Tiffany Markman has received a lifetime honour for advancing workplace communication. She was recognised at the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa’s annual convention in July, and was inducted into the Southern African Educator Hall of Fame (SAEHoF), one of the association’s highest lifetime honours. She is one of only six women worldwide to have received this accolade.
For more than two decades, Markman has worked with organisations to strengthen one of their most important capabilities: communication. Through business writing programmes, AI education, keynote presentations and consulting, she has helped more than 700 brands in 18 countries to communicate with greater clarity and impact, training 36,000 professionals along the way. Her work focuses on email writing, communication strategy, creative ideation and the optimal use of genAI in the workplace.
Markman’s induction comes at a time when communication has become a strategic business capability rather than a soft skill. As organisations grapple with constant change and information overload, the ability to explain ideas clearly, build trust and help people to learn has become increasingly valuable.
The citation was delivered by Stef du Plessis, Global Speaking Fellow (GSF), Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and Founder of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa (PSASA). He said, ‘Tiffany has built and teaches her own frameworks, methodologies and IP. She has trained tens of thousands of people, worked with hundreds of companies, earned widespread recognition, contributed to the profession and delivered with distinction on global stages. She develops people. She raises capability. She leaves teams better than she found them. She’s exactly what Hall of Fame calibre looks like.’
Three additional honours were presented during the convention. Cobus Visser CSP and Steve Johnson were inducted into the Southern African Speaker Hall of Fame for their sustained contribution to professional speaking, while Bruce Wade received the Stef du Plessis Founder’s Award for his service to the profession and the association.
In her acceptance speech, Markman said, ‘Because I had many excellent teachers, I believe that really good educators create more really good educators. So if, over the last 20 years, I’ve managed to do that for others, I’m doing the work I hoped to do.’
TERESA SERRAS COMMUNICATION
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