Answer: Get them face-to-face at the start of the relationship.
Distance relationships can be very productive. Breaking the ice and establishing rapport is so much easier, face-to-face.
Begin with a function that brings participants together. The investment outweighs the cost of a failed relationship.
If you cannot get together, video calls are better than telephone, which is better than email. Extra work is necessary to ensure the viability of the long-distance relationship. Extra contact and newsletters help. You may wish to provide participants with regular Mentoring Works Articles
(available from my website).
Regards,
Ann Rolfe
Mentoring Works
