Which mentoring style uses feedback and serves as a sounding board for a mentee with extensive experience?

Which mentoring style uses feedback and serves as a sounding board for a mentee with extensive experience?

• A. Prescriptive mentoring
• B. Confirmative mentoring
• C. Persuasive mentoring
• D. Collaborative mentoring

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is guiding an experienced mentee with targeted input and practical direction while still inviting their judgment. Prescriptive mentoring focuses on providing concrete recommendations, steps, and a plan of action based on the mentor’s experience, and it uses discussion to refine those ideas. In this style, the mentor acts as a sounding board—listening, testing options, and offering feedback to strengthen the mentee’s approach—without relinquishing ownership of the final decisions to the mentor. This combination fits a situation where the mentee already has substantial experience and benefits most from structured guidance and evaluative input that helps them optimize their approach. The other styles don’t align as well with this setup. A confirmative approach mainly affirms what the mentee is already doing, with little emphasis on new input or actionable coaching. A collaborative style emphasizes joint problem-solving as equals, which can blur distinct accountability. A persuasive style aims to push the mentee toward a particular viewpoint rather than offering balanced feedback and concrete recommendations.

The key idea here is guiding an experienced mentee with targeted input and practical direction while still inviting their judgment. Prescriptive mentoring focuses on providing concrete recommendations, steps, and a plan of action based on the mentor’s experience, and it uses discussion to refine those ideas. In this style, the mentor acts as a sounding board—listening, testing options, and offering feedback to strengthen the mentee’s approach—without relinquishing ownership of the final decisions to the mentor. This combination fits a situation where the mentee already has substantial experience and benefits most from structured guidance and evaluative input that helps them optimize their approach.

The other styles don’t align as well with this setup. A confirmative approach mainly affirms what the mentee is already doing, with little emphasis on new input or actionable coaching. A collaborative style emphasizes joint problem-solving as equals, which can blur distinct accountability. A persuasive style aims to push the mentee toward a particular viewpoint rather than offering balanced feedback and concrete recommendations.