This monthly series gives you a behind-the-scenes look at A Day in the Life of a Comms Professional.
Damilola Orenisile is a Communications professional and creative writer, currently serving as Team Lead, Communications & Programmes at The Comms Avenue. She works across communications, stakeholder and community management, project management and event planning, and has contributed to programmes and events across Africa. She is also a podcast host and event curator, with a particular interest in the intersection of media, culture and people.
What habits or routines help you get ready for work?
My days typically start the previous day, as I’m not a morning person. I like to know ahead of time what’s required for each day and prepare accordingly.
Most days, I take my time waking up because I work from home and tend to stay up late. On days when I wake up early, I like listening to the morning evolve from quiet to chaos. I live in Lagos, after all.
I say a prayer, read my Bible and update the to-do list I’m working with for the week, then get into work. I don’t eat breakfast often because I prefer to eat later in the day, so it’s usually brunch or lunch for me.
On days when I have to go out, my mornings are completely different. It depends on the destination and the time of my appointment or meeting. Early appointments beget very early rising.
I’ve also learned to take my work wherever I go. I always say that if I ever did a “What’s in my bag?” video, viewers might be shocked to see that I sometimes carry an extension box around. You just have to be prepared for anything!
What does a typical workday look like for you?
My role spans Communications, Programmes, Project Management and a little bit of Operations. I’m also a bridge between the visionary Co-Founders of The Comms Avenue and the team, as well as our Chapter Leads.
I don’t think a typical workday exists for me, but this also depends on the season. The beginning of the year is usually more intense because of programmes like The Comms Mentoring Programme and our courses. After the CMP, things slow down a bit until our next course, event or project.
But for the sake of this interview, a typical workday starts at 8 a.m. I check in with my team and make sure we’re aligned on our priorities for the day. I respond to their questions, look at whatever they’ve called my attention to, and then move on to some of my routine tasks. I work with an amazing team, which makes my job a lot easier.
My day-to-day activities involve research, writing and reviewing content, and preparing the team for upcoming programmes and events. I’m constantly on the lookout for things that can help the team and our community. I also do some design work for our social media platforms and other channels.
A big part of my role is thinking about how we can improve our processes, reach and impact as an organisation. I make time for connecting with community members, building relationships with potential partners and pitching to organisations that may need our training.
I try to schedule most of my meetings for midday, as that’s when I’m most likely to be distracted. I also tend to do my most creative work in the evenings, as that’s when my mind is most cooperative. So, my best writing and creative moments tend to come later in the day.
What tools or apps do you use most for your job, and why?
I use Google Workspace tools every day because they’re our official work tools. Google Docs, Forms, Sheets, Meet, Calendar and Drive are all part of my daily workflow. While we don’t use it as a team, I love Google Keep for the written things I never want to lose.
I’ve explored quite a few productivity tools, but I find that keeping a pen and paper works best for me. I’ve had a notebook specifically for my work to-dos since January 2025, but it recently started falling apart, so I got a new one.
At TCA, we also use WordPress and Substack to connect with our audiences in different capacities and for different purposes. WordPress is our blog hosting platform, while Substack is where the magic of our newsletter happens. I genuinely love how much I learn on Substack, and it’s part of my daily app rotation.
I’m a Canva girl. I love playing around with templates, fonts and other elements to see what I can create. I use Telegram to transfer files from my phone to my laptop and vice versa. Telegram is an underrated storage app, and I have files from as far back as 2020 stored in a chat with myself.
I love experimenting with new tools to challenge myself and see how they can make work easier, so automation tools like Zapier or transcribing tools like Descript have been fun to figure out. I can never forget when I once had to transcribe some interviews and so I am truly grateful for what can be done with AI. I’ve also become comfortable with generative AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT.
While they make things like frequency distribution, editing, writing and research easier, I like to explore beyond these tools. I read articles often, challenge myself and I still use good old Google Search.
If you were not in Communications, what career path would you explore?
I like to say that Comms is the path that chose me because I tried advertising as a student intern, but I wanted to explore PR before deciding on the path I wanted to stay on. When I joined The Comms Avenue, I never thought I would spend five years on the team, but it’s been an incredible journey and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I’ve actually explored professional photography and running my own business. Before studying Communications, I was on track to becoming a lawyer, but that didn’t pan out.
Right now, the easiest straws for me to grasp are Project Management, Event Planning and Programmes. I’ve explored all three paths throughout my career, and they are areas of both strength and enjoyment for me.
The most recent example was our Comms Leader Roundtable event with Redrick PR in July where I wore a hat involving all three roles. I had to manage relations with our partners, manage the team, reach out to our collaborators, as well as engage vendors and all of this was meant to fit into one bigger picture, an impactful event and guide release. It was a difficult project because of the timelines but I learnt a lot and I’m glad I took on the challenge.
Finally I believe I could have done well in hospitality, modelling or content creation/influencing and I’m not providing context.
What is your favourite way to relax after work?
It depends on the day and other factors.
Most days, I like to play LinkedIn games and read Substack articles or stories. I got rid of all my “scrolling apps” so I could have more intentional screen time. I also love diving into a good movie.
I watched a British film recently that impressed me so much because it had the classic dry British humour, but it was also so well written that I sat down afterwards to think about the message and how it applies to me.
You can almost always catch me listening to music. I love music so much! I’m a writer, so I also write stories and articles, which I publish on my personal Substack.
Finally, I spend time with my family and friends. After working from home throughout the week, going out during the weekend can be so much fun.
