An Opening Address

The first day of staff induction opens at the Secondary school campus some 5kms from the Primary site where i am based. All the school managers are new this year, with Mr N heading the Secondary division and Mr T leading the new pre-university division. Our Boss asks us to prepare a five minute address to all the staff gathered. However, it’s raining heavily and the main road is closed off to allow departing dignitaries to head to the airport following the death of the Prime Minister. Our Boss is stuck in traffic and arrives almost an hour late and many teachers and staff fail to turn up at all. 

I regularly have to make speeches to large audiences and i can do it quite well, although it is something i detest. I’m a quiet shy guy at heart and hate talking about myself. I decide to keep it in a light vane and i want to make it more informal and interactive than the norm. As a Londoner (Watford is a London suburb) i begin with a question. 

“Put up your hand if you watched any of the Olympic Games?”. 

About five of the seventy plus audience raise their hands. I am somewhat gobsmacked; maybe Ethiopians don’t have access to T.V.s and i have yet again committed assumicide?

Nonetheless i tell them i felt proud of my city for a great Olympics and note the several gold medals won by the Ethiopian athletes at the Games. I swiftly move on. I want to tell them that i know the country well having spent two months travelling the country for two months back in 2010/11. 

“Put up your hand if your Ethiopian?” i ask with much greater confidence, knowing that over 97% are locals. About eight hands go up. What the Hell!!!!

They’re either really shy or simply don’t understand my accent at all. I decide to give up on the interaction and articulate a whole bunch of appropriate educational sound-bites. I’m delighted when i get to the end and sit down swiftly.