Nervous Behind the Podium: What I Learned Leading Our First AWS Student Builder Group GBM
How I planned and delivered the first general body meeting of the semester for our AWS Student Builder Group at the University of Houston, what I would change, and what it taught me about public speaking.
It was Tuesday, September 8, at the University of Houston Sugar Land, and I was standing behind the podium watching students walk in.
I had my capstone class right before, so I had rushed over to make it in time. My officers were setting up and putting out food and water. Students were finding seats. And my heart was beating way faster than I wanted it to.
Then Lance walked in. Lance is part of the Houston AWS Community (HAWS), and he was our guest speaker. Talking with him for a few minutes before we started is honestly the first thing I remember about that night.
The second thing I remember is breathing. During AWS New Voices earlier this year, I picked up a simple breathing exercise: deep breath in, hold it, slow exhale. I did that a few times behind the podium, and my nerves started to come down. I still use it any time I need to slow my heart rate before I speak.
Why this meeting mattered to me
I'm Perry, a senior Computer Information Systems major at UH and president of the AWS Student Builder Group (SBG) at UH. This was our first general body meeting (GBM) of the fall semester. For a lot of people in that room, it was the first time hearing about us at all.
I wanted them to leave understanding three things: what the cloud and AWS are, who our team is and what we are planning this semester, and what resources AWS offers students.
That last one is personal. When I first started learning AWS, I spent about a week just figuring out where to start before I got the hang of studying for my first certification. I didn't want anyone else to lose that week. The club exists to give students a clearer path to getting certified, building projects, and learning cloud and AI with other people.
Getting the team ready
Knowing what I wanted people to walk away with made planning easier. I started with the agenda and the deck outline, trying to fit everything in without boring anyone. Ananya, one of our officers, designed the deck and made sure everyone's ideas made it in, so the whole team was on the same page.
The agenda went from an icebreaker and QR check-in, to team intros, what SBG is and why to join, member benefits, our semester roadmap, a Buddy System, and finally a section called "It doesn't stop at UH," where we connected our club to HAWS with Lance.
We rehearsed as a team about two weeks before the event, and that is where the hardest leadership moments happened. Everyone had ideas. I had to decide which ones mattered most for this meeting and which could wait. That wasn't always comfortable, but it meant everyone showed up knowing what they were going to say. We also locked down food and water early so nothing on the day would pull attention away from the content.
Kicking off the GBM with a rock paper scissors icebreaker
Delivering it
Once I got past the first few minutes, things started to flow. I walked through who we are and the benefits of joining, and I focused on keeping everything clear.
It still wasn't perfect. My mouth got dry, and a few times I caught myself talking too fast. I've accepted that this is normal. You still get nervous; you just get better at working through it.
One of my favorite moments was handing off to Lance. He talked about what the cloud and AWS are and showed students that they could actually build something. That is the whole point of our club: build, work with people, and make something new. He also showed them that there is a community outside of school that covers the whole city of Houston.
Lance from the Houston AWS Community (HAWS) showing students what they can build
What I would change
Looking back, a few things didn't land the way I wanted.
- We packed in too much. We tried to keep it interactive, starting with the icebreaker, but it was probably a lot of information for one meeting.
- We skipped the student rewards demo. Our benefits slide literally said, "We'll show you exactly how to unlock this through Builder Center soon." A live walkthrough of AWS Builder Center would have made those benefits real instead of something to wait for.
- We promised something too early. We announced a Buddy System, a mentorship program pairing upperclassmen with underclassmen. We had it planned out, but it ended up getting scrapped.
- Team prep should have started sooner. Next time, everyone would have their part ready well over a week ahead, and we would be aligned as a team weeks before the event.
The practice didn't stop at the GBM
Since then, my officers and I have done plenty of in-class promos. My first pitch was definitely rushed. By my more recent ones, I was handing out swag, connecting with the class, and showing more credibility about what we actually do. I felt more confident, people could see it, and students scanned our QR code to join right there in class.
If you're planning your first GBM
- Decide the takeaway first. Know what people should get out of the meeting before you design a single slide.
- Make it about community. Help students get to know you and your team, and be transparent about what you have planned for the rest of the year.
- Only announce what you can deliver, and demo the benefits instead of just describing them.
- Prep your team weeks ahead, not days. Give everyone their own part.
If you're scared to speak
Take every opportunity you get. Each one pushes you into an uncomfortable situation, and that is where the growth happens. Find a calm-down routine that works for you; mine is still that breath in, hold, and slow exhale. And when your mouth gets dry or you start talking fast, notice it, slow down, and keep going.
Still growing
Public speaking was something I hoped to get better at by becoming a Student Builder Group leader. I used to be scared to introduce myself first. Now meeting people and networking feels natural. I still get nervous, and I still do the breathing. But I'm not scared like I used to be, and I feel confident speaking in front of people.
Our AWS Student Builder Group at UH Sugar Land after the GBM
Got an event coming up? Drop a comment, I'd love to hear what you're planning.
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