Here I am, getting ready to host a fireside chat with the brilliant Prof. Ingrid Woolard, and the notes on my iPad are absolute gibberish. Somehow, the text on the page is all jumbled up. Panic sets in. Do I wing it and hope for the best? Fumble through an impromptu tech fix? Or chicken out and let my co-host Jane handle the chat?
None of these options were viable. Wing it? I didn’t know the Professor's bio and research off the top of my head to host a conversation without notes. Tech fix? I’m no iPad wizard. Bail? Dumping this mess on Jane would not be fair, especially since I was the one who had prepared for the chat as Jane focused on hosting the guests who came to the event.
Time for a quick pivot. I confessed to the Professor and the audience that my notes were a disaster. To make light of it, I showed my scrambled screen to the Professor, and we shared a laugh, joking that my notes had mysteriously turned into a foreign language. I then asked for a moment to grab my phone where I had earlier drafts of the professor’s bio and the chat questions. To do that, I had to step off stage to get to my phone, scroll through it, and then hop back up there as graciously as I could.
Once I got back to my seat with my notes in hand, I launched the conversation. My nerves melted away as Prof. Woolard shared insights from her work on reducing poverty, reaping demographic dividends, and creating fair tax policies in Africa. The audience, a lively group of Stellenbosch University alumni in Kenya, chimed in with engaging questions and comments, making the evening even more dynamic.
After the chat, the night wrapped up perfectly with drinks, canapes, great music, and catching up with fellow Maties*. I headed home feeling a mix of relief and triumph. If this was yet another test of my 2024 comeback spirit, I’d say I aced it. Here’s to more unexpected wins and learning to roll with whatever comes my way!
*Maties is a nickname for Stellenbosch University students.
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