Potluck, Guest Speakers and the Impending Graduation

Here I am in the second to last week of my internship! I can’t believe how fast the time has flown by and how much I’ve accomplished in these short summer months! Last week was another busy one, as I attended my team’s potluck “Team Building” dinner on Wednesday and guest speakers on Thursday and Friday during the workday.

The potluck dinner was such a great way to get to know the other members of my team outside of the work setting. I baked my brownie candy cups, and everyone else’s contributions were also delicious. All in all, this party broke up our week nicely and really made me excited about my opportunities at Avon, but sad to leave at the end of this 10-week experience.

On Thursday, the interns heard from the Vice President of Corporate Strategy & New Business Development. Before the presentation, this was an area that I knew little about. However, I was very excited to gain insight on the important part of Avon Products that forecasts business strategies and analyzes tactics to become a stronger company and increase revenue. I’ve learned by now that the once-traditional business strategies are fading, and companies are in competition to utilize the latest models in order to succeed.

On Friday, the interns welcomed another speaker, the Manager of Global Training & Development to teach us about presentation skills and fears in the work environment. I learned that the most important part of a formal presentation is not actually what is said, but how one says it, and the body language that conveys the message. This gentleman allowed us the time to practice our skills by calling us to the front of the room at random, and giving us impromptu topics to present. A few of these topics included: Why should everyone carry an umbrella when it’s sunny? and Why should everyone visit the Beer Can House in Houston, Texas? These topics were purposely made to seem nonsensical, forcing the presenter to think on his/her feet and deliver the appropriate message. Time ran out before I got the chance to present, but I did learn a lot from the other interns’ presentations.

During this week, I am working hard on preparing my final project, which I will present to 100+ people at our Intern Graduation Ceremony on Friday. I am very nervous, but my superiors here in Human Resources and the Foundation are giving me plenty of guidance. I’m looking forward to finally sharing my accomplishments with the rest of the interns and our guests at the ceremony.

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