Situation
An important part of the internship is to involve the entire organisation in the changes that are being made.

To do this as efficiently as possible, several key moments are planned throughout the year when employees are taken along with the Foundation's developments through presentations. Because the student wanted to further develop her skills in giving presentations to larger groups, it was decided that the student would be responsible for the presentations.

Task

Tasks

Presentations

·       Board-meeting 1 ·       Board-meeting 2 ·       Presentation FC Groningen – Spakenburg ·       Presentation Winterschool ·       Presentation ‘Commercieel blok’ ·       Presentation update strategy ·       Presentation WCSF (upcoming)

 

Action

Prior to the cup match between FC Groningen and Spakenburg, a session was organised for all partners and board members. During this session, it was expected that all interns who were currently working on a project at FC Groningen would give a short presentation about their project and findings so far. The organisation of this was left up to the students themselves. However, the student noticed that the other interns weren't taking the lead, so she decided to create a general presentation and partially take charge of the organisation of the day. Along with the presentation, the student also created the schedule and overview of the presentations, so the guests knew what to expect that evening. The student enjoys having things well-organised. During the session, the student was second in line. Since each person had a maximum of 5 minutes, the student had thought ahead about what she wanted to say. The whole story and all the developments couldn't be covered in 5 minutes, so the student decided to make the presentation short and concise, leaving room for any questions or comments from the audience or later during the match. This gave the student the peace of mind to describe the key moments well and convey the story clearly. This ensured that the student wasn't extremely nervous because she was confident in the story she wanted to tell. Additionally, over the years, the student learned that she can present much better if she only comes up with the key points she wants to tell and don't learn a script. These are points the student will carry with her this year and try to develop in her presentation style.

During one of the last prototype sessions with Ingmar de Vries, Simon Cageling, and Edwin Froma, Edwin suggested that it would be good to inform the rest of the staff of FC Groningen about the developments. A good moment for this would be a presentation to almost all employees during the "Commercial Block." During the Commercial Block, the student would have 15 minutes to present the developments of the Foundation's strategy and policy, as well as the almost complete version of the Theory of Change. In consultation with the manager, the student prepared the presentation and had everything ready. On the day of the presentation, all three involved parties were absent, so the student had to give the presentation alone.

As described in Chapter 3 Board Meetings, during Board Meeting 1, the student gave a brief presentation about their assignment to obtain the cooperation of board members. This was more of a 3-minute pitch. After all the discussions, during the second board meeting, the student presented the official version of the Theory of Change to the board and the three parties involved. Since they were not present during the Commercial Block, this was also the first time they heard the student's story. The student was curious about their reactions. Unfortunately, the board meeting ran a bit late, so the student had to shorten the story a bit compared to the Commercial Block. After the presentation, the board members had the opportunity to ask questions, and the student could provide further explanation about certain choices and decisions.

In addition to the presentations to the board members and employees of FC Groningen, there also had to be a moment to bring the Foundation's employees into the story. Since most of the employees had already heard the story before, this presentation focused mainly on explaining the story more briefly and giving only brief attention to the most important points. This made the justification longer and allowed the story to be shorter and more concise.

 

Figure 4: Presentation FC Groningen - Spakenburg

Result

The result of the presentations can mainly be attributed to the fact that the employees of FC Groningen and the board members gained a good insight into the developments of the Foundation, and it also provided the opportunity to obtain feedback for the further continuation of the process. In addition, the presentations gave the student the opportunity to showcase herself within FC Groningen, which helped to increase her visibility within the organisation and position. The student received feedback that it is not often that a student is given the opportunity to present at such moments. The student also noticed that, especially after the presentation of the Commercial Block, the esteem of the student and the awareness among the employees about the assignment of the student had significantly increased. This was a nice additional benefit and reward for giving the presentations. It also made it easy to ask for certain things from other departments in the future of the process.

Reflection

In the past year, the student has noticed that she is becoming less nervous about giving presentations. According to the student, this is because she has discovered her own way of presenting and also because the topics of the presentations increasingly suit her, as she often delves deep into subjects she has a good feel for. Previous presentations during her studies often felt more like obligations and were often about very specific subjects. This year, this was not the case, which made it feel more natural and familiar. The only moment this year when the student was really nervous was for the first presentation of the Theory of Change during the commercial block. This was mainly due to the fact that the other persons involved could not be present at the last moment, making the student feel a bit alone at that moment. However, looking back on the situation, it was a very good learning experience. Such moments will occur more often in the student's career, and it is important to be able to handle the situation. By remaining calm and sticking to the story the student wanted to convey to the employees, it ultimately became a very successful presentation. The student received feedback from employees that they found it a very interesting presentation and that the student was able to convey it very clearly and well. When the student asked what the main reason for this was, the employees explained that it was mainly the enthusiasm with which the student presented and conveyed it to the audience. This gave the student confidence for the presentations that were yet to come, as she will have to tell this story again and again. In addition, the student is very proud to have been asked to present together with Simon Cageling at the WCSF. The presentation went pretty good and new connections were made.