Ok, week 3 – What have we done?
I have finished writing up my report and have gone through and extended my points as Rachel had asked me to. I have checked all the spelling, grammar, punctuation and stats- so I think we are good to go! Phrasing of points is also key and parapharsing, though useful, can sometimes alter dramatically how well recieved the information is. It is funny how one word can totally change how people take things and since the report makes suggestions, this is important to consider.
I have a date set in my last week to allow me to feedback to the People and Learning team. I am going to have to make a PowerPoint to do that. I also had to write a memo for the area management team meeting, which Rachel has give out as a summary of my report before sending it out for real, so that it can be read and hopefully put into action by Senior staff ( Eek!!) and the volunteer council. So, hopefully, by making this report I will have helped the staff and volunteers of the British Red Cross in Hampshire Surrey and the Isle of Wight have their voices heard.
Some of the topics covered in my report have included Communication, People Management/ development and My Organisation. The aim is to find evidence for suggested improvements in the focus group, so that we can boost retention of volunteers. It has been a big project and a long one as it is sort of 3 projects in one . It started back in April and is due, well, next week! So it will be the end of a long process for Rachel and Chloe (the other intern), who have been working on it for 4 months collecting processing and writing up their work.
It has been lovely working here, and you do start to feel a part of the team, rather than just an intern who leaves in a few weeks. Members of staff do value your input if they ask for an opinion from past experience- it makes you feel like you are making an impact and genuinely helping the team on a project.
On a different note- how far do people commute to their place of work? For me it is about 40 mins on the train to Portsmouth from my family home ,which is great. I have been filling the time reading!