I recently presented at Kaltura Connect a tech conference at Lincoln Center. It was a whirlwind trip, as they all are, and to tell you the truth I felt a little bit out of my league giving a big presentation at a tech conference. While technology plays a huge role in my life in large part due to my business, I am and have always been a filmmaker, not a techie. Not only was I feeling out of my element, but I also happened to be pretty much one of the only female presenters.
It was a great trip and I met a lot of people, running between the conference and investor meetings for 2 days. Of all the people I met all weekend, one person I will never forget was someone completely unexpected. She was the wife of a vendor with whom I will probably never do any business. After giving my presentation she introduced herself.
“I just wanted to say thank you,” she said. “You got me interested in everything my husband does for the first time ever. I feel like I finally understand it. Before, it was just technology talk and now I understand how it fits into our lives.”
It was the greatest compliment. She didn’t have a card, she didn’t want mine, and she wasn’t trying to pitch her husband. She just wanted to thank me for helping her better understand the role of technology in our lives.
You never know when what you say will resonate with someone. We all hear things differently and find value in things depending on internal factors. This conversation made my day. Finally, I wasn’t sticking out like a sore thumb in a summer dress; I was exactly where I belonged, if even just to get through to this one woman.