Make Them Feel Important
When you read about the traits of an emotionally intelligent leader, you quickly sense a pattern. They listen well. They show appreciation. They equip their employees with the tools and resources to excel. They consistently create development opportunities to help their team advance.
These are all different ways to achieve the same goal: investing in your employees and making them feel important.
That’s at the heart of what we do: We allow you to develop your employees, sharpening their communication skills and boosting their confidence. When they leave, they’re not only better communicators, they’re more loyal employees. Win-win!
Greg
President & CEO
greg@dardiscommunications.com
312.285.1073
8 Ways to Get More Out of Your Internship Program
A successful internship program can provide a huge boost to your company. But many programs don’t live up to their potential, becoming yet another chore for overworked employees.
As you look ahead to summer internships, here are 8 powerful steps to improve your program.
1. Spread the word. Make sure you’re casting a wide net, not just tapping into the usual places. Send an email summarizing your internship program and invite employees to forward it to families and friends. Use social media too. You might be surprised by the high-quality candidates this elicits.
2. Learn from last year. Review the surveys from last summer’s interns and identify a few concrete ways to implement their feedback. (If you didn’t survey your last group of interns, it’s not too late! This is a good excuse to get back in touch, ask how they’re doing and share a short survey.)
3. Send a background of the company. Don’t wait till the first day of their internship to brief interns on your company. Prepare a short, informative background that you can share as soon as a candidate accepts an internship. This builds excitement and jumpstarts the learning so they can hit the ground running on day one.
4. Identify a mentor for each intern. This person will oversee the intern and can begin building a relationship immediately. Interns do better work and are more likely to become future employees when mentored by one of your own.
5. Boost your value-add at the end. Many interns are expected to make a presentation at the end of the summer reflecting on their experience. You have the power to shape this into something especially beneficial: Ask the interns for ideas on how to improve your company. Request constructive feedback and tangible solutions. They may have something incredibly useful to share – but they won’t if you don’t ask!
6. Provide communications training. You’re already busy, but when you invite Dardis instructors on campus, they can do wonders in two short days. Interns trained by Dardis say their learning from the summer multiplies. They show off their newfound skills in their end-of-summer presentation. (You get more out of it too!) And they leave with a sense of accomplishment.
“To say that I appreciated the investment made in me by providing Dardis training would be an understatement,” said Anthony Marcopoli, a college student who received Dardis coaching during his internship last summer. “This opportunity could not have come at a better time in my life.”
7. Plan a social event. Mid-summer may be the perfect time to build in some bonding. This allows interns to get to know more employees. You could even invite past interns. Coordinate a pickleball tournament. Host an afternoon of bowling. Or let the interns take the lead; give them a budget and see what they come up with!
8. Stay in touch—not just with the interns, but with their professors and parents. Consider past interns your ambassadors. Add them to the list, check in periodically and invite them to company events. You never know what may come of it down the road.
Recommended Reading
Published last fall, this book delivers a wealth of insights, drawing on 15 years of research and 30,000 case studies. William Vanderbloemen reflects on what makes a unicorn – those ultra-rare, high-impact leaders. He explores the 12 traits they possess: fast, authentic, agile, problem-solver, anticipator, prepared, self-aware, curious, connected, likable, productive and purpose-driven. It’s a fascinating read – whether you’re in a position to hire people or you’re looking to improve your own leadership skills.
Client Testimonial
“My expectations were far surpassed by what I experienced in the two-day session. The real-time feedback and coaching and the opportunity for immediate implementation make this a powerful experience for all participants. I would recommend this to any professional who wants their presentation skills to be as sharp as possible.”
–Assistant Dean at Drake University
2024 Public Schedule
IN-PERSON
Leadership Presentation & Image Skills
June 4 & 5 – Des Moines
August 14 & 15 – Des Moines
VIRTUAL
April 15–18
July 15–18