How We Communicate With Our Mentors (Hint: It’s Not Just Texting!)

In this day and age of social media, Skype and GHOs some days it feels like we talk to no one face to face. But when it comes to meeting with your mentor, 26 percent of you said you usually only talk with your mentor about once a month though 35 percent of you manage to talk with them once a week, but 50 percent said you mostly interacted with them face to face when you did see them, according to the 2016 Levo Mentorship Survey. E-mail was a distant second at 23.3 percent followed by texting at 5.44 percent and using other digital tools like social media, Slack and Levo at5.96 percent.

So now we know how often we are seeing mentors and how we are communicating them, but what is happening once we get them in conversation? Well, since your time is limited here are some tips.

1. Establish communication methods and frequency of contact from the beginning
It is good to set how you will communicate with them right from the beginning. Will it be mostly coffee meetings with emails? Or do you prefer long calls? You just want to respect your mentor’s time and not spring anything on them in the beginning.

2. Conversation topics
So you’ve got them now so what do you talk about? A good place to start is asking your mentor about how they got to where they are in their careers, what they would tell their younger selves and how they have dealt with failure. If you are looking for them to help you improve certain skills and help with tough situations (which 70 percent of you said is what your mentor has helped you with the most) then provide specific details and context.

3. Follow Up
After your session reflect on what you talk about it (it’s Ok to take notes!) and thank your mentor whether it is just a quick email or text.

Photo: Getty Images

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10 reasons to smile today

This post is sponsored through my partnership with Invisalign® clear aligners. If you’ve been considering treatment, check out the details here, and be sure to check out the “It Starts With a Smile” campaign to enter for a Smile Grant.

My active treatment with Invisalign® clear aligners has been completed for a few months now. I feel so happy that I did the treatment, especially since I’d been on the fence for years. I only had a handful of orthodontist appointments, hardly any pain, and I felt like they were inconspicuous. Since you can take the aligners out to eat and drink hot beverages, I didn’t feel like my everyday activities suffered in the least. Before I had Invisalign treatment, my teeth were fairly straight since I’d had braces two full times (plus one half a time when they put the wrong type of braces on me. Cool bro), but I was still really concerned about my overbite. After Invisalign, my overbite is just about gone (ortho wants it to move about 3mm before I switch to retainers) and my teeth are noticeably straighter.

Here’s a pic from a couple of years ago:




(Sigh. Liv was so little! Also, going back, it was interesting to see how many pics I used to take with funny faces or a close-mouthed smile, just to hide my overbite.)

and a recent one!






A bright confident smile is always a great accessory, and I thought that I’d share 10 benefits and little things to make you smile today:

1) Smiling can improve your mood. Smiling increases the production of endorphins, which are the same feel-good neurotransmitters we release during workouts. Even if you don’t *feel* happy, I like to fake it till I make it. I try to still feel and act pleasant on my grouchy days and find that it quickly turns around.

2) Somewhere in the world, baby goats are wearing pajamas.

3) Smiling can make you more creative and potentially increase productivity.

4) Smiling can decrease pain. Even with no emotion behind the smile, it can help to tolerate pain. I should have known this one during labor haha.

5) Smiling can reduce stress. Even though it can be challenging to smile in stressful situations (if I try to smile when I’m stressed, I’m pretty sure I look like the Joker), it can reduce your heart rate.

6) Smiling strengthens your immune system. It can stimulate the immune response by helping you relax.

7) Smiling makes you seem more approachable. It’s funny because I’ve mad a couple of close friends just through being friendly, smiling, and saying, “Hello.” It’s funny what can happen when you make an effort to be more pleasant to others.

8) Look younger? In this study, participants looked at photos of smiling faces and guessed that they were years younger.

9) Video clips of men trying liquid eyeliner. This always makes me smile.

10) Smiles are contagious. This study suggests that just by seeing someone else smile, you’re more likely to return the expression and enjoy all of the benefits listed above.

It’s funny how much a simple thing like smiling and happiness can transcend across multiple areas of life.






I’m really excited to share a new campaign with you for the chance to win a free Invisalign treatment.“It Starts With a Smile” is a great way to share your story and how Invisalign clear aligners would improve your confidence. You can read all of the details here!

What’s something that has made you smile lately?

If you’ve been considering Invisalign, go here to find a doctor near you.

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