Starbase 118 Ops Mentor Handbook: Difference between revisions

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Volunteering to be a part of the mentorship program is a big step. Not only does it put you on the front lines when it comes to our new members, but it also allows you to help shape the future leaders of the Fleet. As such, this is a big step towards your own leadership potential, and it is a big responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

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Mentors are coordinated through, and allocated by, the Command Staff of Starbase 118 or the USS Apollo. As states previously, the Starbase/ship has a set group of officers who volunteer to help new members of the crew. If you think that this is a job that you might like to do, review the following requirements and send a message to Captain Sal Taybrim (Starbase 118) in order to apply.

*Model sim form and consistent adherence to Fleet formatting and setup

*Willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty

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When a new Ensign arrives on the Starbase/Ship, they will receive a few specific emails. The first is a welcome from the Commanding Officer, and the second is the welcome from the First Officer. Once the welcomes are out of the way, the Commanding Officer will assign a mentor and hand off the Ensign to their specific mentor to ensure that both the mentor as well as the new member know what is going on. An example of such an email from the CO is listed below. Remember, don't send this email out! It has already been sent to the Ensign by the Commanding Officer!

Ensign __________, I would like to introduce Lieutenant Commander Alora DeVeau (Amanda). She currently writes for our First Officer, and is a member of the Starbase command staff. She will be here to serve as a guide as you incorporate your character into the Starbase crew. She is a wealth of knowledge and assistance. She will be in touch with you on a regular basis with some pointers and a tips as you integrate further with our group.

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Once the email from the Commanding Officer has been sent out, it is your turn to introduce yourself to your new mentee. There is no right or wrong way to do this, as long as you keep in mind that new Ensigns can be easily overwhelmed and confused. As such, you should strive to provide a base for them to build their knowledge both IC and OOC.

Chances are they are very excited about getting started, but may not know just where to actually begin. By reiterating what has already been stated by the Commanding Officer and First Officer, and then offering to help get their characters involved by leaving them some tags, you can show them where to go to get information (the Wiki), and that we want them to be integrated and involved in the current plot. Below is an example introduction email that you can adapt to use as your own mentor introduction email.

As Jay said, I sim for Lieutenant Commander DeVeau, the ship's Chief of Science, but feel free to call call me Amanda; we are all very informal out of character, and you never have to refer to anyone by their rank.

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The first few days of a new member's tour of duty are some of the most confusing. Everyone aboard the ship is already simming normally, and they might shy away from jumping in. At this point it is vital for the mentor's to take the lead as there are multiple issues that can come up that could derail a new member from getting integrated into the crew.

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Feedback is another vital part of the mentoring process. Mentors will provide feedback to new members about both the things that they are doing right as well as the things that they might need to improve on. Use examples or bits from other people's sims to show how things should be done correctly, but be sure not to overload the new member with lots of things that need to be fixed. Concentrate on one or two big things, then work your way to the smaller issues that might be occurring.

Ensigns that have larger issues that need worked out will require more feedback emails. Three is the minimum, but if there is a specific problem, mentors are asked to send feedback emails after each sim until the problems are resolved. Remember, provide examples so that the new member can really see what is going on and how they need to adapt to fit into the Starbase 118 style.

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Beyond the three required feedback emails, all mentors are required to send at least two emails per month for the first three months to the new Ensign to make sure they understand the style and to ensure that they are having no problems with anything IC or OOC. This is when mentors will catch little issues, such as difficulty writing into situations, difficulty keeping up, and OOC questions that new Ensigns may still be afraid to ask. By maintaining this contact with these ensure that all new members are fully integrated into the crew and have a firm handle on simming with our group, putting them well on their way to 'senior officerhood'.

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Occasionally, there are problems with new Ensigns that mentors simply cannot solve on their own. No person aboard, new Ensign or not, should ever be abusive to any other member aboard. This includes, but is not limited to OOC emails, IC actions and speech (unless cleared by all members involved), threats of any kind, or verbal (via email or IM) abuse. If mentors should encounter a problem with an Ensign, it is vital to let the Commanding Officer and the First Officer know right away. Be sure to save any conversation snippets, such as IM logs or emails, and forward them to the command staff so that things can be taken care of appropriately. Don't ever retaliate or try to 'teach them a lesson'. Stay calm and professional, then get help.