Guidelines for Online Tutors- First Impression

We Learn...

• 10%...of What We Read
• 20%...of What We Hear
• 30%...of What We See
• 50%...of What We See and Hear
• 70%...of What We Discuss With Others
• 80%...of What We Experience Personally
• 95%...of What We Teach Others

William Glasser

It has been estimated that it takes only three or four minutes for the average person to form a positive or negative first impression.

Make that first meeting with your tutee a positive experience.

• Be consistent in body, voice and words.
• Establishing rapport with your tutee is very important. You can help create a good rapport by listening patiently and remaining open to what the tutee has to say.

It is also important to know why the student has requested tutoring.

• Some students know exactly where they are having trouble.
• Some students point out general areas of difficulty.
• Some students can only vaguely describe the source of their confusion.
  

To help these students, simply ask them where they are having problems.

• It could be that they fear the subject because of past failure.
• Because it is a requirement; therefore they have no interest in the subject.
• The students could also be lacking confidence in their ability to master the material, or they could be overwhelmed by the time requirements imposed on them for this particular class.
• The reason for the tutoring request is important because it will give you a focus to plan your future tutoring sessions.