A fire-EMS records ART Scrum Master asks for help thinking through a tense System Demo. The RTE’s reflex is to tell a long war story about past demos. When should the RTE coach versus mentor?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Coaching pulls their thinking out; mentoring lends a map from a road already driven. A tense fire-EMS System Demo might need both, but not a thirty-minute war story as the default. If they already have the pieces, ask questions; if they have never seen this movie, offer a pattern—then give the room back.
Full Explanation
Coaching elicits the coachee’s reasoning so they own the next move; mentoring offers advice drawn from the mentor’s experience. RTEs use both, but they are not interchangeable. Defaulting to war stories when the Scrum Master needs to think, or refusing all advice when they have no pattern, both miss the distinction. For a public-safety System Demo, choose the stance based on whether the person needs inquiry or a missing exemplar.