I have just returned from a working trip to Africa. As my husband and I run a charity for special projects in Ethiopia (Ethiopian Enterprises), this is nothing new. I travel to Ethiopia at least twice a year, and have taught both teachers and entrepreneurs in northern Ethiopia. What was different this time, though, was that I was invited to speak to an audience of academics at the University of Mekelle on the subject of Recognition: my first keynote on the African continent! And as always when speaking to an audience in a different cultural environment, I learned a lot. In this case, I was particularly reminded of how important it is for speakers to remain calm, even in challenging circumstances.

I am a speaker who likes to be well prepared. That includes getting to the venue good and early to ‘settle in’. I had requested access to the room in which I was to speak a good hour before the event. However, when I arrived at the venue, the room was locked. I was shown into the office of first the Vice President of the University, and then the new president. I found myself networking and making polite conversation while efforts were made to open the sizeable auditorium in which I was to speak.

Ten minutes before I was due to begin, I was finally collected by the event organiser. He pushed me into the room where an audience had already gathered, told me that he had to go and collect other audience members, and then left me there to face the audience some minutes before the event was due to start. I had two choices: stand there feeling and looking foolish until he returned, or engage the audience in some way. So I did what I have learned to do as a speaker in odd circumstances: rather than panic, I improvised. I asked some of the audience to introduce themselves, and asked them what they were expecting from the speech. I learned that NONE of them had ever been to a speech by a foreigner before, let alone one delivered by a female foreigner. I also learned that they spoke and understood English to varying degrees, an important reminder to me to slow down my speech delivery.

Tem minutes after the speech was due to begin, the organiser returned, explaining that it was normal for things to start late, and that we should continue waiting as other people were on the way. This surprised me, as I knew that Ethiopian school classes started strictly on time, and I assumed that university lectures or events would do likewise. As an audience was already waiting, I decided to follow my own professional etiquette, and explained to the organiser that I was going to start. And then, to his surprise, I did.

Throughout the speech, smaller and larger groups joined the audience. At one point, a photograpgher came in and stood right in front of me, took a flash picture, and then left. My experiences as a member of Gourmet Toastmasters Club in Sydney, where speakers have to live with being upstaged by waiters serving drinks and meals, had prepared me well for this. ‘I haven’t reached the best bit yet’, I called after him as he disappeared through the door, which received a grin from him and a big laugh from the audience.

At the end of the speech, I received a generous round of applause. Three new invitations to speak to educational institutions in northern Ethiopia resulted from that speech. The entire experience showed me again how important it is for speakers to remember: no matter what happens, DO NOT PANIC!

An hour after the 30-minute speech was due to begin, I left the building with the event organiser. A man rushed up to us and asked if the talk on Recognition had already started. ‘It’s over’, the event organiser told him loftily, ‘the speaker started on time.’ ‘On time?’ asked the man incredulously. ‘On time,’ confirmed the organiser. ‘But she’ll be coming back to speak again next semester. Better be early next time.’!!