2. 2
Troubleshooting Common Scenarios
• You are faced with challenges, small and large, every day
during internship.
• Not all challenges you face in your internships are going to
be major issues, but that does not make them any less
important to manage.
• In your groups, work through the 10 scenarios found In
Schoology (Prompt: Troubleshooting Common
Scenarios) and develop plans of action to successfully
resolve them.
• Now that you have seen the realities of internship, your
solutions may be different with your new perspective and
experience.
Editor's Notes
Troubleshooting Common Scenarios (60 minutes)
Let’s think about how we can apply our experiences in successfully managing problems at our internship to think about other problems we might face in the workplace.
In Pro Skills, we have worked on how to manage small and large-scale workplace challenges. Not all challenges you face in your internships are going to be major issues, but that does not make them any less important to manage.
Divide students in to groups of 3-4. Have each group work through the following 10 scenarios and develop plans of action to successfully resolve them. Some of these scenarios we discussed during Pro Skills. Now that you have seen the realities of internship, your solutions may be different with your new perspective and experience. Remember the keys of effective communication and conflict management. Many workplace problems can be easily resolved through clear, direct, and honest communication. Also, as we have seen, how you respond to challenges will also need to be in line with your organization’s corporate culture.
It is 8:00am. There is a major delay on the subway/bus and traffic is not moving.
Your manager gives you two projects to work on for the day and you finish both projects before noon.
Your work hours are 8:30am-4:30pm. It is 4:15pm, and you have nothing to work on.
It is day 4 of your second week on your internship and you wake up feeling sick.
Your manager gives you a project and you have never been trained on how to complete this task.
Your co-worker approaches you at lunch and wants to gossip about another co-worker.
Your boss is unhappy with the work you have done on a project you have just completed. She reprimands you in front of the rest of the team.
You are running late so you throw on some clothes and run to work. While at your internship, you realize you have a large stain on your shirt and wrinkled pants.
A fellow intern has not completed their portion of a presentation that your team is expected to show your manager today.
You are about to submit a report to your manager. You know it is not your best work so you are nervous about how it will be received.
Once students have had time to work these scenarios, have each group reenact at least one of the given scenarios. Discuss the pros and cons of each. Invite students who have managed these challenges in their internship to also share their experiences.
