Ask me one question and I’ll probably answer with three of my own. My favourite word at the age of three was “why”. Not much has changed since. My curiosity took me into journalism, where asking questions is literally the job.

Eight years later, I had learnt something unexpected: finding the answer is only half the work. What really matters is how you tell it, so that people actually want to listen. That insight led me into communications and, this summer, to the meet ETH team at ETH Zurich.

Many hats, one mindset

My first weeks have been all about wow² Space, our big event coming up 31 October to 1 November. Publishing content for new website system, creating a printed flyer or briefing an external team for a highlight video: on paper, these tasks look very different. What they have in common is that none of them worked without bringing people together and finding solutions, sometimes even under time pressure. Neither the website launch nor the print date for the flyer was going to move. Each time, I could draw on what I’ve learnt in very different places: newsrooms, corporate communications and, perhaps for some surprisingly, an aircraft cabin.

Asking questions at 30,000 feet

Alongside my work at ETH, I fly as a freelance flight attendant for Swiss. It’s my passion, and it teaches me a lot I bring to the office. Every flight means a new crew and a plane full of new faces. That takes teamwork, patience and flexibility. And, yes, questions: asking a guest or a colleague the right one often leads to the solution. Whenever I introduce myself to new people, I mention my passion for flying. Almost every time, the questions follow, and for once, I’m the one answering them. Often, that’s how a quick introduction turns into a real conversation. I’ve realised that a personal passion is something that connects people and stays with them once you dare to share it. But you only dare when you feel safe.

Safety first, on board and off

In the cabin, safety always comes first. It turns out the same is true for teams. During my CAS in Women Leading Digital at the HWZ in Zurich, psychological safety was one of the topics – and for me the most important one.

It’s the foundation of any working relationship: the shared belief that you can speak up, ask questions or make mistakes without being judged. I’ve also experienced how much energy it takes when you’re not sure how much of yourself to show. That taught me how much trust shapes the way people work together. At meet ETH, I’ve felt that trust from day one: I can simply be myself, curious, enthusiastic and slightly nerdy.

Looking back on my first weeks, I’ve learnt new names, new processes and roughly a thousand new acronyms. I still get lost in the main building from time to time. But above all, I’ve learnt that I’m in the right place. I still haven’t stopped asking questions. Luckily, at ETH, that’s exactly what’s expected.

On 31 October and 1 November, wow² Space returns to ETH Zurich with new perspectives, new experiences and new opportunities to explore some of humanity’s biggest questions.