English

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

What this guide covers

What it is

Expected, happened, why, what next

Your mentee compares plan and result, finds why, and lists what to keep and change.

When to send it

Send it right after the event

It works best soon after the event and talked through together.

  • A pitch or a demo one event with a clear plan
  • A project milestone a launch, a deadline, a handover
  • Something that went well a success is worth a review too

What the research says

Debriefs help people do better

Structured debriefs, held soon after and talked through, go with better later performance.

25% About this much better later performance after a structured debrief, across 46 studies Tannenbaum and Cerasoli, 2013

Sending it

Send it from your pairing

It takes a minute, and your mentee gets an email.

Open your pairing

Choose Assign a tool and find After-Action Review.

Try it as your mentee

Fill it in yourself first; nothing is saved or sent.

Add a short message

Name the event you would like them to review.

Open your pairing

Choose Assign a tool and find After-Action Review.

Try it as your mentee

Fill it in yourself first; nothing is saved or sent.

Add a short message

Name the event you would like them to review.

Reading the answers

Look for causes, not blame

In the why answer, look for causes, not someone to blame.

  • Expected and happened the gap in two lines
  • Why if it went to plan, why it worked
  • Keep and change the summary counts both

Questions to ask

Ask about what went well too

Reviewing successes as well as failures helped people learn more (Ellis and Davidi, 2005).

  • What went well that you do not want to lose? then: how will you keep it?
  • Which of the reasons was in your control? then: what would you do with it?
  • What will you do differently the next time this comes up? then: when is the next time?

Feedback that helps

Talk about the task, not the person

Feedback can backfire, so keep it on the event and the next try.

1 in 3 Over a third of feedback effects lowered performance in one large review Kluger and DeNisi, 1996

One step

Turn one change into a plan

Plans in the form "if this happens, then I do that" help people act.

94 Tests found that if-then plans help people reach their goals Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006

After the meeting

Keep the review on Mentornity

The answers, your comments and the next steps stay in one place.

Read it at a glance

What to keep and what to change are counted.

Add next steps

Write what will be done, by whom and by when.

Ask to fill it again

After the next event, review it the same way.

Read it at a glance

What to keep and what to change are counted.

Add next steps

Write what will be done, by whom and by when.

Ask to fill it again

After the next event, review it the same way.

Review it while it is fresh

Send it the day after the event and talk it through together.

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