Upon completion of the internship, future managers must present their report on its results at a meeting in the presence of senior management and all heads of other departments.
The final part of the internship proved to be the most difficult task for the aspiring managers. It was the necessity of speaking that caused the greatest anxiety for everyone, as most interns had no previous experience other than communicating in small work teams.
According to social surveys, the fear of public speaking is among the top three most powerful and terrifying human phobias.
After all, the assessment must be given not to oneself or one's own department, but to a colleague from another department. And not always, especially for novice managers, can they truthfully express their opinion and observations. The defense effect kicks in: "today it's me, tomorrow it's you," "it's none of my business..."
According to the feedback from internship participants:
"...Personally, for me, the most difficult part is presenting the report on the completed internship at the meeting... Training is needed on how to speak, what to speak about, and most importantly, what matters most."
And to the question "What was 'missing' during the internship in the position of the HSE Department Head?" the following answers were received:
"....Perhaps we should add questions on responding to criticism..."
Therefore, to start with, we thought through a familiar format, understandable to everyone — the "Internship Report." When filling it out, one should start with strengths and positive practices. This forms a steady perception that searching for good practices is the most important result of site tours and communication with personnel.
Next, by evaluating indicators, the dynamics of changes were built, along with risks and their levels, and precursors that were eliminated quickly or not so quickly. Based on such indicators, an assessment of risk management and the effectiveness of measures taken was given. In total, this allows for seeing trends: either positive, negative, or the absence of trends — which is also a result. Gradually, a final assessment of the HSE status in the department was formed based on qualitative and quantitative indicators, which allows for a completely objective assessment of the HSE status in the department where the tour was conducted.
When everything becomes clear, the report also becomes simple. But many went through the experience of public speaking through anxiety. It is not for nothing that analysts write that speaking is one of the strongest phobias for people. (In my practice, a talented and competent specialist refused to participate in events where he would have had to give presentations for 2 days, solely sharing his experience, due to a sharp deterioration in health).
The experience of presenting their report at a meeting with about 100 participants allowed the interns — soon-to-be managers — to master effective speaking skills, expressing a personal position and their own opinion, which became useful in their further work already in the status of managers.
5 days — but in fact, a management crash course, as a result of which indispensable tools were acquired on how to organize and ensure safe conditions and not miss the main thing.