As a senior, I served as the Speaker of the ASUW Student Senate, the official arbiter of student opinion at the UW. I chaired meetings of the Senate and the Steering Committee, which approves the agenda before each meeting and consists of Senate committee chairs and liaisons from the Board of Directors. I also crafted the agenda every week and served as the external face of the organization, sending the legislation we pass to relevant stakeholders.
Significance
What does effective communication look like? Under what circumstances are people more likely to speak up in a group setting? Is it more important to be as formal as possible or as accessible as possible? These are all important questions that I faced as Senate Speaker. In fact, I never stopped learning about what it takes to facilitate large group discussions as effectively as possible. Managing these discussions was a challenge every single week because no two meetings were exactly alike. Each was unique, with its own set of circumstances. Overall, however, I learned the importance of clarity in facilitating large group discussion and how to manage possible tensions between actors.
Tasks Accomplished
At the end of my junior year I was elected to be the next Senate Speaker, having served as Off-Campus Student Life Committee Chair the year before. As Speaker, I made some small but important adjustments to our proceedings. I introduced the "Entity of the Week" item to our agenda, featuring a different ASUW entity every week in order to introduce senators to the varied functions of our association. I also called for quarterly liaison forums, where the liaisons we elect to serve on a number of different ASUW and external committees presented their work to the Senate as a way of increasing transparency and accountability. Perhaps most importantly, however, I made the Senate a more inviting place by forgoing some of the formality exhibited by past Speakers. I took a more casual approach by dressing in plainclothes, moving around the room more as opposed to standing at a podium the entire time, and keeping things light and humorous. I have, at times, been a little too lax while chairing a meeting but I believe that our senators have responded very well to my style.
Competencies
Being Speaker required that I further my skills in facilitation. I had chaired smaller meetings before, but keepings the wheels on a meeting of more than 50 people is something else. Facilitation is far more complicated than it may appear on a surface level. It is less task-oriented and requires a effective communication skills.
This position has also pushed me to better understand my scope of competence. It did not take long for me to realize that my strengths lied more clearly in certain areas rather than others. My more informal approach to chairing Senate meetings made them more casual and accessible, but I initially struggled with some of the finer points of parliamentary procedure. I have to lean on my Vice Speaker and parliamentarian from time to time, and that is perfectly valid. One response to the Senate survey I drafted was that I knew what I was doing most of the time and, perhaps more importantly, knew when to defer to the parliamentarian.
I have learned the importance of not just receiving feedback, but knowing how to interpret it as well. Halfway through the year I administered a survey aimed at gauging senators' thoughts on how Senate had been going thus far. While the review were largely positive, there were a number of negative reactions. Indeed, I focused much more of my attention on what was going wrong than what was going right. With the help of a mentor, however, I realized that the positive feedback was just as valid and insightful as the negative feedback.
This feedback then allowed me to further my own self-development. I furthered my knowledge and understanding of parliamentary procedure while also making some adjustments to the way I spoke as chair. I became more clear verbally, ensuring that senators had a better grasp on what was going on during our meetings.
Being Speaker has also exposed me to nuanced power dynamics. I supervised three other employees, two of which were elected and were entitled to a certain degree of autonomy. While the Senate crafts official student opinion, it needs to be approved by the Board of Directors. Our power dynamics were complicated but insightful into how the association functions, and the horizontal leadership we practiced in the office made our work as effective as possible.
Lessons Learned
The most important lesson I learned while serving as the Senate Speaker was that adaptability and learning itself is fundamental. It is absolutely crucial to learn from your mistakes, rather than simply dwelling on them. Mistakes are opportunities for improvement and should be taken advantage of. I approached chairing Senate meetings from a different angle than past Speakers. I believed that the Speaker should take themselves a little less seriously and be less stiff in order to make the Senate a more welcoming place. This has been, for the most part, a success. But there is a fine line between being too formal and being too informal. I realized this and made the proper adjustments without sacrificing the approachable nature that came to define my style as Speaker. It is important to listen critically, seriously evaluate feedback, and make the necessary adjustments to ensure effective communication in contexts such as these.
Significance
What does effective communication look like? Under what circumstances are people more likely to speak up in a group setting? Is it more important to be as formal as possible or as accessible as possible? These are all important questions that I faced as Senate Speaker. In fact, I never stopped learning about what it takes to facilitate large group discussions as effectively as possible. Managing these discussions was a challenge every single week because no two meetings were exactly alike. Each was unique, with its own set of circumstances. Overall, however, I learned the importance of clarity in facilitating large group discussion and how to manage possible tensions between actors.
Tasks Accomplished
At the end of my junior year I was elected to be the next Senate Speaker, having served as Off-Campus Student Life Committee Chair the year before. As Speaker, I made some small but important adjustments to our proceedings. I introduced the "Entity of the Week" item to our agenda, featuring a different ASUW entity every week in order to introduce senators to the varied functions of our association. I also called for quarterly liaison forums, where the liaisons we elect to serve on a number of different ASUW and external committees presented their work to the Senate as a way of increasing transparency and accountability. Perhaps most importantly, however, I made the Senate a more inviting place by forgoing some of the formality exhibited by past Speakers. I took a more casual approach by dressing in plainclothes, moving around the room more as opposed to standing at a podium the entire time, and keeping things light and humorous. I have, at times, been a little too lax while chairing a meeting but I believe that our senators have responded very well to my style.
Competencies
Being Speaker required that I further my skills in facilitation. I had chaired smaller meetings before, but keepings the wheels on a meeting of more than 50 people is something else. Facilitation is far more complicated than it may appear on a surface level. It is less task-oriented and requires a effective communication skills.
This position has also pushed me to better understand my scope of competence. It did not take long for me to realize that my strengths lied more clearly in certain areas rather than others. My more informal approach to chairing Senate meetings made them more casual and accessible, but I initially struggled with some of the finer points of parliamentary procedure. I have to lean on my Vice Speaker and parliamentarian from time to time, and that is perfectly valid. One response to the Senate survey I drafted was that I knew what I was doing most of the time and, perhaps more importantly, knew when to defer to the parliamentarian.
I have learned the importance of not just receiving feedback, but knowing how to interpret it as well. Halfway through the year I administered a survey aimed at gauging senators' thoughts on how Senate had been going thus far. While the review were largely positive, there were a number of negative reactions. Indeed, I focused much more of my attention on what was going wrong than what was going right. With the help of a mentor, however, I realized that the positive feedback was just as valid and insightful as the negative feedback.
This feedback then allowed me to further my own self-development. I furthered my knowledge and understanding of parliamentary procedure while also making some adjustments to the way I spoke as chair. I became more clear verbally, ensuring that senators had a better grasp on what was going on during our meetings.
Being Speaker has also exposed me to nuanced power dynamics. I supervised three other employees, two of which were elected and were entitled to a certain degree of autonomy. While the Senate crafts official student opinion, it needs to be approved by the Board of Directors. Our power dynamics were complicated but insightful into how the association functions, and the horizontal leadership we practiced in the office made our work as effective as possible.
Lessons Learned
The most important lesson I learned while serving as the Senate Speaker was that adaptability and learning itself is fundamental. It is absolutely crucial to learn from your mistakes, rather than simply dwelling on them. Mistakes are opportunities for improvement and should be taken advantage of. I approached chairing Senate meetings from a different angle than past Speakers. I believed that the Speaker should take themselves a little less seriously and be less stiff in order to make the Senate a more welcoming place. This has been, for the most part, a success. But there is a fine line between being too formal and being too informal. I realized this and made the proper adjustments without sacrificing the approachable nature that came to define my style as Speaker. It is important to listen critically, seriously evaluate feedback, and make the necessary adjustments to ensure effective communication in contexts such as these.