How do I run a good mentoring session over video?
A video call flattens everything that usually carries a conversation: posture, side glances, the pause before someone disagrees with you. You have to compensate deliberately.
- Read time
- 3 minutes
- Module
- Getting started
- Session length
- 30 minutes
What good looks like.
Leave longer silences than feel natural. On video, people wait to see if you have finished before they speak, and a mentee will fill a two-second gap with nothing at all.
Say the structure out loud at the start. "I want to spend most of this on your question, then finish with one thing to do." It stops the conversation drifting.
If the connection fails, switch to audio only and keep going. A bad picture matters far less than lost minutes.
A sequence you can follow.
- 01
Set up your frame
Face lit, camera at eye level, background quiet.
- 02
State the plan
Twenty seconds. It settles both of you.
- 03
Count to three before speaking
Give them the space to finish a thought.
- 04
Have a fallback
Agree at the start what to do if the call drops.
What to avoid.
Talking over a delay and never noticing
Sitting in front of a bright window so you are a silhouette
Multitasking; it is more visible on camera than people think
Extra tips
Small things that make the half hour better.
Test the link, not just the camera
Join the room once before the day; most trouble is access, not hardware.
Use headphones
It removes echo and makes interrupting each other far less likely.
Look at the camera when it matters
Save eye contact for the encouragement, not the whole half hour.
Have a fallback ready
Agree in the first minute what you will do if the video drops.
Take this guide with you.
Download a printable version of this guide: the short answer, the steps, the extra tips, the mistakes to avoid and the questions mentors ask, to read before your next session.
The things people ask first.
Do I have to have my camera on?
It is strongly preferred. Mentees find a face far easier to talk to.
What if the mentee will not turn their camera on?
Leave it. Some people are calling from a shared room. Carry on by voice.
Next: Asking better questions.
The question you ask in minute four decides how useful minute twenty is.