First Public Policy Meeting

My first public policy meeting finally took place on 9/26 (last Friday).  I was extremely nervous leading up to the meeting because I had to introduce the speakers with a short bio.  I wasn't sure how many people would be there and I wanted to make sure I could speak fluently without stopping because I wasn't sure what to say.  It was very nerve-racking because on the day before the meeting, two of the speakers were substituted with other employees from their organization.  I then had to scramble to try and get a bio and a picture for them so I could introduce them. The meeting seemed to go well and there wasn't many people there so I wasn't as nervous.  It also helped that I introduced myself to almost everyone there and they were very friendly.

Some of you might be thinking, "Why is this such a big deal?"  My supervisor, who is also the CEO of the Chandler Chamber, places great emphasis on getting all of the proper information prior to the meeting and making sure that everything is in order.  I understand that it's important to get everything right before a meeting, but it was a very stressful day.  Personally, I feel like it's because she doesn't have time to micromanage.  She is pretty busy and doesn't have time to watch over everything that I'm doing.  It can be stressful when she gives me something to do, but then becomes very upset because I didn't complete that task exactly the way she wanted me to.  All that aside, she gave me some helpful criticism and I'll be much more prepared for the next meeting on 10/10.