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What should the book study be for?
Begin by describing the conversation your staff needs. A school may want to consider how educators and counselors build trust. A corrections or reentry organization may want to examine professional influence and second chances. A workforce team may want to discuss how guidance and belief sit alongside skills development. A clear purpose helps the group stay focused without turning a book study into an attempt to address every organizational challenge at once.
Write the purpose in ordinary language and share it before the first meeting. Make clear whether participation is part of professional development and how staff time will be protected. Do not present the study as therapy or an assessment of employees’ personal beliefs. It should be a professional discussion about ideas and practice. Questions about individual performance belong in the appropriate supervisory process, not hidden within a group reading conversation.
Why choose There’s a Mentor in You?
The full title is There’s a Mentor in You: Your Small Actions of Belief Make a Difference in a Life. The Expanded Edition includes The Mentor’s Field Guide. Melvin Williams Sr.’s book is positioned as a professional development and leadership resource for people whose work impacts lives. That makes the reading conversation different from treating it solely as a personal story or expecting staff to identify with every detail of another person’s experience.
The core message gives a team a question to explore: where do small actions of belief show up in our work? A discussion can connect that question to listening, trust, appropriate guidance, and follow-through. The book is available on Amazon in Kindle, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook formats. Confirm which format is appropriate for participants and any organization-specific purchasing arrangements before asking people to prepare.
How do you make the reading accessible?
Ask about practical access rather than assuming everyone reads in the same way or at the same pace. Some participants may prefer a printed copy; others may find digital or audio formats more usable. Decide whether the organization will supply copies and whether staff have protected time for preparation. Do not require employees to purchase a format without first clarifying the arrangement and any relevant workplace policies.
For a bulk book order, provide the intended quantity, format, delivery needs, and event timing through the contact page. Pricing and fulfillment should be confirmed in the actual conversation; no discount or delivery promise is established here. If participants need accessibility support beyond the available formats, use the organization’s accommodation process. A useful discussion begins with realistic access rather than an assumption that enthusiasm removes logistical barriers.
What discussion boundaries should be agreed?
Keep private client, student, patient, employee, and correctional information out of the group. Use general role-based examples or approved material instead. Staff should not feel obliged to disclose personal trauma to demonstrate engagement. A participant can examine a professional idea without explaining painful experiences from their own life. The facilitator should make those boundaries explicit and redirect the conversation if identifying details begin to emerge.
Also distinguish reflection from endorsement. People may disagree about how an idea applies within their responsibilities. Invite that disagreement respectfully rather than treating enthusiasm as the only acceptable response. When a question involves safeguarding, clinical care, legal requirements, or organizational policy, do not settle it through a group vote. Identify the appropriate professional or policy owner and follow up through the correct channel.
How can a meeting turn reading into a practical conversation?
Choose a focused passage or Field Guide practice and ask participants to connect it to their role. What does the idea ask them to notice? What would a responsible version look like in their setting? What limits need to stay in place? These questions keep the discussion close to work without asking staff to claim that every point applies identically across education, healthcare, corrections, or corporate leadership.
End with a manageable reflection or practice rather than a broad promise to change everything. A participant might examine how they explain a next step, how they respond to a question, or how they keep a commitment. Let the organization determine how implementation will be reviewed. The study should not invent numerical targets or claim that reading alone creates a measured improvement in retention, safety, rehabilitation, or student outcomes.
Who should facilitate and how should the schedule work?
Choose a facilitator who can protect the purpose, invite different perspectives, and recognize when the discussion needs a professional referral or policy clarification. The person does not need to know every answer, but should be clear about the boundaries of the session. If the audience includes different roles, allow those differences to remain visible instead of forcing one interpretation onto everyone’s work.
Agree a schedule that fits actual staffing and preparation needs. There is no universal number of meetings or minutes established here. Decide how much reading is reasonable, whether meetings need multiple shift options, and how absent staff can access non-confidential materials. A plan that acknowledges workload is more useful than an ambitious calendar that participants cannot realistically attend. Review the arrangement with the people responsible for professional development time.
When should you pair the study with a speaker?
A mentorship keynote speaker can introduce the message, a workshop can create more room for discussion, and a bulk book study can continue reflection afterward. These are different formats to discuss, not a package with a fixed promise of results. A school district professional development speaker should understand the educator and counselor audience; a corrections, reentry, or workforce event needs its own context and boundaries.
Melvin Williams Sr. is based in Blue Bell, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. To explore a session, describe the audience, event date, location, reading plans, and the questions you want staff to consider. Request bulk book pricing separately if copies are needed. After the study, ask participants what was useful and what needs further organizational attention. Keep that feedback specific and avoid turning it into a public testimonial without permission.
How do you take the next step?
Discuss your audience, date, topic, and format with Melvin Williams Sr. For team reading, request bulk book pricing.