The Role Of Mentors At A Hackathon

Marie Rosalie Hanni

Marketing lead at Eventornado

Hackathon mentors are seasoned professionals who provide guidance and support to the participating teams throughout the hackathon. Effective mentorship is what drives teams to turn ideas into beautiful realities.

In this blog post, we will talk about why mentors are an important part of a hackathon and provide tips on how to succeed as a hackathon mentor.

Index

• The role of mentors at a hackathon 
• How to mentor teams at hackathons
  • 1. Do some prep work
  • 2. Help the teams stay focused
  • 3. Make sure everyone is working together
  • 4. Teach them to fish
  • 5. Be present
  • 6. Encourage and praise
• Tips on good mentoring

The role of mentors at a hackathon 

Mentors play an important role at hackathons. They may be hanging around team tables, rotating on a timetable, or stationed at a hotdesk to answer any inquiries at in-person events. Mentors are basically the glue that keeps teams together and focused, and it may be the crucial difference if they finish a project or not. The primary responsibility of mentors is to motivate and assist participants in coming up with fresh ideas and attempting new things. In events where concepts are generated from scratch, technical or specialized assistance may not be requested until the event's final hours. 

Mentors are also available to help teams connect. Connect the participant to resources (tutorials, blogs, documents, etc.) that they can read on their own time if there is a specific problem or interest area.  It's a good idea to give the mentors a guide that includes questions to ask the teams, how to troubleshoot, and beneficial starter tools/resources to boost the quality of the mentors.

How to mentor teams at hackathons

1. Do some prep work

It's always good to do some prep work beforehand. For example, mentors might be very skilled in their field but not in the particular business sector of the theme of the hackathon. We've seen a number of teams get trapped in their heads and then have a mentor help them get unstuck by showing them how other organizations handle comparable difficulties. Yes, one might argue that the teams should undertake the work themselves, but they don't always know what to look for or where to search. That's when being prepared as a mentor comes in handy. 

2. Help the teams stay focused

Mentors need to make sure they know where the teams need to get - what's the goal they want to achieve during the hackathon? Is it a working prototype of the product or just a wireframe to showcase the idea? How will they present their ideas at the end? Will they need to prepare slides? Mentors should keep the team focused on the end goal and get them back on the right track if they start to drift away.

3. Make sure everyone is working together

Sometimes teams might need help in dividing roles. Members of teams come from a variety of backgrounds. Each has their own set of skills, expertise, and goals. A hackathon mentor can be the one to help people find the right roles for themselves and make sure everyone is on the same page.  For example, who is going to be the one to pitch the idea in the end? 

4. Teach them to fish

Even if a mentor is an expert at what they do, they can only see the world through a specific lens. But, when it comes to mentoring, the most crucial talent they can have is the ability to ask the right questions. Because the mentor is the expert, many teams want mentors to provide them with ready-made answers. Avoid offering them rigid answers at all costs; instead, assist them in coming up with their own solutions. The mentor's ultimate purpose is to assist the team in making their own judgments. 

5. Be present

Mentors should be present as much as possible and check in on teams on a regular basis as they might be too shy to ask themselves. But make sure you are not disrupting their work when you're not really needed. If a mentor can't be present all the time then it's a good practice to let the teams know how and when they can be contacted.  Alternatively, the event organisers can set a time frame when teams are being mentored during the day.

6. Encourage and praise

Teams may get bewildered, disoriented, and uncertain of their abilities while they seek answers to problems. A mentor's job is to become a ray of hope amid a sea of ambiguity and uncertainty, offering teams fresh insights on how to handle difficult situations. A big part of being a mentor is telling the teams they are doing a good job. Everything goes faster and smoother if the teams feel accomplished and they're keeping the spirits high. 

Tips on good mentoring

Here are a few tips for good mentoring:

• Check in on teams on a regular basis; at least twice a day. Participants feel more connected and noticed when they get social communications. But don't disturb them too much. It's ok to not be needed too.
• Encourage the teams, encourage their enthusiasm, and don't squash their ideas, no matter how bizarre they may appear. And don't push your own ideas on them. Try to lift their spirits when they're short on energy or otherwise stuck. With them, celebrate both great and little victories.
• Offer to put their prototype to the test. If they're willing, do it a lot. But don't put pressure on them to interrupt development and create a build to test.
• Instead of forcing feedback on a team, ask if they want to meet at a specified time.
• Saying they have a poor idea is never a good idea. If they have one poor idea and the mentor suggests it is awful, they will have a hard time bringing new ideas forward. First, a mentor should inquire as to how they came up with the concept, and then compliment the portions they enjoy.

Launch your first hackathon with Eventornado

Organizing a hackathon can be incredibly rewarding, whether you’re a new startup on the scene or if you’ve already made a name for yourself in the industry and want to make an even bigger impact. 

If you’re ready to launch yours, book yourself in for a free demo of Eventornado to see how easy the planning process can be! We help all our hackathon organisers to plan, manage and host their events as smoothly as possible, without repetitive tasks and messy workflows. 

Want to read more articles? Check out our library of blog posts and guides where you’ll find lots of useful insights and tips for first-time hackathon organisers.