After reading these two definitions, we understand if you are still confused about the primary distinctions that exist between mentoring and coaching. Mentoring, on the other hand, is directive, whereas coaching is non - directive. This is one of the most notable distinctions between the two. What exactly does that entail in day-to-day life? As a matter of fact, during mentoring sessions, the mentor is most likely to do the majority of the talking, however, during coaching sessions, the coach is more likely to ask questions and provide an opportunity for the person they are teaching to share their thoughts, and do the majority of the talking.
In the end, the primary focus of both coaching and mentoring is on assisting others in achieving their goals by drawing upon the knowledge and expertise of the person providing the assistance (the coach or mentor). In a graphic that is frequently used to represent the differences between the two, you can see that they progress from directive (mentoring) to non-directive (coaching).