To make a request of a mentor, state the purpose at the meeting and your personal goal. You don't need to elaborate. Describe your personal situation, for example, your experience and education, and personal strengths (without bragging). You may or may not want describe your special challenge. If you do share about your special challenge, do so in a way that the challenge doesn't work against you. For example, "You may have seen my hearing aid. I have been partially deaf since birth. By watching your lips carefully, I can understand what you are saying quite well." Don't blame anyone for your troubles or shift responsibility.

Tell the mentor actions you have taken to resolve the issue yourself and how you would benefit from the mentor's help. If you do not talk about how you have worked on your goal, some people may think you want them to do things that you could do yourself. Be sure and state your specific request. Example: "My landlord wants to evict me from my apartment, because I made some access modifications in it to get around better. Would you talk to him about my rights under the Fair Housing Law"? #801

Balcazar, F. E., Fawcett, S. B., White, G. W., Allada, R., & Keys, C. B. (1992). Making a request. In The mentoring handbook, (pp. 87-107). Lawrence, KS: The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Independent Living.

Keyword: Mentoring