Communication is Key
I have now been doing my internship for Spike TV for five weeks which is halfway through the duration of my summer program. I have come to realize that communication is key when doing an internship.
The primary mode of communication in my department seems to be email. This allowed me to practice my emailing etiquette and recognize the appropriate times to shorthand an email once it becomes a thread. Despite email being used frequently to communicate, I also recognized the value of face to face communication. When emailing, the conversations I have had were often concise, to the point, and had no additional details that involved relationship building. I also noticed that sometimes it is necessary to get up from your desk and talk to someone one on one. Not only is it more intimate, but it’s efficient enough to cover bases related to work and personal life.
Yesterday I conducted my informational interview with my supervisor Brian Dermody, the Senior Producer of Spike sports. It was a very productive twenty minutes where I got to find out more about what it’s like to be a Viacom employee, what it takes to be in his position, and about my supervisor’s background in general. In addition, I also got to ask him how I was doing as an intern and how I could improve during my final weeks. To my delight, he said I have been doing well which is great for my self motivation.