One of the most important things an organization can do is encourage its employees (or volunteers). Mentoring is a show of faith and an investment in people, your most valuable resource. But formal mentoring programs can be awkward. Alternatively, nonformal mentoring, grounded in adult learning theory and nonformal teaching practice, adds flexibility. It lets you deploy topics and tools at the right time to help people (or groups) grow when they are ready. These 12 conversations were extracted from “The Encouraging Mentor.” Use these as standalones or add them to your formal mentoring program.