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You’ve landed an incredible internship with an amazing company. You’ll stumble through the awkward first day, get into a normal routine, and before you know it you’re a part of the team, and that includes going to meetings and planning new ideas and strategies.
Companies love interns because they bring fresh minds to the table. That means you! The company you intern for may do the same holiday campaign every year with just a few changes, but you have a great idea to potentially improve the entire campaign. Sharing your idea in front of an entire team is sometimes easier said than done, so how can you let everyone know your new thought?
Brainstorm before the meeting.
If you know an idea meeting is coming up, spend time thinking about it before you get into the conference room. Nothing is more embarrassing than when the meeting starts by everyone stating their idea and you have nothing to contribute. Use whatever information your supervisor or colleague has given to begin coming up with creative ideas. At this point no idea is too crazy, so if you think of something write it down.
Spend some time planning your ideas out.
When you have some extra time, do some research about what your idea could do for the company or what it would require to be successful. Have other companies done something similar? Would it be expensive? You don’t have to go in-depth answering these questions, but showing that you thought about them will make your ideas much more viable in the conference room.
Say it.
Many companies have brainstorming meetings that are meant to throw out ideas and have them evaluated by the group. If you find yourself in one of these and have an idea no one has yet mentioned, go ahead and say it! The worst that can happen is they reject it- but even so, you’ll impress the entire team with your confidence and willingness to help. Don’t worry about what people will think at this point- the purpose of these meetings is to hash out all of the crazy ideas the team has brainstormed. What you say could spark another idea, which sparks another, and before you know it the team has a great plan in place. Once you get used to sharing once or twice it will get much easier in time.
Talk with your supervisor.
At one of my internships, I was a part of a brainstorming meeting for an upcoming holiday promotion that didn’t end in any wow ideas. However, a few days later I thought of a way to combine the positives of a couple of different thoughts to create a concept that could probably be successful. After talking through the idea with my supervisor, she thought it would be a great idea for me to send it to the manager in charge of the promotion. Very quickly the entire team was on board and my idea began to be brought to life! That conversation with my supervisor helped me realize the idea’s potential and gave me the confidence to share it with others. Talking with your internship supervisor or other colleague you’re close with is a great way to receive feedback while in a more comfortable setting.
Don’t go overboard.
It’s one thing to throw out an idea while planning a new promotion- it’s another to spend your entire internship coming up with ideas on how the company you intern for can be perfect. Remember to keep your ideas within reason, and know when you’ve contributed too many. A handful of thoroughly thought-out ideas are much better than sending your supervisor what the competitor does better on a daily basis. Get a feel for how encouraging your company is with creativity, and know when to draw the line.
Never stop brainstorming.
While you may have settled on an idea for a specific project, you should never, ever stop thinking of ways the company can improve. As an intern you bring fresh eyes to the company and likely will notice things other employees will not. Use this to your advantage and speak up if there’s a better way of doing something or you think they should try something new.
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