If you've been chosen to mentor new ambassadors, this is because of the impact you've already made - and that matters more than you might think. Ambassadors who have a mentor get up to speed faster, stay engaged for longer, and go on to give students better, more confident conversations.
Watch this short video for your mentor toolkit!
Prefer to learn by reading, rather than watching? Read on below...
So, what makes a great mentor?
Three things, really:
Lead by example: model the tone, habits and response times you want your mentee to pick up.
Be patient: remember your own first days. Nobody starts out knowing where everything is.
Communicate openly: check in regularly, and make it genuinely safe to ask questions, even the ones that feel obvious.
3 skills for successful mentoring
Active listening. Let your mentee finish speaking before you jump in, repeat back what you heard, and ask open-ended questions. "How did that chat go?" works better than "Did that go okay?"
Giving feedback. Start with what they did well, then suggest one thing to try differently next time. One suggestion at a time is plenty; piling on feedback all at once is overwhelming, not helpful.
Setting expectations. Agree on things like response time, goals, and a weekly check-in rhythm early on. And don't forget to celebrate small wins along the way - progress deserves recognition, not just outcomes.
Your 30 day roadmap for mentoring a new ambassador
Think of it in three phases:
Week 1: Introduce yourself, walk them through the platform, and set up your first check-in.
Week 2: Review their first chats together and share tips based on what you're seeing.
Weeks 3–4: Start stepping back. Give feedback, let them take the lead, and celebrate their first milestone.
Your mentor cheat sheet
Do:
Be approachable
Share your own experiences — mistakes included
Celebrate their progress
Adapt to their needs
Loop in your supervisor if something feels beyond your scope
Don't:
Take over their chats - you can guide them, but let them do the work
Compare them to other ambassadors
Ignore their messages
Give criticism without a suggestion attached
Expect perfection from day one
✏️ Put it into practice
Before your first mentee gets in touch, work through this short optional exercise - it'll help you practise active listening, feedback and setting expectations before you need them.
(The above button opens a personal copy in your own Google Drive - nothing you do here affects anyone else's copy.)
Next steps
You've now completed all seven tracks of ambassador training - nice work. To wrap things up:
Explore the Ambassador section of the Help Centre for ongoing how-to guides and best practices - it's worth bookmarking for whenever a question comes up.
Let your supervisor know you've completed training, so they know you're ready to take on your mentoring role.
Take part in any uni-specific onboarding your supervisor has planned - this training covers the Unibuddy platform, but your supervisor may have institution-specific steps to walk you through too.
🎊 This brings us to the end of the Unibuddy Ambassador Training programme - and if you're here, then you've completed all seven development tracks - including Tier 3: Leadership! Well done, and thank you for stepping up to be the best Unibuddy Ambassador you can be 🎊