From mediation to masks, these two Sage Mediation interns were never bored nor idle during the past eight weeks. Sage is a 21st-century mediation consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations and individuals overcome complex conflicts. Read about the Sage Internship Experience by Nash and Nicole (more affectionately nicknamed NaNi).
Here’s how our internship went:
Safe at home
This internship was unlike any other for us. Instead of waiting awkwardly in the office lobby on the first day, we had to wait awkwardly in the Zoom waiting room. Instead of forgetting our passes and being locked out of the office, we were locked out of the company accounts.
We never expected to be able to work from home as interns. It showed us a completely different way of working with the team – instructions and entire discussions being held on Telegram, complete with animated stickers instead of physical smiles and hearing actual voices.
Thankfully, technology has progressed to allow collaboration across all work platforms – with Canva and Sharepoint – and Zoom even augmenting our lively discussions by letting us watch our boss try to draw and scribble his ideas on the virtual whiteboard. All we can say is, we are glad he’s good at articulating himself vocally.
Apprentices in Mediation
During our internship, we got to attend Sage’s International Commercial Mediation Workshop and International Mediator Accreditation Workshop. Conducted completely online, the team adapted some material to address conducting mediations online. As we practiced mediating during the roleplays, we also picked up video-conferencing essentials – looking into the webcam to make ‘eye contact’, setting the agenda on the shared virtual whiteboard, and muting ourselves so we didn’t distract the parties.
Global
Our screens brought us all over the world, we managed to form friendships with participants from Egypt, India, Japan, Thailand, and Russia. We managed to build rapport by chatting candidly on Telegram groups and sharing photos of cats. The ease of communication removes any uneasiness or the preliminary awkwardness of meeting new people. In theory, we knew that people from different countries and cultures would speak and think differently from us. During ICMW, we understood how our cultures and society shape the way we relate to each other.
We also got to see Sage build connections all over the world through staying in touch with workshop participants, signing on MOUs with international organisations, and even organising The Aranda Series with trainers and speakers from all over the world.
Enriching
One major learning point for us was realising the effort that was needed to be put into spotting mistakes and paying attention to small details. As we prepared countless design drafts for social media, we had to check that the right piece was being posted and zoom in to the design to check for alignment issues. This internship has been an eye-opener for the both of us, and although it was relatively short, the amount of learning we got is certainly substantial.
This internship has taught both of us a lot about our areas of improvement. We were lucky enough to make mistakes and learn from a team that took the time to explain and guide us. We really profited from the rich experience, and it is priceless.
Advice to future Sage Interns
- Beware of dinosaurs
During Phase 2, we finally met the team in the (socially distanced) flesh. After a meeting, we joined the team on a team-building exercise: Scouting for prehistoric reptiles in unexpected places. If nothing else, we’re pretty sure that you will pick up skills to build a strong team and the patience to mentor others.
- Always keep your phones with you
Since our phones are always with us, this seems like redundant advice, but it is important to check the Telegram and WhatsApp groups for any new information or urgent tasks. Sometimes a document needs to be amended urgently, a caption must be edited, or Samantha just needs someone to talk to.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help
At the beginning when everything was new and we weren’t so familiar with the team, it wasn’t as easy to ask questions and not feel like we were bothering them.
However, given some more time with the team, we realised they were patient with explaining things and sometimes gave us tasks for us to learn along the way. Sometimes when instructions are relayed online, clarity may get lost, so asking one question will go a long way.
We wouldn’t have spent our summer any other way. Thank you, Sage, for a transformative internship!
Signing off,
NaNi
