Build Relationships with Students

While it’s important for faculty and staff to build relationships and connect with colleagues across campus and in their broader field of work, we also have the job of modeling this to our students at Wake Forest. Here are a few specific ways you might try to engage with your students and invite them to join you in building effective relationships: 

Set Office Hours with Intention:

Instead of providing generic drop-in office hours to students, try offering up weekly topics or discussion questions that will open the door to new conversations and provide an entry point to students who otherwise might not engage. For example, “In this week’s drop-in office hours, let’s chat about strengths. What are you really good at? If you asked people who know you really well what are your top strengths, what would they say?” By providing some discussion prompts, students have something specific to respond to and demonstrates the importance of asking good questions as they build relationships.

Engage in Low Stakes Relationship Building:

We know that social interactions have great wellbeing impacts. But what “counts” as an interaction? Fascinating new research highlighted in The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring finds that “small, causal acts of kindness can have profoundly positive effects.” Take a minute to check-in with a student with a quick email inquiring about how their week has been going. Drop a note of encouragement in campus mail to a student who you know is struggling. Engaging in low stake acts of relationship-building can have a positive impact in the lives of students.

Mentoring Conversation Starter Guide:

Download our guide for starting conversations with your mentee or students. We provide specific questions based on different topic areas to help lead your conversation. Plus, these discussion starters can be great to use in groups or classes with students as well.