Mastering Public Speaking and Interviewing: Insights from Kafui Dey

What happens when broadcasting veteran Kafui Dey sits on the other side of the interview table? Pure wisdom, delivered with disarming authenticity and remarkable clarity.

Kafui takes us through his remarkable journey—from shipping industry executive to becoming one of Ghana's most respected broadcasters and public speakers. The conversation flows naturally through memories of his childhood surrounded by music, the profound impact of losing his brother Sena and mother, and how these experiences shaped his philosophy that "when I have to do something, I do it now."

His career path reveals an uncommon persistence. While many struggle with job hunting, Kafui sent 100 handwritten applications when starting out, receiving just three responses. For years, he balanced his corporate shipping career with part-time broadcasting before making the bold decision at age 40 to pursue media full-time. "I didn't see myself chasing secondhand clothing importers for another 20 years," he explains with characteristic straightforwardness.

The episode delivers practical gold when Kafui shares his STAGE method for conquering public speaking anxiety—a framework developed through decades of experience. Equally valuable are his interviewing principles learned from studying Larry King: ask short questions, listen carefully, and follow up. These aren't just broadcasting techniques but transferable skills for meaningful human connection.

Throughout the conversation, Kafui's simplicity and humility shine through—qualities he attributes to his parents who taught him that "people will do just about anything for you if you make them feel the right way." His father's wisdom particularly resonates: "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well."

Ready to transform your own approach to communication, career transitions, or life philosophy? Listen now and discover why Kafui Dey's insights have influenced thousands across Ghana and beyond.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Kafui Dey
• 3:30 Childhood Memories and Brother Relationship
• 12:12 Reflections on Loss and Mortality
• 24:40 Career Evolution and Job Hunting
• 33:11 Breaking into Broadcasting and TV
• 49:12 Transitioning to Full-time Media Career
• 54:58 Overcoming Stage Fright: The STAGE Method
• 1:07:52 The Art of Interviewing: Key Principles
• 1:16:11 Life Advice and Personal Philosophy

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

People who are nervous and shy think that it's all about them. And it's like looking on your phone the person who sees you focus your attention on your audience. And Sena was like a big guy. His death was like a deep shock to me. My wife was going to do an event there. We went to check out the place. When we got to the Dodowa Road I was thinking should we just drive down to Adenta to say hello to the old lady? And myself I said you know? Ah well, no problem, we can talk to her another time. We went back the same route and then in the night of that day when we died, when I have to do something, I do it now what was the?

Speaker 1: 0:34

plan growing up. What did you want to become? I wanted to be a pilot when I was a small boy and then at some point when I got to secondary school, I wanted to be a doctor. But then my results came out after the O levels.

Speaker 2: 0:43

My best grade it was a D in chemistry top five tips for someone who is trying to go into interviewing people the first three come.

Speaker 1: 0:53

If you're calm, you're less likely to be nervous. How do you relax?

Speaker 2: 1:05

Hello and welcome to Connected Minds Podcast.

Speaker 1: 1:07

My name is.

Speaker 2: 1:08

Derek Abaite, and yeah, I'm glad to have you here again, and if you make it to the end of this episode, don't forget to leave a comment below and let me know you are one of the people that are connected.

Speaker 1: 1:23

Remember, on the 29th of.

Speaker 2: 1:24

August at the British Council, we have our first live event coming up. This seminar is not just for people who have businesses. Everyone can attend the session and it's happening at 3 pm at the British Council in Accra. So I'm going to leave all the details in the description so you can get yourself a seat at the event.

Speaker 2: 1:48

It's going pretty fast, so don't miss out. So today I'm speaking to somebody who has well over 20 years experience in broadcasting host event journalism. Look this man. I don't even know what sort of questions I'm going to ask, because there's a lot of nerves here. He's done it. This is what he does for a living. I mean, what question am I gonna ask this man that he's not gonna have a quality answer to? He spends his life also interviewing people, but today, who is interviewing the interviewer? Let's make it happen. Stick with me and stay here. If you have been a lover of what mr kafu day does, then you need to be here to watch this episode from now all the way to the end. And I'd like to say welcome him to connected minds podcast. My name is derrick abaiti and you are welcome to my studio it's a pleasure der Very happy to be here.

Speaker 2: 2:45

I have to say this story If I don't say it. I'm not being appreciative enough. You've been very receptive to my phone call, to my messages, and you've advised me so much since you've been here today. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1: 3:03

It's a pleasure. I really appreciate it, Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity.

Speaker 2: 3:05

Yeah and I'd like my viewers to know that you didn't make it as hard for me as it has been for other people. You know you made me understand that yes, little one, you also need to learn and I'm here to support you. So I appreciate that. Let's start from the beginning. That young man growing up how was home like?

Speaker 1: 3:30

So my earliest memory is playing with my big brother. My father bought us a car and I would sit inside the car and my brother would push me. The age gap between me and my big brother was one year five months. I say was because he passed five years ago. And so my mother says when I was in the stomach, my brother refused to walk. He walked on the day I was born. On the day I was born, my grandma was living with us. She said hey, young man, your time is over, your kingship is over, get up. Born On the day I was born, my grandma was living with that and said young man, your time is over, your kingship is over, get up. And then I got up and he started walking. I mean, when she said, get up, then he walked. That was the day I was born. We lived in different places. My father worked in Senegal. My big brother was born in Senegal. He worked in Burkina. I was born in Burkina. We lived in Abidjan and came back to Ghana for a while. So a lot of movement. I remember a lot of movement when I was growing up, a young man.

Speaker 1: 4:38

Another memory I have is a school in South Labadee Estate and it's still there. I remember there were tires that had been stuck into the ground and the children would jump over the tires to play. And those tires are still there. In fact, I'm going to take a photo one day and just post it on my socials. So happy moments. We always had a piano in the house. Our father was a musician. He played organ in school and he composed as well. I always had a piano in the house. Our father was a musician, he played organ in school and he composed as well. I always had a piano. So everywhere I lived, there was always a piano in the house. And guess what? Now, everywhere I go, I have a piano in my house because, my father taught us you know all of us so good memories.

Speaker 1: 5:19

movement music, I would say.

Speaker 2: 5:23

How was your relationship with your brother? Like my big brother.

Speaker 1: 5:28

He always looked out for me, even when I was older, and there's a picture of me and him standing. He's holding my hand and I'm wearing girls shoes let me give you the story.

Speaker 1: 5:37

So I think my mother was expecting a girl, right. So she bought the stuff ready for a girl and then I popped out and I'm sure the headman says what, you are still going to wear those shoes. So I'm wearing these girl's shoes, looking kind of cute, and he's holding my hand. He looked out for me, and not only for me, he looked out for so many other people, because when he passed, first of all I got a couple of surprises. I realized that a lot of the friends that I had were common to him, and then the people who expressed like pure grief. It just overwhelmed me.

Speaker 1: 6:15

And then I found out that he was doing all kinds of things to help people out. You know he'd jump on a bus and travel all the way to Wa to go and visit one of our family friends, auntie Mary Bapuru. She's a retired nurse. So Santa would do that. Santa would turn up at somebody's party, help these. There's a charity that looks out for premature babies and Santa was like a big guy who was like part of the fundraising activities and things. So his death was like a huge guy who was like part of the fundraising activities and things, his death was like a huge shock to me. I remember when he died we were called over to the house, carried his body to the morgue at the teaching hospital, and then I got back home and then couldn't sleep, woke up in the morning I said Sana died. Really, how? It's something that, um, I don't understand and it's still.

Speaker 1: 7:13

I get memories of them because I'll be on a walk and then somebody comes up to me and says, ah, Sana.

Speaker 1: 7:19

I said no, it's not Sana, it's, it's Kafui, because we looked alike and we spoke alike and everything. And I get reminders every day. You know, if there's a song that will end, then it reminds me of him. There's a particular cool Ngan song. Time I hear it, I think of Senna, yeah, and he had a lot of impact on people. A lot of impact on people and, yeah, I think he was. I think I appreciate him even more after he passed, which is a crazy thing to say, but I mean, that's how it is. Sometimes I feel guilty that, oh, charlie, I could have, and he was very proud of me, you know, very, very proud of me, because anywhere I went and then I was with him, he said, oh, that's my kid brother, you know. And I kept thinking, but why, I'm old enough, why are you call me a kid brother? But I realized that a younger brother is always a younger brother to an older brother, you know, and that was his way of showing his, like, the love for me and everything. A great guy, a great guy, yeah, really, really great guy, yeah yeah, those are really beautiful memories that you

Speaker 2: 8:18

have of him, but something that really, you know, hit me hard while you were speaking was the fact that you are a very nice man, in the sense that you know the things you do for people, and he seemed to also be that type of a person. Where did you?

Speaker 1: 8:35

learn that from Our parents our parents, our parents, my mother, my father. Apart from us, I have two other brothers. Yeah, I was number two out of four our parents ever since we were young, when we were in Ghana, we always had somebody staying with us. It could be our auntie, it could be our grandma, it could be relatives who come to stay for the holidays, and I guess that comes from the old style of family where you had not just a nuclear family but extended family, always part of you you know, and just my mom was kind to people you know,

Speaker 1: 9:14

There was a young girl who came to live with us when we were in Adenta who got pregnant by one of the boys around, and all my mother's friends in the snit flats told her to let the girl go. She's gotten pregnant, let her go. And my mom says, no, I'll keep her and when the baby comes we will look after the baby. That baby is now in the first year of university. Yes, my mother has passed now 13 years, 12 years. I was able to help her mother the pregnant one who had a child go to school. She's now a caterer, you know, and my mother just made sure that we supported her all the way to now, you know. So she was a very kind person, and my father too was. He respected everybody.

Speaker 1: 10:06

Remember, on the day of his after he died, I would meet people who would say oh okay, they've been listening to me on GTV and they're wondering am I related to Mr Day, foreign Affairs? I say yes, oh, they almost like break down. I said, that man was a good man. He used to say hello to us at the security gate. You know, when he comes to work he has time for us and he helps people out.

Speaker 5: 10:30

And so I think it's all that.

Speaker 1: 10:32

My parents were wonderful people. They showed you how to deal with human beings. Remember one? Rasta friend of mine, may he rest in peace came to visit us at home in Adenta. When he knocked on the door, my father was in the hall. So he tells me that. So my father says, okay, come in. Who are you looking for? He says Khafi. So Khafi's in the room, so he'll be here soon. I spent like 10 minutes when I come out, my father having a hearty chat, you know.

Speaker 1: 10:59

And so we leave and he says, ah, charlie, you're old man, I don't know. Say be, be Charlie, cool like that. I said, why so Charlie?

Speaker 5: 11:08

me and I I feel like I should enter the room and he go.

Speaker 1: 11:10

he go sack me because of my dreads. I said no, my father is not like that. You know my father deals the kind of people they were and I'm sure it affected us, because my brothers are all very outgoing Senyo after me, and then Victor Koshi the musician they're all like that. Yeah, I think Senyo was like an extreme version of my parents together. You know, like pro max, pro max, pro max. You know. But we're all very people, people. So I'm not surprised that I'm a host, a TV presenter, an interviewer, because we like people.

Speaker 2: 11:42

Yeah yeah. You know, when you're growing up, probably before the age of eight or nine, when people in the family pass away at that age, you don't feel it as much. No, you don't, In fact. Nothing comes to your mind.

Speaker 1: 12:07

You can't understand death at age, at that age.

Speaker 2: 12:09

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 12:11

And you think it's only old people who die.

Speaker 2: 12:13

But as you're growing up, it gets closer and closer and closer and closer to you.

Speaker 1: 12:19

How does that change your perspective about life? I never knew anybody who died until, okay, so I was nine. I was nine when my grandfather died. My father's father died, I mean, we went to the village for the funeral. I don't remember anything. And I was nine, okay, so that was probably the first person I knew who had died, but it didn't mean anything to me because I had known him barely a year, I mean, between the ages of four and nine. We went off to China. My father was posted to China and we came back in 1980 and he died in 1981. You know, I don't really remember him. I only remember stories my father told me about my father, about his father. So the funeral was a blur.

Speaker 1: 13:02

When our grandma died in 89, I was then 18, went to the village. I don't remember feeling sad or anything. The person whose death really shocked me was my mom, because then, in 2013, I was 41, going to 42. And on the day that she was going to choose dying, she was going to die. I didn't, of course, I didn't know that she was going to die. That day. We lived in Afenya, so we took the back route from Afenya to to Dodowa. There's a hotel on the Dodowa road, I think Dodowa Forest or something, cause my wife was going to do an event there in the coming weeks, so we went to check out the place.

Speaker 1: 13:48

When we got to the Dodua Road, I was thinking should we just drive down to Adenta to say hello to the old lady. Then me myself I said you know well, no problem, we can talk to her another time. And we went back the same route and then in the night of that day mommy died. Yeah, so now when I have to do something, I do it. Now you think of somebody. You call the person. Oh Charlie, the last time I see this guy, he cheers more go visit the people because you don't know really. I mean, God willing, these things will work out. He chases us. The last time I see this guy, he chases more. Go visit the people Because you don't know really. I mean, God willing these things will work out. But things can also not work out, you understand. So yeah, that changed me.

Speaker 2: 14:35

So I remember when I spoke with you, I think yesterday yes, I WhatsAppped you, and then the message I got back was God willing yes. Always. He just said it. Yes. Always. And then I heard I read God willing.

Speaker 1: 14:50

Yes, it kept me thinking, yeah, always, for a very long time, always. We don't even know whether we're going to eat for supper tonight. At least I don't know. So we don't know the future really. So, god willing, god is a controller of time. He holds the time in his hands. You know, we're just passing through. There's always a beginning, there's an end.

Speaker 1: 15:09

You know, when they write your, your birth date and your death, they're like my father is 1940 to 2015. So 1940, he didn't even know. He just came to. He came as a result of his parents coming together. But your life starts. The dash between the two dates is your life. Yes, 1940 to 2015. The dash what are we doing with the dash? You know, because the end date we don't know. You know, the end date we don't know and the beginning date we had no control over, you know. So what we can, we can work on is the dash, you know. So do what you can. Do it well. Father of a good friend of mine, this is Vincent Assise. He used to be like a communications person for the NDC many years ago.

Speaker 1: 15:57

And his son is my very good friend. He says it is better for you to do something and forget that you have done it than for you to not do it and then suddenly remember that, eh anu duamu. It's better for you to do it and forget that you have done it than to not do it and then suddenly remember that eh anu duamu. And so do it now. I like the Nike slogan just do it, just do it, yes. And I do it now. I like the nike slogan just do it, just do it yes.

Speaker 2: 16:28

And I'll add now you can just do it later on, but just do it now, yeah, and then your career?

Speaker 1: 16:37

at what point did you think this is what I want to do? I have done different things in my life. Um, let me see my first job. What I got paid for this is going way back, okay. So so I finished university in 1990. I was no 1993, so I was 21, going to 22. And because I play piano, I went up to various hotels. So I've played in various hotels. I've played in the Golden Chilli, which is now Lancaster. I've played in various hotels. I've played in Golden Chilli, which is now Lancaster. I've played in Labade Beach Hotel. I've played in a little Thai restaurant in airport residential area. It's now a residential area, no longer a hotel a residential space

Speaker 1: 17:19

yes, so I just play. You know the kind of music where you play in lounge on. I just play. You know the kind of music where you play in the lounge, on the lounge, in the lounge, on the piano where people are having their drinks. You don't play too loud so you don't disturb them, but you play something that is recognizable so that people can enjoy themselves with their drinking. So I did that. God paid for that. Okay, let me back it up a bit.

Speaker 1: 17:36

When I was in university, I was a translator's assistant to my father, my father. My father was a translator french to english. Okay, yes, and so he would get these documents from fao and I would help him to translate them, and this is the interesting thing. So we translate, he sends it off to the people, they bring the check to him and then he comes and says, okay, so, um, I've been paid. How many pages did you do of translation? I said, okay, I did 50 pages. Okay, so the rate is $10 per page. So 10 times 50 is what I said 500. So that was my dad. Yeah, he'd pay you for the work you have done because you've worked with him. I assisted him. He was very open about it. So I think that was probably my first job and I was in university too. I used to sell shit off of my mother. So my mother was a caterer and she made shit off, you know, and would put it in the bottles and I would go to come over and put it on the pot as large and then just market it, you know. So I used to sell shit off for her and that was purely voluntary. I think I was paid in Shito or good meals from the old lady, you know. Yeah, so for the cash that came from my dad with the translating job.

Speaker 1: 18:52

And then when I finished university, I finished national service, I think I did some interpretation work in Ibri. So some of us language graduates who spoke French because it was an international conference One of my friends also spoke French and Spanish, but I did French and we went off to Ebrie and we did interpretation for the guests there and got paid, and then I added a piano staff to it as well, before I got my first job, which was a salesman with a building maintenance company called AccuWorks. My boss was my senior in school, when I was in Form 1 in 1983, he was in upper sixth, so six years gap and I remember I had, after university, after national service. I did national service at the French department, University of Ghana. After I decided, you know, I want to service at the French department at the University of Ghana. After I decided, you know, I want to go into the corporate world.

Speaker 1: 19:47

So I wrote letters. I wrote at least 100 letters, 100. And back in the day, in 94, 95, that means I didn't have a computer. So you go to the comm center, communication center, and then you would have written your letter in longhand. You give it to the person, they'll type it. You look at it, it's good, you print it out and then you envelope them and you go to the post office and you post, and you post, and you post, and you post, and you post, and you post, and you post, and you post, and you post, and you.

Speaker 1: 20:22

So for me it's really interesting and funny when I hear people somebody gets my number, my number is everywhere, it's on Instagram. They'll call me and say, charlie, I'm looking for a job. I want to tap into your network. If you can recommend me for a job, I say, fine, yeah, it's okay, I can do that. But what have you done? How are you also looking for a job. The guy says, oh, I got laid off in April, yeah, so we are in July now. So how many applications have you sent out? A grand total of one, two, three Between April and July. The person sent out three applications. In an era where you have LinkedIn, you have internet, you have your own, I'm sure you have all the technology and you sent out one letter a month and you are looking for a job. I sent out a hundred in a month. Guess how many responded? Three, three percent. Some of them responded after.

Speaker 5: 21:25

I got my first job Right.

Speaker 1: 21:25

Yeah. So I was sending out these letters and my senior comes up to me and says oh, what are you doing? I said, well, I'm looking for a job, so I'm sending out applications. He said, well, I've just opened a company, so if you're interested, I'm looking for a salesman to train. That was my first job.

Speaker 1: 21:37

I was a salesman, a trainee salesman with with two other guys, another fellow vandal, commonwealth Hall, and then somebody from tech, katanga. So two vandals and a Katagi in the office stressing out our boss. So it was a partnership our boss, my senior and his partner, a lady. And that was the first time I was actually working for a woman and we didn't understand why the woman should give me as orders. How old were we? Like 24 years, years, 23, 24. Yeah, uh, we stressed it a lot.

Speaker 1: 22:10

I crashed my first car. It wasn't actually my car, it was a company car. I hadn't learned how to drive. Well, wow, went and crashed the car. I think my boss gave me a royal knock on my head. I think he was scared that I was going to kill myself, so he was relieved that I didn't die.

Speaker 1: 22:27

But I also learned how to use a computer for the first time, how to make a sales call, and this job was quite dangerous looking at it, because we had to climb buildings and look for faults on the roofs. What we saw was a roof system, a system that took care of cracks in the roof, so you'd paint over the cracks like a paint and then it kind of sealed the cracks. Product was called Swepco, yes, so we learned how to make proposals, look for clients, go visit them, make presentations and then when we get the job, we'd supervise those who are going to do the installation. Yeah, so it meant climbing a lot of roofs. I don't think there's any tall building in Accra that I haven't climbed. I see the Golden Tulip roof. When I climbed it I was on top of the Golden Tulip roof, which is now Lancaster, and I was watching the trotters going by from Adelta to Accra and I was thinking what if mommy, on her way to Accra, just passes by, looks to the right and sees her dearly beloved son on the roof when she had a heart attack when her asthma come back? We climbed the post office roof, climbed the roofs at Sakomono, all those estate roofs, kiseman. We climbed those. I fell through one in North Industrial Area, yeah, but didn't get to the ground.

Speaker 1: 23:51

Yeah, good adventure, though, and meeting people, just getting into the whole corporate world. That was my first job and that lasted for about six months, and I got a new job at a shipping company that took me to Kumasi so this shipping company, where I was trained in Takaradi for six months, and that was great. My father sent me off to Takaradi and I had to go and stay with one of his classmates, so I had this beautiful place in the residence in Western region where, when you get up in the morning, you open your door, you can see the sun coming out of the sea. It's beautiful. What a beautiful sight. The second day was beautiful, and I was working in Takarade for six months and I came back to Temma, did six months, and then I was shipped off to Kumasi to go and open the new office, and that's how come I got my break into professional radio commercial radio because I got to kumasi september 96 and then capital radio opened in in july 97.

Speaker 1: 24:54

But really, what was the plan growing up? What did you want to become? I wanted to be a pilot. When I was a small boy, every ghanaian boy my age wanted to be a pilot. I think even now. And then at some point when I got to secondary school I wanted to be a doctor. But then my results came out after the O levels and I don't think I did very well in the sciences. My best grade, I think, was a, b in chemistry and I had Cs in biology and physics. And we came back. I did that in the UK. We came back to Archimedes School. Archimedes School didn't want to give me science because it wasn't competitive. And the UK we came back to Archimedes School. Archimedes School didn't want to give me science because it wasn't competitive.

Speaker 1: 25:28

And so I ended up doing economics. Literature and French Economics was a new subject entirely for me, but because I was good at maths, it kind of worked. Wanted to be a doctor, so that they changed. And then when I finished University of Ghana, I flattered the idea of being like a lecturer. And then, when I finished University of Ghana, I fled with the idea of being like a lecturer. But then, when money is running out, you have to look for a job that will pay you money. So I started applying for every company in Ghana all the banks, all the airlines, all the government institutions. In fact, vra accepted me after I had gotten my second job in Takaradi. Oh right, yeah. But I ended up in Kumasi, which was great.

Speaker 1: 26:09

I was in Kumasi for three years and that exposed me to radio, because I joined the radio station. But I was a salesman as well, traveling as far as Sampa. Sampa is where you can look out and see Cote d'Ivoire. And I was chasing cashew exporters, because as a salesman, you're looking for business for the ships that call in Temma and Takradi. So for the exporters, you're looking at Cashew people, you're looking at Coco people, you're looking at Timber people. For the importers, you're looking at people who are bringing in used cars, used clothing from the Far East. So a and it was a multinational French company. So yeah, so I was doing my radio part-time with that job.

Speaker 2: 26:47

How did you get into the radio, like what happens? Yeah, I went for audition.

Speaker 1: 26:52

I mean, my background came from university. Second year university somebody set up a pirate station on campus. We thought it was legit, but later on I found out it was a pirate station. So the transformer kept moving, the transmitter kept moving. If the authorities felt that it was here, then they would come, then the people would move. So when it got to Commonwealth Hall I volunteered to be a DJ on the show. So I had a show where you do requests for people, so somebody from this hall wants a song for this person from this hall now play music. So I started out as a music DJ. Okay, yes.

Speaker 1: 27:23

And then when I got to Kumasi in 96, 97, we heard that there was a new radio station coming to town. So I went for an audition. So Capital Radio went for an audition and I passed the audition and so I got a job. But I was working full time as a shipping guy, so I used to work maybe six to eight on the radio station, Go and do my work At lunchtime. I'll come at the radio station between 12 and one, do whatever I had to do. Then I'll go and close from the office at five and then come back to the office at the station again and come and do me two or three hours. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 27:55

So I was doing about maybe seven hours part-time in addition to my full-time job.

Speaker 2: 28:01

Your part-time job as a what as full-time job, your part-time job as a what as a?

Speaker 1: 28:03

I was a presenter on the morning show. Okay, I composed jingles for the station, ids for Capital Radio. I composed like commercial music for brands. So I remember Latex Foam had an advert. I needed an advert, we did it for them. Daku Farms I wrote the music, composed it, sang, composed it, sang it, put the message in it, sold it to them. They took it. So I was doing that. We were doing promotions, presenting promotions, music for the station.

Speaker 2: 28:32

Yeah, so that was what I was doing and you learned all of this on the job.

Speaker 1: 28:34

Yes, on the job, also my presenting. I'll never forget Dr Fox. So Dr Fox was a presenter of the UK Top 30. This is a chart show from the UK and Kapita really subscribed to Dr Fox, so they would send the CDs to Kumasi. We would play the show on Saturdays in the afternoon. Then I would go to the library with my friend, kosi Asise and we would take the CDs that we had just played. Go back home, listen to the guy. How did he introduce his show? How did he blend the music? How did he get interesting information about the people that were singing? So my education on presenting came from Dr Fox. I'm telling you no lie If I meet that guy I'll buy him a beer. Wow.

Speaker 2: 29:20

So that still used to work in those days where you were basically learning based on experience.

Speaker 1: 29:26

So I found a mentor and I keep telling young people who really want your. Okay, can I have your number? I want to talk to you. You don't need to have a mentor who is even close to you, because this Dr Fox guy I don't know him, we don't know him. All we had was that the CDs with him presenting his show is what we listen to, and then we can do this, and then we'll apply whatever he did on the show, like there was something that was so nice. So you'll be talking, say the song. You know you speak before the singer starts singing, otherwise you're speaking over lyrics. You don't do that. You shouldn't speak over the lyrics. A lot of our DJs just sing over people's songs. It's not good. So maybe the song starts with like an instrumental intro, and so we would time it and Dr Fox speaks during that instrumental break and then he finishes talking and the music starts singing, the guy starts singing. So we tried it as well and it's perfect.

Speaker 1: 30:16

Perfect. So you have to be very, very, very technical and precise. And we learned all those things from that guy, you know. So that's where I learned how to present yeah, not just a radio, not just a talk, a music show, but also talk show, how to interview, how to discuss, how to get interesting information. This was like the early days of the internet, you know, where you had dial-up services. You know, dial up your before the thing goes through, before you connect, yeah, yeah, yeah, slow connection, yeah, but we did all that, you know, in those hard, we didn't think they were hard, we thought those were exciting times actually, but compared to now those were like hard times, but we still. I wanted to be a really good presenter and look for the best person and just copy him. Copying is allowed in the world. It's only in school that they say if you copy, you copy.

Speaker 2: 30:58

Then they beat. You got the name of this man, but he's an Indian multi-millionaire and his strategy is very simple he just copies Warren Buffett's trading style, but the guy has done it.

Speaker 1: 31:12

What a game. Toyota copied Jeep for a long time before they became. They were copying Jeep cars and Jeep was suing them. They would pay the money and then they would go and copy again. Pepsi copied Coca-Cola, we know, yeah, pepsi copied Coca-Cola. We know, yeah. Yeah, the Chinese car companies are copying the Japanese guys who are on top now. The Japanese copied the Americans. Yes, you know who? Probably copied the Germans or whatever. Yes, it's allowed. So, yeah, I learned from Fox, and so that was my Kumasi time 96 to 99. Came to Accra with Choice FM for 2000, 2001. That's when we were going from a music station to a talk station. So when it's a talk station, then you start interviewing people. Wait, hold on.

Speaker 2: 31:55

At this point, you had made up your mind that you want to be on radio.

Speaker 1: 31:59

No, I was doing all this part-time. Wow, it was a passion that I was just exploring. I see I hadn't made my mind up that I was going to be on radio or be a presenter or interview people.

Speaker 5: 32:10

Because I had a shipping job.

Speaker 2: 32:12

I was a good job, so you still maintained that job while moving from station to station.

Speaker 1: 32:15

Yes, Good job. It was paying me good money. Nice car, you know New car. You know new car. You would drive it when they change it. They'll change it, you know. So that was just doing this on the side. It's a side job, yeah.

Speaker 2: 32:28

Let me stop you here for a minute. If you've been watching this show, I want you to subscribe and become part of the family. We are on a journey of changing the lives of people on this channel and we appreciate you for being here, but if you haven't become part of the family, connect with us. Hit the subscribe button now.

Speaker 1: 32:48

Let's carry on the conversation I hadn't decided I was going to be a real presenter. You know, I thought I was just going to be a commercial, a shipping guy, um, and then, I think, and then, after the choice job, I, I, I got the opportunity to host who wants to be rich? The game show. Yes, so that was just an advert. I saw in the paper while I was still in the shipping. Yes, wow, I had written BFT business, financial times yeah, big black chair on the front. I think they took a whole page. I remember there was a black chair. They said would you like to be the host of the International Game Show? In my mind I said, yeah, of course. Audacity. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I just applied, applied for the audition and did something extra. I think I did a little. They said they wanted me to, in addition to your letter and your CV, show a demo of you presenting something.

Speaker 1: 33:44

I didn't have any because I wasn't in TV yet, you know, but I had a friend called Nana. He used to work with Greetings From Abroad. He's one of the production assistants. He says oh, I can set up a studio for you. We need a blue screen. I said, what's a blue screen? He said, well, we have to go and buy some plenty of blue cloth from Thermal Market. So we went to Thermal Market, come to one, bought blue cloth, covered the screen, covered the whole wall like this, your wall here, end to end up to down. So that became our blue screen.

Speaker 1: 34:06

I stood in front of it and then I presented something. And then at the end I realized why he needed a blue screen. Because because he was going to put graphics on it. It's like a green screen, yeah. So he put graphics on it and I sent it off. Then they called me for the audition. I get to the audition. I'm dressed very sharp, looking like a host. 40 people are there. They all want the same job. Oh, no problem. So I sat down and I started eliminating my competition. So I look at this man and I said, okay, this man is not, he hasn't dressed like a in my head.

Speaker 1: 34:37

He hasn't dressed like a TV host, because I knew what the host looked like. I used to. I did a research online and you're supposed to wear like monochrome color. So if you're wearing, if you're wearing a blue suit, your shirt will be blue, your tie will be gray, your tie will be gray, monochrome one color. So I look at this guy he's yeah, he looks looking good, but it's not a monochrome thing. I said don't take you another guy. I see him. He's wearing like um jacket, no tie. So no, then it would take you. Another guy is wearing like a t-shirt. I said, no, you, you won't do this show. You go wear t-shirt. Everything is happening in my head, so I'm just going through eliminating. Then they call me to come into the room, to come, and you know, show them what I can do. I go and show them, go back home. After a while they call us back for the second round. Now we're only three Eliminated 37. And I said, ah, I knew it. All these guys.

Speaker 5: 35:31

So I wasn't surprised.

Speaker 1: 35:32

I was surprised with the two who had left because I knew that these guys, they looked the part. Yeah, so second round, we do another audition and then they go quiet for like a year. So in that year another friend says you know what? I'm starting a new TV show in parliament. It's called In the House. The company was called Three Heads and a Pen Interesting. And then so I'm the host for that show and we go to parliament, we interview MPs and then they edit it together. On Sundays after 9 o'clock they air it on GTV. So I did that for two months and then the people called me and said ah, we have a final audition we have to do to determine who hosts the show we are going to Nigeria to go and do it, no problem.

Speaker 1: 36:18

So they fly me to Nigeria with my second, my other competitor. Now we are only two and basically we have to do the show with a live audience. Never presented anything to a live audience before. So he goes first and as he goes I'm not supposed to see what he's doing. So they come to me in a room where there's no TV. I'm there twiddling my thumbs and waiting for my temp to come, so he finishes. Then I also go inside. Now he doesn't have to go in because he's done it already and he's not going to learn anything from me. So he watches me and I do my show, and then it's quiet for like a month or so. And then one day I get a call driving around Woolworths and then I think I had some malaria.

Speaker 1: 36:59

B, and so you, congratulations, you are the host of the show. Malaria just disappeared, yeah. So that began a beautiful journey. That was a three, three seasons of who wants to be rich. Oh man, that that show opened, I think like it was like pivotal to my career.

Speaker 1: 37:20

Yeah, because at some point in time I asked the producers but you guys, why did you select me? What was it so, first of all, we wanted somebody who was not on television already, so like a new face. So I paid the bill because I wasn't on television. Then he said, oh, both of already, so like a new face. So I paid the bill because I wasn't on television. Then he said, oh, both of you, the finalists in the audition, you did really well, so we couldn't separate you. So we took it to a tiebreaker. We went to the crew and we asked the crew, of these two guys, who would you like most to work with, and the crew voted for me. And I said why did they vote for me? Because I wanted to know.

Speaker 1: 37:59

He says well, they like the vibe you had with them. You know, because for me it's just, it's the natural thing. So I come into a new place. I try and connect with you very quickly. As an emcee. It's a skill that you have to learn very fast, because it's a room of strangers and you are the person who's supposed to hold everything together. You're supposed to connect them very fast, otherwise the event will be flat. So I come to the studio and before we are on, I'm talking to the camera guy. I say Charlie, so how long have you been? And I speak PJ. Charlie says so, this job, how long are you doing for so? So, in this camera, how you do, I mean how you learn I'm going to talk to the editor, I'm going to talk to this guy. So I'm kind of forming like little friendships, and I still do it when I'm emceeing. So if I'm emceeing an event that starts at nine, I'll be there at maybe 8, 30 or 8, and when the guests come in, I'll be introducing myself to them, say hi, my name is kafi, I'm your emcee, what are you expecting from today's show? And your name is. Then they tell me their name, then we have a little chat about what they're expecting. You will see it when we do the Connected Mass. Wow, that's incredible, right. So you get them on your side before the event starts. It's just. It's just icebreakers. I think I learned it from my dad. Let me tell you my dad, the story of my dad, so story of my dad. So I used to.

Speaker 1: 39:16

We went out somewhere in Accra, it was a very hot day, and on the way back he says you know what? Would you like? An ice cream? I said yeah, of course, yeah, please. So we entered this ice cream parlor on the ring road and the attendant was very, in a very bad mood, very mood, very silly, unresponsive, not smiling. My father says hello, good afternoon, good afternoon. Father was in phase. He said well, can I have two ice creams? Please Make them as beautiful as you. Hey, you should have been there to see the transformation. Man, the woman's face, just it's like a sunflower opening up. She had this gorgeous smile and she started heaping the ice cream Vroom, vroom, heap, heap. She went. She probably gave us two ice creams for the price of one. Then my father gave that to me. Then she heap, heap, heap, heap, give that to my father. And then we decided to sit down and eat the ice cream.

Speaker 1: 40:19

Just as I was about to take my first group, my father said hold on a second, what did you just see? I said, well, I see ice cream. What about myself? I said, well, never forget this. People will do just about anything for you. If you make them feel the right way, they can do anything. They will lie down, they will roll, they will go with you to the ends of the earth if you can make them feel the right way. And then I never forgot that lesson. Connecting with people is something that I think is one of my strengths, and I learned it from observation and I practice it too. I can get people to open up, yeah, and it helps as an interviewer, because you get people talking. They'll talk and they say but I didn't even mean to say all this stuff, but you said it, you know, but I said it it's because of the questions, you know, yeah.

Speaker 1: 41:09

So so, so, so that was an experience never to forget and, since you've mentioned your dad in this conversation here, I want to understand when you had that full-time job you were still doing

Speaker 5: 41:23

radio trying to get yourself to be a presenter. What were they thinking? What did they tell you?

Speaker 1: 41:29

Who Wants to Be Rich was because I was in Kumasi. They didn't hear me when I was in Kumasi. So when I came to Accra and I got the audition, I won it. I became a host of who Wants to Be Rich from 2009 to 2012. My mother would let everybody know that her son is on national television. They were proud, you know. They were very proud.

Speaker 2: 41:53

They didn't think. You know, kafu, you want you to be this, that, that, that.

Speaker 1: 41:58

You see, I'm involved in stuff that people look down on, music. Okay, I remember I was in university one day and I went to Groovy Club. Groovy Club used to be in Asalam Down where my father and his age mates used to hang around. So when I got to the Groovy Club, I greeted the people and my father. One of them said ah, is that your son, the band boy? My father said, excuse me, he's not a band boy, he's a musician.

Speaker 1: 42:23

Yes, my father himself was a musician and he knew that the people were trying to demean what he did and I did, you know. So he's not a band in school, a reggae band at University of Ghana. It's called Local Crisis. Rocky Dawoni was in that band. He was our lead vocalist, and then Amaziba's younger brother, yofi Brew, wasn't it? At some point in time, nana Finn was part of the group. Yeah, kofi K, adeyobo Yobai, so many people.

Speaker 1: 42:49

So, so, so, so my father was an artistic person. In fact, I found out later on, after he died, that when he finished he did music up to A level and his plan was to go to get a scholarship and go to a room or somewhere in Venice and go and become a concert pianist, I see, and one of his brothers thought that it wasn't. It wasn't a wise choice. So my younger brother being like a professional jazz musician, I'm sure my father was like living his dream through him. And I came to Adenta, where he lived, and I would find him in his room on his bed and then my brother would be practicing in the hall and you would see this big smile on my father's face. You know, that's how I produced that guy. So my father had no problem with the arts.

Speaker 2: 43:42

No problem. So your parents were very open-minded.

Speaker 1: 43:45

Very open-minded. As long as it's legal, there's nothing wrong with being a musician it's a perfectly. And I used to create jingles. I used to make money from easy stuff. I remember there was a time I wanted to enter the jingle business and the jingles are like the music that you put for, like it's a good life, open up a club, it's a good life. Or I love vitamin C. You put the advertising message in music because people listen to music and remember it long after the product has gone. So I decided I was going to be a jingle composer. So I listened to Joy FM and for every advert with my recorder on, for every advert that didn't have like the original music, they just had a voiceover and somebody's music on it I recorded it and then I create a song out of it.

Speaker 1: 44:33

I will never forget this one. This was from Latex Latex no, this is Interplast. Interplast had a program, a product called Everlast. They still have it, yeah. So I did a jingle for Everlast, like one minute, went to the studio in Temma, recorded it. Can I remember?

Speaker 5: 44:52

it. Welcome to the world, everlast where windows and doors everlast. The right choice for windows and doors. Everlast, everlast, everlast. The right choice for windows and doors, everlast, the whole song with the message in it.

Speaker 1: 45:12

Put it on CD. And then I went to visit the MD of Everlast. There's one thing I was taught as a salesman. Then I went. I went to visit the MD of Everlast. There's one thing I was taught as a salesman. I said as a salesman, when you go into an entire company, look for the top guy. Okay, If he says no, nobody can say yes. Wow, it happens with our interviews too. When we talk to the top guys, we get the result.

Speaker 5: 45:32

That was supposed to happen we get the results Because the guys at the bottom can frustrate you.

Speaker 1: 45:41

So I went to Interplus and I think his name is Mr Haissam Fakhri, md, top guy. I enter his office. He's sitting down by his computer. I introduce myself. I said I'm a jingle composer and I have something I would like him to listen to. I give him the CD. He pops the CD into his machine. One minute I'm quiet listening to him, him listening to the music as well. He finishes, he looks at me and says you did this. I said yes, and then he makes a call. He calls the guy in charge of advertising and says I like it. I see they used it. I charged 9,000 Ghana CDs back then. Okay, when the dollar was one to one.

Speaker 2: 46:30

So that's $9,000.

Speaker 1: 46:33

For me it was ridiculous, because what did I do? I listened to Joy FM. I recorded an advert that was already there with all the information that was. I do. I listened to Joy FM. I recorded an advert that was already there with all the information that was there. Then I went to the studio, paid for some small studio time, recorded this thing, sang everything myself, played all the keyboards, put it on CD and took a trip to Interplast and basically sold him. It was just ridiculous. And people need it. People need their messages to be in people's brains all the time. So that's, and I was doing all this stuff and I was contributing to the house because I remember when I started working, my mother said always buy something small.

Speaker 1: 47:07

When your salary has come, bring it home, whether it's bread or some yellow. Yes, your salary is not for you alone, you know, you know. Yes, your salary is not for you alone. You know it's not for you alone. Make yourself, let people know that there's a worker in the house, you know. So, buy something, buy a gift. Remember the first salary? I bought a gift for my people, my parents and things. Yeah, so my parents had no problem at all. No problem, no problem. They supported my career.

Speaker 2: 47:34

I think that was very much different to some of us growing up.

Speaker 1: 47:37

Yes, I know that's not the norm.

Speaker 2: 47:39

I hear stories that some parents but do you think it's because your dad was so educated as well?

Speaker 1: 47:49

I think he was frustrated from his career. I mean he enjoyed his career as a foreign service officer because it took him around the world. He did it for 20 years. He learned career. I mean he enjoyed his career as a foreign service officer because it took him around the world. He did it for 20 years. He, he lent french so he could join the foreign service and he served in senegal. I served in burkina, seven could have served in china, served in uk, seven, algeria. You know it took us all around with him, you know. So I'm sure he he enjoyed his career. But I'm sure you'd have, you'd have been to have been on a higher level if he had done what he wanted to do, which was the music. The music, yeah, yeah, so, and my parents were. I remember one time before I got married I asked my mom what if I come home with a Chinese? Girl. She says no problem.

Speaker 1: 48:28

If that's the woman you want to marry, go ahead, I'm going to marry the woman for you.

Speaker 2: 48:33

No, no, no.

Speaker 1: 48:33

They're very so. I think it's the not even education in school, but the exposure to different cultures, right, different systems. Because my mother lived in different places. She went with my father on every single posting, which is rare for a lot of foreign service people. They don't go with their families, they go on posting by themselves and then their families are back home. But my father went with my mother every single posting. Maybe he wanted to be sure that his Akpelen would be served every day. Can't go to China and be expecting Akpelen.

Speaker 2: 49:06

But now, at which point did you let that full-time job go and say, now I want to do?

Speaker 5: 49:11

radio TV all this full-time 2012,.

Speaker 1: 49:14

I've done like 17 years as a shipping guy and one day I'm like, I'm reflecting, I'm thinking so I'm now 41?, 40. Yeah, I was 40, going to 41. I was 40. Can I see myself doing this for another 20 years, chasing secondhand clothing importers, chasing timber exporters to put cargo on a ship or bring cargo from wherever? I in no way disrespect those who are in those fields, because we need we are an import-driven country we need secondhand clothing, all that stuff, but I just didn't see myself doing it for the next 20 years, you know. And then I also realized that, because of who wants to be rich, all of a sudden I became more recognizable. You step somewhere and I always have a policy of introducing myself and I hear people say but you don't need to introduce yourself. I say, well, I do need to introduce myself because I also need to know who you are, because I'll say hi, my name is Kafi and you are so, but you don't need to know, huh so so I don't even know, I said well, I need to introduce myself.

Speaker 1: 50:15

I cannot assume that you know who I am. I don't, for once, do that at all.

Speaker 2: 50:20

Let me stop you here for a minute. If you've been watching this show, I want you to subscribe and become part of the family. We are on a journey of changing the lives of people on this channel and we appreciate you for being here, but if you haven't become part of the family, connect with us, hit the subscribe button and let's carry on the conversation.

Speaker 5: 50:41

Your mindset is very interesting. I don't assume it.

Speaker 1: 50:45

I don't assume it. I remember dealing with somebody who thought I should know her. She was a government official back in the early 2000s and I came into the room. It was a studio. I'd come to do some work in the early 2000s and I came into the room. It was a studio where I'd come to do some work in the studio. I greeted everybody and I also greeted her and I said my name is Kafu and you are, and she was visibly shocked because she was expecting me to.

Speaker 1: 51:08

Yeah, no don't assume that people know you. Yeah, do not assume that people know you, you know so. I decided in 2012 that, okay, now I'm getting a lot of recognition, I can actually go full time as an MC Because I have a corporate background too, I can do corporate MC work instead of weddings. Weddings you can only work on Saturdays and Sundays. Most weddings now they're even doing Fridays. Back then it work on Saturdays and Sundays Right, Most weddings. Now they're even doing.

Speaker 1: 51:39

Fridays Back then it was just Saturdays and Sundays it's just Saturdays. The reception is on Saturdays. But if I do corporate work, I can work every day. I can do a launch today, I can do a conference tomorrow, I can do a seminar the next day. You know, the beginning was hard, letting people know that this is what I wanted to do. But once you get a gig with an event planner and the event planner likes you, they will either call you back from that event or recommend you to other people. Yeah, so in 2012, I decided I was going to go straight into full-time, going to be in the events industry, because who Wants to Reach had ended after three years, and so I did that. I remember somebody coming up to me months after I left my shipping, my job. They were about to give me a new cow. They said Chalisa. But how, how? How are you doing? How are you able to? So these events you do, do they pay you money? How are you going?

Speaker 5: 52:29

to do it.

Speaker 1: 52:30

I said, yeah, I very well my time. Listen, an event is three hours, four hours. I wake up in the morning on my own time, go to the event, finish by 12, I'm done. Sometimes I have two events, so one in the morning, one in the afternoon. But of course there are days when there are sometimes maybe for weeks, you don't have anything to do and all of a sudden it comes plenty, so you have to learn to live with. So I think I can live with. I'm not worried about uncertainty. Okay, yes, because in the nature of that work you don't, you don't book every day, so there are days where everything's quiet. But when the things are quiet, that's when you do your marketing. So I was. I used to write like articles in the BFT, business Financial Times about public speaking, because I realized people kept coming up to me and say saying how do you, how do you become less nervous on stage, or how do you deal with stage fright, and so I was writing these articles in the BFT and then I would sign my name. He's an MC, corporate MC telephone number and people were calling me from those articles. It's kind of indirect advertising, yeah, so yeah, 2012 was a big year for me.

Speaker 1: 53:32

I just turned 40. I was 14, 2011. 2011, I was 40. And then, january, I resigned from my shipping job and then I went full-time. I was there till Bulari met me somewhere in 2014 and invited me to come and be the host of Star, the morning show on Star FM. So I was with the EIB group for four years, to 2018, went back to my mc and my training exists. So now when I, when I left eib in 2018, in addition to the mc, I also added training. So I said and I remember my cousin david he gave me like the first opportunity he he got me to come and train members of his association, the Institute of Internet Professionals Ghana, ipgh. So I did a whole training for them and then I started training people one-on-ones group. I still do that, you know, I still do that. Just two days ago I was with another client one-on-one training. Yeah, so I've been doing that.

Speaker 2: 54:30

So I had a message from a young man. Mm-hmm. And he said he's always nervous when approaching people, always. As a matter of fact, that guy came to my first mentorship class and even when he shook my hand, it's wet. It's sweaty, he's not alone. So he said I told him I put in a group that I've got you coming in, yes, and they said they, you coming in yes. And they said they want some tips. Okay, I'll give them five, not just one five, all right.

Speaker 1: 55:03

If you can spell the word stage and I use it for my training you can get the tips S-T-A-G-E. So S in stage stands for shift your focus. You know people who are nervous and shy, think that it's all about them, but and it's like looking on your phone, your camera mode, and it's always in selfie mode it's the person you see is you. So they focus on themselves too much. You need to switch the focus to now the camera is facing your mental camera is now facing other people.

Speaker 1: 55:33

So instead of thinking about yourself and how you're going to fail or you're not good enough. Focus your attention on your audience. So I'm going to speak at I'm a speaker at Connected Minds on the 29th of August, instead of thinking about myself. Okay, so who is the audience at Connected Minds event on the 29th? What do they want from my presentation? How long is my presentation going to be? How do I make it interesting for them so that they will remember it? Because if you speak in public and they don't remember, you've wasted your time. They must remember. It always seems impossible until it is done. That's my guy.

Speaker 1: 56:11

The independence of Ghana is meaningless until it is linked to the total liberation of Africa. That's another of my guys. These are my two guys who are here. I'm happy to be in good company. You and this you and this too, you know float like a butterfly sting like a bee. He's back there Another of my guys.

Speaker 1: 56:27

I'm surrounded by my people. Man, this is my home, you know. So if you focus on the audience, then now you're not thinking about yourself. God has done it in such a way that you can only think about one thing at a time. You can't hold two thoughts in your mind. Try it, it won't work. You only think about one thought, then you focus on another. You can't think two thoughts at once. So shift your focus from yourself to your audience Now. T in stage stands for train your brain. Okay, naturally, human beings, we are pessimistic. We always think that something wrong is going to happen. When my school calls a teacher from my school, my children's school calls me, the first thing in my mind what has happened to my son?

Speaker 2: 57:07

Oh, my God.

Speaker 5: 57:08

That's exactly the same thing Because my parents.

Speaker 1: 57:10

The worst thing for a parent is for something to happen to your child. Yeah, that's the worst thing. I always feel so sad for and crushed for parents who lose their children, because it's the nightmare of every parent. So when the call is coming through, I'm thinking what has happened to my son? My mind, you know. So that is us just thinking the worst.

Speaker 1: 57:30

But you have to train your brain to focus on the positive when you're on the stage. So it's a bit like you go to the cinema to go and watch a movie. So you buy your popcorn, your drink, you enter the place, it's dark, they play the adverts, the movie starts rolling. You don't expect the movie to be a bad movie. I've never gone into a cinema hall expecting a movie to be bad. So that is the same way on the stage. Stage, when you get up to speak. Don't expect the outcome to be bad. Expect that people will understand what you're saying. They will give you a standing ovation when you're done. They'll clap. At least They'll ask intelligent questions. They'll remember what you've said long after you've done it. So that you train your brain to focus on the positive instead of the negative. So that is the T part, and remember God made it that we can only think one thought at a time. If you think positive, you can't think negative. Okay, so shift your brain, train your focus.

Speaker 1: 58:20

A in stage achieve calm. You have to be calm. If you are calm, you are less likely to be nervous, so you are relaxed. How do you relax? It's not the end of the world gonna die. Nobody died because we're about to go speak. You're not going to be the first person, okay, if that doesn't help.

Speaker 1: 58:40

Breathe deep through your nose, out through your mouth. If you do that 10 reps of that, you actually feel your pulse slowing down. You're becoming more relaxed. You know, visualize a positive outcome. You know you can do your tongue twisters Pick the pepper, pick the pepper, pick the pepper. Make yourself smile. When you're smiling, you're less likely to be nervous, okay. So those are three tips. You have not even started speaking yet because you have shifted your focus. It's all mental. You are training your brain. It's still mental. You are achieving calm. It's also still mental. G in stage, dealing with stage fright nervousness is how do you get prepared? Get prepared. So four ways to get prepared Get prepared early If they give you a presentation. Don't wait till the night before. If it's one month ahead of time, start as early as possible.

Speaker 1: 59:27

So get prepared early, get prepared often. So practice as often as you can. How long should I practice? Well, practice until, and I'll tell you why you should do that. So get prepared often. So get prepared early, get prepared often. Get prepared with an audience, always rehearse with an audience.

Speaker 2: 59:49

Mental audience, no, a real audience, physical audience.

Speaker 1: 59:51

Get two or three people in front of you and let them listen to what you're saying. Yes, and then video your presentation every time, because if you video it, then you will see how people will see you on the stage People standing in front of mirrors and talking. It doesn't work, because when you get on the stage, you're not standing in front of a mirror, you're standing in front of an audience. So get get prepared with an audience on your presentation and you're presenting and always record your presentation. So that's G, now E. You've done all four Now. You've shifted your focus, you've trained your brain, you've achieved calm, you've gotten prepared the right way and now you are going to express yourself. So get a good introduction. That also includes you being introduced. So give you the way you want to be introduced to the MC, right, yes, so that they focus on what you want them to focus on.

Speaker 5: 1:00:42

Yes.

Speaker 1: 1:00:43

Give that to them, they'll introduce you. Remember that when you're sitting down, once they start doing the introduction, your talk actually starts from where you are sitting to go. You know yeah, I see some people be relaxed You'll be doing your visualization and things. You know. You get on the stage and then you start powerfully. Don't start with. My name is Derek Abayete again, because the MC has said it already. I hear it too often. They introduce the person, then he goes. My name is I'm going to talk about this, but they said it in the intro.

Speaker 1: 1:01:18

You come in and you can start with how many of you would like to beat stage fright once and for all? That's a good question. You even noted other people will be answering the question in their head. So questions are a good way to start. Um, statistics, yes, statistics is a good way to start, and humor, but it has to be relevant to whatever you're saying. Okay, it has to be relevant to whatever you are saying. I'll give you an example of relevant humor. So, if it's, it's customer service you're going to talk about, once upon a time there was this student, there was this teacher who always enjoys saturday watch in dance woman.

Speaker 1: 1:01:45

So on one fine saturday he got out of his home, went to the nearby corner watch. A lady stood in the line patiently waiting for his turn. When he got to his turn he made his order boache, talia, everything. They packed it for him, but something told him to look at what he had been packed. When he opened it, in the leaves, he found out there were extra proteins in the form of worms in the food and, being a polite person, he goes back to the woman and says Madame, mami, sorry, this is what I found in the food. The lady was not very happy with this feedback and she proceeded to blast him and say get out of here, you just want my business. The guy is shocked. He goes back to the corner, he stands at the corner, he opens his watch and anybody who comes by he shows them the watch, as if to say this is what you are buying. Fast forward one week the watching woman shuts down. She's now selling oranges.

Speaker 1: 1:02:38

The moral of the story is that good customer service involves responding to feedback, whether positive or negative. Otherwise your circumstances can change. That was a story I told in about two minutes, so I could start a lecture or talk on customer service with this story. So for me, my habit is collecting stories that I can use in my presentations. Okay, so you start with a story, you start with statistics, you can start with a question, because I would silence. So they introduced me and I come on the stage and I did it at Asin Fosu on Monday. I just stand there, the audience starts smiling. Some of them are wondering is this guy crazy? But I've gotten the attention.

Speaker 1: 1:03:18

And then, boom, we go, you know, and then you do your presentation. Listen, if you had four slides and you'd went from one, two, three and you went to five and to four, no need to apologize, they don't know your slides. Yeah, so don't apologize for anything. Just go and practice speaking. You cannot just sit at home, pray about it. Do your exercises and don't speak. You have to speak, and if you have a bad presentation, that's motivation for you to get the next presentation so you can do it better. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:03:52

And those are your public speaking anti-nervousness tips Shift your focus, train your brain, achieve calm, get prepared the right way, express yourself. I hope your person will be happy with the tips. That's amazing, so that's for you.

Speaker 2: 1:04:05

This is beautiful and people pay hard dollar oh yeah, for this session.

Speaker 1: 1:04:12

This is stuff I give to people you've actually got a training coming up.

Speaker 2: 1:04:16

Yes, I think I saw the flyer yeah, you've got a training media interviews yeah, yeah, yeah coming up, so people actually pay him for this.

Speaker 1: 1:04:22

They pay money for this, yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:04:23

And you've just gotten this. Yeah, thanks for the question, man.

Speaker 1: 1:04:27

Yeah, that was incredible.

Speaker 2: 1:04:28

So I saw him and his hands were very sweaty yeah, yeah yeah, as a matter of fact, I think people that are so nervous when they're in it's not a joke, it's not a nervous energy and it's contagious. Yeah, because people were lined up to come speak to me and from the corner of my eye I could see the guy and he was letting everybody come.

Speaker 1: 1:04:48

Yeah he didn't go. Another tip I have is that if you are nervous, you are shy. You go to an event. If you come to Connected Minds on the 29th of August and you are shy, you're never sitting in the front, of course not in the reserve seats that they may have reserved, but right after the reserve seats. Sit in the front. This is why, if you sit at the back and you've enjoyed the presentation and you have a question to ask, the moment you raise your hand and the emcee says, oh, the gentleman in the green batakare at the back, everybody would turn around and look at you. And then the thing you were afraid of is what will happen, because all the eyes are going to be on you. Why don't you go and sit in the front? It's just me and the presenter and everybody's looking. All they see is the back of my head. So sit in the front, sit in the front.

Speaker 2: 1:05:35

I wish someone told me this when I was at university it's the best place to sit, yeah how is it at the back?

Speaker 1: 1:05:40

no, and the sound. If there's no amplification, you're not even going to hear much at the back. But in the front it is you and the lecturer, you and whoever is there. If you ask your questions, there's nobody giving you attention.

Speaker 2: 1:05:52

I also think you are less likely to even be caught if you are sitting at the front, exactly because we look at the people at.

Speaker 1: 1:05:57

Yeah, yes, but another thing too if you are nervous, apart from sitting in the front when it's question time, raise your hand. Be the first person. Brian Tracy said it. You read his books, he said. He said he said if you have two frogs to eat, a small one, a big one, eat the big one first, because you're going to eat the frogs anyways.

Speaker 2: 1:06:17

Yeah, In case you get full quick. So you don't get, you don't get a chance to get the other one.

Speaker 1: 1:06:21

So the thing you are afraid. Do the death. Do the thing you are afraid of, and the death of fear is certain. So do the thing you are afraid of, and the death of fear is certain. Say in the front. Say in the front. In the beginning you may write your entire question out on a card and then read it out. But after a while a lot of people are nervous because they don't understand how the voice coming out of the PA system belongs to them. When they speak in a microphone they hear it amplified. It's like whoa, is that me? I don't sound like that. I don't like my voice. I hear people say that it's your voice, man.

Speaker 2: 1:06:54

You see, these days people are podcasting. There's that there's a lot of interviews going on. When you go on YouTube, almost everybody is doing interviews. You've done it for years. Top five tips for someone who is trying to go into interviewing people.

Speaker 1: 1:07:10

The first three come from Larry King, who is my mentor. Okay, yes, another mentor who I've never met. I only experienced him previously through TV. Larry King, for those who don't know, was one of the greatest radio and TV hosts. He was on CNN for 25 years. He had a 60-year career, starting out in radio and moving into television, ending up online. I'm mirroring it actually because I've done radio TV. I'm now online 60 years.

Speaker 1: 1:07:44

He interviewed over 60,000 people. If we break it down, it means every year he was interviewing a thousand people. If a year has 50 weeks minus two for the holiday, it means every week he was doing 20 interviews. If he has a five day week, it means every day he was doing four, four. If he has a five-day week, it means every day he was doing four. Four interviews five days a week every year for 60 years equals 60 000. Now, if a man like that is giving me advice, I better will take it. He's more than qualified. More than qualified he had. He had three rules. Number one ask short questions. Larry King says listen. You have one mouth, two ears, so talk less, listen more. Okay, so ask short questions. I've seen interviewers online, offline, wherever, they'll ask such a long question that when they land the interviewer will say interviewer will say what was the question.

Speaker 1: 1:08:48

Again, it's because the question was too long. There's a temptation to show off that you know the subject as a host that you must avoid, and short questions, short questions cure that temptation Right, Because listen to, I mean kids. Short questions cure that temptation Right, because listen to. I mean kids one of my youngest younger son was growing up what is that?

Speaker 2: 1:09:15

That's it, that's it Right.

Speaker 1: 1:09:19

What is that? He was trying to learn the language. What is that? What is to learn the language? What is that? What is that?

Speaker 5: 1:09:24

very short question.

Speaker 1: 1:09:26

I remember Larry King. Larry King interviewed a general, a US general, gulf War I, which was in the early 90s. So CNN was covering the Gulf War. They had reporters embedded with the army in Iraq, yep, and every year, every week, every night, larry King would talk to a US general to give an update on the war. So Larry King starts the show. Good evening, welcome to Larry King Live. Tonight we have US Army General. So so, so, so. So in the studio, general, what's happening? That's?

Speaker 5: 1:10:04

it. Okay, that was the question.

Speaker 1: 1:10:08

And the general thought okay, so we've done an assault against the enemy, we have done this, we've commandeered these troops from here. These planes are coming over. He gives a full. Then Larry King's next question and Wow.

Speaker 5: 1:10:28

Okay, the journalist is going, he's going, he's going.

Speaker 1: 1:10:30

Larry is listening very carefully, you know. Then the last question he doesn't even open his mouth, just raises his eyebrows. Man, larry King, he's a master. You should watch any of his interviews online with Prince Michael Jackson. He talked to everybody. Gaddafi, he talked to every single body. He talked to simple people as well, the high and the mighty, the low and the good. He talked to all of them. He says ask short questions. Number one listen carefully. That's number two, listen carefully. A lot of them. He says ask short questions. Number one, listen carefully. That's number two, listen carefully.

Speaker 1: 1:11:03

A lot of times, you see, my theory is that when somebody sits in front of you, like I'm sitting in front of you, that person wants to talk. If I didn't want to talk, I would have said I'm not free today. So ask the questions. After you ask a question, listen to the person's response, because sometimes the response will take you to. Maybe you're going from A to B, but the response is like a detour, going towards X. Follow it and then find a way to come back because maybe the news is there.

Speaker 1: 1:11:36

Maybe the news is there and you can only get that if you are listening very carefully to what the person is saying. So ask short questions, listen carefully. Third one is follow up. This one happened to have a colleague of mine.

Speaker 1: 1:11:53

I'm sure she'll watch this and she'll smile so she interviewed, I think, a man of God slash musician, whose wife died as a result of medical negligence. But throughout the interview, I mean he mentioned it that my wife died because of medical negligence. Some doctor messed up or something. Somebody doctor or nurse, whoever messed up His wife died, bottom line. When he mentioned it, I sent her a message, Follow up, Ask him something how did it happen? How did you feel about it? She didn't see it. So that's, if I had an earpiece, if she had an earpiece, I would have probably spoken to her, but I wasn't out in the control room. So I think I am also responsible because I had a good question that should have make sure she got it. So she finishes the interview and the guy is still around and then I go up to him and say oh good interview. By the way, how did you feel when you lost your wife? I, when you lost your wife, I felt like burning down Ridge Hospital.

Speaker 2: 1:13:06

Was it being recorded? No, this is after the interview had ended.

Speaker 1: 1:13:11

That was the headline. He changed and he became very emotional and you would not expect a man of God to say a thing like this. They are the ones who tell you to shedding. Oh, God is in control, God knows. God gives, he takes, he gives, he takes. I didn't like hearing those things when my mother had died that God gives and he takes.

Speaker 5: 1:13:33

My mother is dead.

Speaker 1: 1:13:34

If you have nothing to say, don't say anything. That's Archbishop Palmer Buckle, that is his philosophy. See, sometimes people who are grieving, they just need your presence and your silence. Don't come and start quoting scripture to me. I've just lost my mom. You're telling me that God gives and God takes. Yes, intellectually I can think about that, but now I'm feeling it. He said I felt like burning down a rich hospital and I said oh, you lost the headline.

Speaker 1: 1:14:03

So those, those are good questions to ask. What's it like being and BBC? If you listen to BBC, they ask those questions a lot. How do you feel about? They're always looking. I realize that they're always looking for the emotional yes angle to every question. Yes, you did it too when you asked my brother in the beginning.

Speaker 1: 1:14:19

Yes, you remember yes so they're always looking for an emotional angle. What's it like being? I even missed that I was coming here and I realized that recently I interviewed General Anidohu. I never asked him that question what's it like being a general in a war zone? He would have told me things. He would have told me things. What is it like so, those questions? What's it like? What is it like so, those questions? What's it like? What's it like Anybody in any field? What's it like being a middle brother? You know? So, yeah, I'm in the middle. You know what's it like being a younger brother or a last brother? Do they bully you? Oh, no, no, you see, don't I made a mistake? So, open questions, emotional questions yes, you get people say things. You know what.

Speaker 1: 1:15:02

He might have wept on our show on GTV. We started talking about his father. In fact, for like four weeks, anyone, when he came in front of me, ended up crying yeah, cause I was asking questions that were really entering the core. Samini, too, wept when he thought about his friend Sonny Bali. Yes, that, when he thought about his friend Sonny Bali. Yes, that was a very emotional interview. Kafi Danku also. She was talking about the people who send crazy stuff into her inbox Girls who are being abused and it really affects her so much, you know.

Speaker 1: 1:15:32

Yeah, so those ask short questions, listen carefully, follow up, then ask stuff that follow, follow. Ask short questions carefully, follow up and then what's it like? Questions are really good. What's it like? What's it like? How do you?

Speaker 2: 1:15:49

feel. How do you feel?

Speaker 1: 1:15:50

that's right. It's like good questions now.

Speaker 2: 1:15:52

Thank you, um. Is there anything we could have spoken about today that I I should have asked you that I didn't?

Speaker 1: 1:16:01

That's a broad question, I don't Wow.

Speaker 2: 1:16:12

Something you still think we can talk about Relevance to this conversation.

Speaker 1: 1:16:16

Depends on what the audience wants. What do your audience want from me? Mindset money. My son was asking me recently how to negotiate. You know he's in university. He's 20 years old.

Speaker 5: 1:16:33

Okay.

Speaker 1: 1:16:34

And he's taught himself how to DJ, how to produce music. So he started producing. Now he's doing DJing and he wanted to know how to negotiate to set his fees, you know, and so I read a lot around that. The one that I saw that was quite interesting was that if you're going into like a new field, say your charges, you want to charge 10,000 CDs, but people don't know you, and if you charge the 10,000, they will ask for a discount all the time. So he says, give yourself 10 clients to get to what you want to charge. So start, give them your and this one. I always tell people, even if they are working for free, let them know how much your cost is, and discounted by 100 if you're doing a free job okay, if I charge 10 000, I'll say my fee is 10 000, your discount is 100, your what you pay is zero.

Speaker 1: 1:17:34

So you know my fee. This is what I'm worth. If you tell people that I'm going to do it for free, they disrespect you and disregard you. Let them know that if they had paid so then they can actually say that they were saving 10,000 CDs. So for the new client, I don't suggest that you go free. So start with a 90% discount. So my fee is 10,000, but I'm giving you a 90% discount because, well, give whatever reason. So 10,000 minus 9,000 is 1,000. Second client comes I'm going to give you an 80% discount, right? Third client 70%. Fourth client until you get to 0%. Now it's 10,000. After that, increase your fees.

Speaker 2: 1:18:13

Okay.

Speaker 1: 1:18:14

After that, increase your fees. So now go to 12,000, or 15, or 20, whatever. At a point in time, I was increasing my MC fees every quarter. Every quarter I push it up like a thousand.

Speaker 1: 1:18:29

Yeah, that's incredible yes so that's a pricing, because people worry about pricing. Know what your target fee is and start from the bottom right. Start with a 90% discount, go up, just like that. It also teach you patience. Yeah, you won't charge your full fee at the beginning and get rejected because people have a way of just slashing your fee. But if you let them know this is my fee, I'm giving you a 90 discount. Nobody who is in the same right senses will reject a 90 discount yeah, motivation or discipline both but, you can motivate yourself.

Speaker 1: 1:19:04

Yes, give yourself. You don't need anybody to give yourself feedback. I read of this famous person who spent some time in prison. When he came out, he was a concert pianist, no piano. He drew the keyboard on the floor and then imagined the notes. He came out, he was a concert pianist, no piano. He drew the keyboard on the floor and then imagine the notes, came out and was giving concerts. Man, so it's not impossible. Discipline is doing what you don't want so that you can finally get what you want. It's as simple as that. So the hard work now. You either enjoy now and suffer later, or suffer now and enjoy later. You choose. I don't like to give advice, I just tell you what works for me and there's some principles. So, enjoy now, suffer later, or suffer now, enjoy later, you choose. Yeah, you choose what's the best advice, motivation.

Speaker 1: 1:20:06

So my yeah, yeah, you choose. What's the best advice? Motivation, motivation, motivation. So years ago my kids came up to me and they were excited because this guy was second, this guy was first, this guy was third. So I said, okay, fine.

Speaker 1: 1:20:14

It's good, it's good to top your class, it's good to be in the top five or whatever. I'm more interested in whether you're progressing. So, are you improving from last term to this term? I mean, if you got 65, which is like a C, last term, but this term you got 66 or 67, I applaud you. You've gone up. The only thing I demand of you is that next term, improve again. Just keep going up. Improve again so that when you get to the top, it would have been not you, not you benchmarking yourself against some other person, but you're actually benchmarking against yourself, and then you are less likely to be more arrogant because you're on top or you feel small because you are at the bottom. You know so always. Am I improving? Am I improving? Am I improving? I finished my previous interview and I said no, I forgot this question. Man, I should have asked this question. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:21:17

So, so it's. It's always improving, yes, and and benchmarking against yourself. There's a reason that athletes have personal bests. So Usain Bolt of course, his personal best would have been the world record, because that's the best in the world, but before that he got the world record, I'm sure his times were slower and anytime he goes to the race. Okay, I ran 9.73. If I ran 9.72, I've improved. If I ran 9.72, I've improved. If I ran 9.71, I've improved again. If I ran 9.85, I've gone back. How do I get forward? So I take inspiration from athletes, because they are always benchmarking themselves. And if you work on yourself so I currently work at GTV, I run right across the road, right across the wall is TV3. And I find a lot of my. Some of my colleagues are always interested in what they are doing, so they go and look at their Facebook and say, oh, they are doing this. I said focus on yourself focus on yourself.

Speaker 1: 1:22:14

Yeah, yeah, you can't control what somebody else is doing? You can't control you. What about this? Somebody like, can you always control you? What about this somebody like, can you always control stuff? I said but what if the person insults me? He said, well, the person insults you, it's your reaction that you can control. You cannot control the insult, but you can control the reaction to the insult. But dad always said, listen, there are two types of insults one you, one you. You disregard the other you work on. If somebody says, look at his big head, what can I do about my head shape? Nothing. I can't shave it like a pineapple, I can't, okay. But if he says, hmm, your mouth smells that one, you can change, do something about it. Maybe you have some serious halitosis or you eat too much garlic. You can change. You can maybe change your toothpaste, chew gum, yeah. So disregard the insults that are going nowhere and focus on what you can change.

Speaker 2: 1:23:10

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:23:16

What's the best advice you've ever received? If it's worth doing, it's worth doing. Well, fantastic, my dad again.

Speaker 2: 1:23:22

Your dad. Wow, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing.

Speaker 1: 1:23:24

Well, fantastic, my dad again your dad. If it's worth doing, is what they will. And no excuses. Either you've done it or you haven't done it. Nothing was built with an excuse. Nothing in this room was built from an excuse. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Watch, no shoes, no bottled water, nothing. The way you're looking is not from an excuse, it's intentional. So excuses are just like oh, I don't want to do the work, do the work. If my father gave you work to do and he came for feedback, there were only two responses yes, I've done it or no, I haven't. Yes, I've done it, great. Yes, I've done it or no, I haven't. Yes, I've done it, great. No, I've done it. You need to follow up and this is what I'm doing no, I haven't done it and this is what I'm going to do to do it.

Speaker 1: 1:24:06

Not I was going to, I was about to, or somebody prevented me. It's an excuse. Yeah, no, no, no, wow, no. You should see the people, the interns who work with me. I'm always asking them what have you learned? And somebody says I haven't learned anything. Really, the whole day you haven't learned anything. It's always learning. We are learning machines, amazing.

Speaker 2: 1:24:29

Recommend a book for my audience.

Speaker 1: 1:24:33

Same as ever. It's by Morgan Housel and he talks about the things that stay permanent while other things are changing. It's a very interesting way of looking at life and while I was reading it I was kind of putting quotes on my status and people were connecting with it. Same as ever. He's the same person who wrote the Psychology of Money. Yeah, so same as ever. Same as ever as ever, wonderful book. That's the last book. Who wrote the Psychology of?

Speaker 2: 1:25:02

Money, yeah, so same as ever. Same as ever.

Speaker 1: 1:25:03

Wonderful book. That's the last book I read. I see, yes, my kids ask me what's your favorite food? I say well, the last meal I ate is my favorite food. So the last book I read is Morgan Housel's book Same as Ever. I read it two days ago.

Speaker 2: 1:25:18

Amazing. Yes, thank you so much. It's a pleasure. I've enjoyed this conversation from when you walked in. As a matter of fact, I've enjoyed it from when I contacted you, oh my man. I've learned so much.

Speaker 1: 1:25:36

What's one thing you've learned?

Speaker 2: 1:25:37

Wow, short questions yes. And then I take you all the way back to the stage.

Speaker 1: 1:25:44

Questions yes and then I take you all the way back to the stage preparation.

Speaker 2: 1:25:46

Yes, yeah, stage. Yes, it's amazing. I'm actually going to apply everything for the event. You can't forget it. Yeah, I can't. Yes, the way.

Speaker 1: 1:25:52

I struck it. You can't forget it, yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:25:54

And also your simplicity. Yeah, you know you're very simple and I admire that.

Speaker 1: 1:26:03

Once again, it's my folks Put all the responsibility on my folks.

Speaker 2: 1:26:07

Yeah, they've done an incredible job. They were simple people.

Speaker 5: 1:26:10

My brothers are all like that?

Speaker 1: 1:26:11

Very simple, nobody's flashy. Everybody knows how to relate with people. One of the questions that I can always predict from my younger brother right after me what books are you reading? What are you reading? What are you reading? Years ago, my dad said if you walk into somebody's house and you see more video cassettes than books flee. You have nothing to learn from those guys. See more videos than books.

Speaker 5: 1:26:44

You say flee man, there's nothing. When. I came in. I was looking at your books.

Speaker 1: 1:26:48

Yeah, and there's more.

Speaker 2: 1:26:49

So a few days ago I picked up. I went to one of my friend's office and when I went there there were so many books and I said you have like three or four copies of these books, can I do shopping? And then she goes yeah, so I picked up five books and then the top one which I've read many years ago and I've still read, is Rich Dad, poor Dad, but the reason. I picked up that book was because I wanted to give it to my seven-year-old son. Thank you, so I came home.

Speaker 2: 1:27:18

I mean he reads a lot, right, I'm driving out and then when I come back tell me whether you got everything. I came back and then he said Dad, I really like the book, I'm really enjoying it. And I said really, do you understand the language? Do you understand? He says yes, and I said do you want to carry on? I said yeah, yeah. Daddy.

Speaker 1: 1:27:34

He took it upstairs. That's great. It's a good foundation.

Speaker 2: 1:27:39

Telling you it's beautiful.

Speaker 1: 1:27:40

I'll tell you a book story. So you know, these days the children are not writing legibly, and I don't think it's their fault.

Speaker 1: 1:27:47

They are doing a lot of computer stuff, they don't really write much. So I had a complaint from my children when we were in primary school. The teachers were saying Charlie, my people, your guys, copy book. So I went to the bookshop, looked at my first copy book and I was not inspired by what was in the book. Who are my heroes? Um, that's mandela, kwame, kruma, yep, which I agree. So I went and bought three books offered by these three. I distributed the books to my children. Elder son got mandela. I distributed the books to my children. Eldest son got Mandela. Second son got Nkrumah. Third son got Agri. And I said every day, just copy out a page from these books. I'll come and inspect your handwriting. Because I was thinking, man, I don't want them to just write. Amar went to eat Wachi. I want you, while you are writing, you are also learning something. Because I was thinking, man, I don't want them to just write. Am I going to eat?

Speaker 1: 1:28:45

wachi While you are writing, you're also learning something, yeah yeah, yeah 20,. Mandela died 2013. I think December, around that time, we're watching the news on Mandela's death and then a guy comes up and my son, who by that time is nine years old, says I know that man, cnn. You know that man, and the guy's name is Ahmed Kathrada. So I know him.

Speaker 1: 1:29:15

So where do you know him from? So with the book he gave me, I found him in the book. I said it just worked In my mind. I said it worked. It's not just me, I found him in the book. I said it just worked In my mind. I said it worked. It's not just writing, but you're also learning something. I was so pleasantly surprised. So books, books are it's a free, free travel man, free travel to anywhere in the world. Yes, yeah, yes.

Speaker 2: 1:29:36

Thank you so much.

Speaker 1: 1:29:37

Derek, it's a pleasure, derek, it's a pleasure.

Speaker 2: 1:29:39

Thank you To my people. If you made it to the end, by all means tell me in the comments, and thank you so much for staying all the way up to this point. My name is Derek Abaiti. Stay connected, I'm out.