Leadership, Sales and Public Speaking: Lessons from Student Government and Clubs

Student Government: Representing Voices and Building Consensus

Serving in student government is more than a line on a resume; it is an exercise in representational leadership. Student government members are elected by their peers to represent the student body in decision‑making and to plan campus events. The role involves:

• Advocacy and problem‑solving.  Representatives work closely with school administrations to make sure student concerns are heard and to influence policies. This requires negotiating diverse viewpoints and finding compromises that satisfy multiple constituencies.

• Event organisation and budgeting.  Student governments manage budgets for student activities and plan major events, such as dances, fundraisers, and workshops. Setting goals, creating budgets and timelines, selecting themes and venues, and coordinating logistics require a significant amount of project management and fiscal responsibility, often involving multiple back-and-forth event proposals. Delegating tasks to reliable team members and keeping everyone aligned on the goals helps build collaboration.

• Public speaking and communication.  From making campus announcements to addressing the administration, student government positions cultivate confidence in public speaking and provide practice in clearly articulating ideas. This experience is invaluable for engineers who must explain complex ideas to diverse audiences; it is often noticed as the biggest skill gap in the field.

  
  

The negotiation aspect of student government cannot be overstated. Negotiation is a dialogue aimed at a mutually beneficial agreement. Effective negotiators employ active listening, empathy, assertiveness, and flexibility with proactive dialogue; these skills are critical when balancing student interests and advocating for policy changes with fellow peers who have the same goal in mind - "How can I, being here, represent my division to the best of my ability !". These experiences mirror the collaborative, interdisciplinary nature of AI/ML projects where engineers must battle technical constraints while considering user needs, the ethics in place, and their company's business goals. This is equivalent to having the mind of a marketing agent, a techie, and a mind for business with a critical analysis of entrepreneurism.

Union Board: Programming, Perspective, and Community

At Indiana University, the Union Board is the governing body of the Indiana Memorial Union and the university’s largest student program developer, planner, and organizer organization. Driven by students, the board plans fun, entertaining, and educational events so that students can come together, explore multiple world views, and develop a holistic view of the world outside of academics. Committees like the lecture committee I was proud to be part of plan and execute high-context programmes each semester, and students who join these committees help decide what happens on campus, analyze trends, and go to great lengths to enlist sponsors.

Through Union Board involvement, I learned how to:

• Design inclusive events.  Setting concentrated goals, for example, bringing diverse student groups together, featuring speakers with different perspectives, or fundraising for a cause, we ensure we are fostering a community and bringing something of value to the students.

• Manage logistics and risk.  Creating budgets, selecting venues, coordinating vendors, and marketing events via flyers, social media, and campus announcements sharpened my planning skills. Contingency planning (e.g., backup venues for outdoor events) taught me to anticipate and mitigate risk.

• Lead with empathy.  Amplifying student feedback and inviting multiple world views requires listening to different voices and synthesising them into coherent programs. This practice parallels stakeholder management in engineering projects.[1]

  
  

These experiences translate directly to AI/ML project leadership, where understanding user needs, planning development cycles, and communicating progress to stakeholders are paramount.

Sales Club: Persuasion, Negotiation and Confidence

Participation in a sales club complements engineering training by cultivating persuasive communication and negotiation skills.[2] Sales skills range from simple persuasion, influence, negotiation, power dynamics, and influencing others through these means; these competencies are valuable for marketing, entrepreneurship, and leadership roles. A Sales Engineer is often observed as the more competent engineer, combining competent rhetoric with technical expertise.

Practicing sales techniques taught me to:

• Listen and tailor messages.  Understanding a potential client’s needs and speaking in their terms parallels user‑centred design in engineering.

• Handle objections and build trust.  Sales training emphasises empathy, patience, and the ability to reframe concerns—all essential when collaborating with non‑technical partners or investors.

• Pitch complex ideas succinctly.  Learning to communicate product benefits clearly and confidently has helped me explain AI/ML projects to varied audiences.

  
  

The negotiation principles highlighted above-such as active listening, compromise, and empathy, are skills not obtained in a day but through continued training and are equally applicable when closing deals or collaborating with research partners.

Insights from Reading: Financial Wisdom and Communication Mastery

Rich Dad Poor Dad – Mindset and Financial Literacy

Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad. I read it over 4 times as a kid, and it reframed my understanding of work and wealth. Kiyosaki argues that those who work solely for money think like employees, whereas those who think like business owners build assets that generate income. He emphasises that it is not how much money you earn but how much you keep, and that the single most powerful asset is your mind. The book stresses financial literacy—knowing the difference between assets and liabilities—and urges readers to work to acquire life skills rather than only for a paycheque.

I have built my career path not linearly, as most set out to do, but as a polymath with focusing on pursuing my intellectual curiosity. These lessons resonate with my entrepreneurial ventures (e.g., co‑founding a start‑up) and my commitment to continuous learning. Recognising that investing in knowledge pays the best interest and encourages me to approach AI/ML research with both curiosity and discipline.

Dale Carnegie – Building Relationships and Influencing People

Dale Carnegie’s timeless principles emphasize that interpersonal success stems from genuine interest in others, empathy, and respectful dialogue. Key principles include becoming genuinely interested in other people and listening attentively to their experiences, greeting people with a smile, using their names to make them feel recognized, and avoiding arguments while respecting differing opinions. Carnegie also advises admitting mistakes quickly and beginning conversations in a friendly way to build rapport.

Practicing these principles in student government meetings and sales presentations helped me negotiate with empathy and build trust.

Encouraging others to talk and allowing them to take ownership of ideas not only fosters cooperation but also helps craft solutions that everyone can support. These often go on to be more refined through the combined effort of the team, and this team ownership is beautiful because we, as a team, know it is our effort, and it was the best effort. These soft skills are crucial when aligning AI ethics with business objectives or when mentoring peers.

How Highly Effective People Speak – Leveraging Psychology for Influence

Peter Andrei’s How Highly Effective People Speak applies behavioural science to communication. The book argues that effective communication aligns with how the human mind processes information and advocates using cognitive biases strategically.

Andrei’s E.F.F.E.C.T.I.V.E. framework emphasises making messages:

1. Enduring – use stories and emotional appeal to activate the availability bias.

2. First – leverage the anchoring effect by presenting key information or proposals first.

3. Forceful – harness multiple cognitive biases (e.g., reward and punishment, social proof, reciprocity) to create a persuasive cumulative effect.

4. Exceptional – use contrast to highlight differences and make ideas stand out.

5. Confident – appeal to the zero‑risk bias by framing proposals as low-risk.

6. Trustworthy – create positive first impressions through confident voice, preparation, and open body language.

   
   

Applying these techniques has transformed my public speaking. Storytelling and strategic anchoring help me capture attention and guide audience perceptions, while framing complex AI concepts as low‑risk encourages buy‑in. The book also emphasises ethical communication—making sure persuasive techniques are used responsibly—a principle I apply when discussing AI ethics or data privacy. I believe this to be a manager's guide to making effective decisions and putting their words into rhetoric amongst team members or in a board meeting.

Bringing It All Together: Leadership Shaped by Experience and Learning

My roles in student government, the Union Board, and the Sales Club have given me hands‑on experience in organizing events, managing budgets, negotiating diverse viewpoints, and honing communication skills. These leadership experiences are enhanced by lessons from Rich Dad Poor Dad, Dale Carnegie, and Peter Andrei, which provide frameworks for financial literacy, relationship‑building, and persuasive communication. Together, they shape a leadership philosophy rooted in empathy, continuous learning, and ethical influence.

This combination of technical expertise in AI/ML and strong interpersonal skills positions me as a well‑rounded engineer capable of leading projects, engaging stakeholders, and contributing to positive change.