Chip Bell, co-author of the international best-selling book Managers as Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning (2013), recently shared four sequential steps for effective advice giving:
- clearly state the performance problem or learning goal,
- make sure you agree on the focus,
- ask permission to give advice, and
- state your advice in first person singular.
So What?
Just about every person is a mentor to someone else. In church life, such relationships are often informal. When you are in a position to give advice, be sure to think before you speak. Bell’s list is one helpful tool to help you be more effective in offering advice.
What is the best advice you have ever received when it comes to how to give advice to someone in your church or to anyone about matters of faith?