The man who interrupted the President - Georgie Ndirangu on how to become a master public speaker

It occurred - the disappointment - at a distant glance but my mind refused to accept the certain defeat until it finally gave in when we shook hands.

It was now certain that the legion of perceptions on Georgie, the 5’9 tall global moderator, would go through a series of uncloaking during our lengthy interview.

'Georgie' as his friends fondly call him, looks like the kind of person who laughs at a problem before deciding on how to solve it. He is composed and fastidious, which obviates the possibility of assuming he has a tendency to prattle with his statements.

“We can start anytime you are ready because clearly, I am ready,” he sarcastically said after being mic’d up.

Shortly after the tete-a-tete starts he tells me of how his passion for public speaking has opened doors for him he has never fathomed he would stride past.

He narrates how moderating a panel of eight heads of state (one of his most memorable sessions) birthed the forethought to write a book – “The Man Who Interrupted the President”.

Why leave a career in finance and journalism to land in public speaking? Was it a long-wished dream?

Perfect way to start. They (parents) saw it at a super young age and they honed it. I knew when interviews started to happen and after that, someone asked for a business card or contacts. Or you have been allowed to interview one person and that is when I started to start knowing. And I know that I’m not too bad at the craft.

With your experience in public speaking, what is the idea behind starting your masterclass?

Two things: I always felt too guilty leaving journalism. I felt I had abandoned the craft that made me “me” and felt I owed 10 years back to the decade that made me Georgie.

Because of social media, you are constantly either dishing out information or consuming it. One of the demographics my team and I are targeting is young people, people transitioning from school to the working environment, young professionals or those well-established but need to burst out. There is a need for learning.

The three things are; gatekeeping, time and what people perceive as legacy. That was the rationale for the masterclass.

Take me through the process of planning to moderate a big event.

Mongolia would be a good example of that. The UN International Trade Centre tells you there is an event in Mongolia seven months in advance. What happens is you know an expected outcome.

We have a bit of a skeleton, it’s going to be a 2/3-day forum. You go from understanding that to what is your role in that event. Also, think of the language you will use.

You also select the guests, do background checks, see what they spoke about before and factor members of the fourth estate so that you know if you need media partners. Then you map out if you need the technical team.

Don’t forget visas, approvals and those things that might take so long. I think that’s what separates people who want to show up as a superstar or if you want to be involved.

How imperative is knowing many languages? How many do you know?

In order of how I know them; English, Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda, Kikuyu and French.

There have been instances where you are left out if you do not speak the language. I’ve met lots of people who know many languages. They shine.

Which is the most memorable event you have moderated?

I think it’s the one where there were eight heads of state. What people don’t know is that someone took a chance on me primarily based on some gigs we had done before.

While we were on stage, the President of Mali learned of unrest back home. At some point he said he wanted to pose a question to the audience.

He said; 'I don’t know why we are talking about ICT now and there people dying in Mali.' you could see the body language of the panellists changing.

I had to cut him short but knew there was a session to have that conversation and ensure everyone was fine.

The session was done and when we were going for lunch someone came and said; “He is the man who interrupted the president.”

In my head, it clocked that if I were ever to write a book it would be called: “The Man Who Interrupted the President”.

How are you creating change in your place of practice?

Systemic shifts are not a switch-on/off thing. It has to happen gradually. It happens consistently and deliberately over time.

A lot of people think that the masterclass is for moderators. It’s for anyone who wants to know how to speak. The overall goal is as simple I would love Africans to take up spaces loudly.

How has storytelling changed from the media house to being independent?

During Covid-19 at the BBC, we were told to join a team and tell stories in a creative way. Of course I carried that with me and now things have transitioned to social media where you can tell your own stories but still with a journalism mindset.

What keeps you grounded?

As you continue to add a year, you realise that happiness draws away from you because of responsibilities but if you go back to the basics, you get back to what made you happy in the first place. I love doing lots of physical activities, working out, dancing. Your health comes first.

Then family. Whatever I put out on social media I always think about what my family will think about it, and of course God. I’m a firm believer that nothing happens by chance.

How do you negotiate for your paycheck?

When I started moderating I had no idea how to price it. Coming back to Kenya I realized I had very little connection to the moderation network. My first gig was Ksh.75,000 and my manager wanted 25%. That happened over time then I took over from there. We’ve had cheques that go up to $10,000 sometimes $2,000.

What next for Georgie?

This year, I had promised myself that I would launch a product and a service. The service is already out, the masterclass, and hoping the product will happen by August (birthday).

To be fair, for the book, there are some chapters I have written the titles like chapter 33, which was my best year. So I know what’s there.