Comfort Mordi, is an award winning public speaker, consultant, and emcee. She has trained several people on the art and business of public speaking. In this interview session with our correspondent, Mercy Ezeokonkwo, she shares how young people can pursue their passion, how personal development has helped her build her brand and practical steps to remaining relevant. Excerpts:
Briefly introduce yourself
My name is Comfort Olamide Mordi. I’m a corporate event emcee, an award winning public speaker, trainer, consultant, and expert. I’ve emceed several conferences and events and I always make every event I host memorable while helping the host meet their needs.
Through my public speaking training, I’ve been able to help over 1,500 individuals overcome the fear of Public Speaking, build healthy self-esteem, find themselves, and become effective global communicators. I’ve been able to achieve this through several invitations to speak and train and also through my Public Speaking Academy ” Speaking to Stardom” where we’ve had students from different continents in the world including a Harvard alumnus.
Aside from teaching public speaking and helping people overcome their fear of public speaking, stage fright, and ineffectiveness in communication, I also help teach and train Public Relations (PR), Customer Care Management, Effective Organizational Communication, Content Strategy, Public Speaking, and Personal Development to brands and organizations. Recently, I facilitated training on Customer Care Management and Effective Organizational Communication at the Silver Bird Group, Lagos Island, and Ikeja respectively. I’ve also trained members of several consulting firms and NGOs like Smile Planet and Peculiar Generations Foundation.
I’m also a creative writer and storyteller for brands. I help brands tell stories to build relatability with their target audience and grow their influence, profit, and impact.
How do you keep up to date in your field?
I’m a very intuitive person and I love to read a lot. Because I’m building a brand and business around communication, storytelling, leadership, etc. I take my time to study industry trends and use statistics to predict new trends and project the future in my industry.
I also follow industry leaders and I mediate a lot. In a world where there are lots of distractions, you need to learn how to starve those distractions so that you can constantly stay on top and remain relevant.
I also do not take personal development with levity. I spend heavily on acquiring knowledge, new skills, and putting myself in certain networks that will help me access superior knowledge and information.
What are the lessons from your experience in the communication industry?
In my experience in the communication industry, I’ve learned several valuable lessons. Firstly, effective communication is not just about what you say but also how you say it and the effect it has on your audience. Secondly, staying updated with industry trends and technologies is essential for staying competitive. Adaptability and the ability to tailor your communication style to different audiences are skills that have proven invaluable.
To anyone having a hard time going after their passion, what would you advise?
I’d advise such a person to take time to reflect on what truly excites and motivates them, understand why this particular passion matters to you. Also set specific, achievable goals related to your passion. This will give you a sense of direction and purpose.
Most importantly, start small. Don’t feel pressured to make drastic changes overnight. Begin by dedicating a small amount of time each day or week to your passion; learn continuously, invest in learning and skill development related to your passion. The more you know, the more confident you’ll become.
Seek Support. Connect with like-minded individuals or mentors who can offer guidance, encouragement, and advice.
How have you been able to maintain relevance?
Like I earlier said, I take my personal development seriously. I read a lot, study, and also pay for knowledge. If I need to acquire any skill no matter how expensive I’ll put it in my budget. As a creator and someone who’s building an audience online, it’s easy to fall into the trap of constantly giving out information without refilling your well of knowledge. To stay relevant, I feed myself as much as I give because I believe that you cannot give what you don’t have.
I also use my intuition and apply my creative senses, and I also do my best to remain authentic. To stay relevant you must be creative and authentic. I make sure that as much as I try to understand and predict trends, I do not forget my edge- what makes me stand out. I do not want to just be another face in the crowd. I also do my best to touch lives and help people see the light and embrace true transformation. People might forget everything you do but they’ll never forget how you helped transform their lives. In all that I do, whether teaching, training, or creating content, I do my best to be original, and creative, and I always build depth.
What advice do you have for young people who seek to become relevant?
If you want to be relevant, you must first find yourself. You cannot attain relevance without understanding who you are. You need clarity of purpose.
After gaining clarity, you need to become a person who can attract relevance. You can do this by getting the right skills, developing yourself, understanding your creative and winning edge, building depth, and making sure you leave an indelible mark of value on everyone whose path crosses yours. Also, build tenacity because it’s not going to be an easy journey to relevance. No matter how many times you fall, rise again. Refuse to stay hidden! Most importantly, you need Jesus. He lifts men and he can lift you.
