Firstly I want to wish all my wonderful clients, associates and friends a very happy and healthy 2012.  After two months in the fairest Cape it’s good to be back in buzzy Johannesburg ready for action.

Judging by the training requests that are already coming in more and more companies are seeing the value of training their staff to reach their maximum potential.  Staff represent the face of a company and people form their impressions of an organisation from these people.  

One of the great joys of my job is definitely writing for the Sunday Times Lifestyle column ‘What I’ve Learnt’.  Last week’s issue featured the legendary South African explorer, Kingsley Holgate who was an absolute pleasure to interview.  The sad thing is I only get to spend a few hours at the most with these people but I try and store the memories along with their words.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Pfizer Mental Health Journalism Awards for 2011/2012.  These follow on from the Carter Center Mental Health Journalism Fellowships, which have been awarded to South African print and broadcast journalists for the last six years.

Mrs Rosalynn Carter started these Fellowships as she felt journalists had the power to reach the masses and help break down the stigma attached to mental health.  Over the last 15 years she has indeed reached many hundreds of thousands people through her Fellows, many of whom have won major awards, for their work in print, radio, television, documentary and books.

Pfizer and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) will be awarding two journalists a stipend of R25 000 per person.  Fellows are not required to leave their employment during the fellowship year and are encouraged to choose timely projects that may educate the public and raise awareness about important mental health concerns.

When I was lecturing in journalism I always commented to my students during a class that by the time they walked out of the lecture hall the world could have changed.  Well in the last few months we’ve seen the fall of political despots and the death of the world’s most wanted man.  News changes minute by minute and you have to stay on top to know what’s going on.  What people are saying about you and your business and how you’re communicating your message, whether by release, articles or social media says a lot about you and your organisation.

Firstly I would like to wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year and to thank all my wonderful clients for their support in 2010.  I have a feeling that 2011 will see a turnaround in our slightly besieged economy.  I could already feel a difference in the second half of last year.

My work has suddenly started taking me more into our neighbouring states, meeting such interesting people with the same media problems that occur in South Africa.  Before I migrated for my annual respite under the mountains in Cape Town I worked with people from Nigeria, Botswana, Malawi, Swaziland, Angola, Zimbabwe and beyond - and look forward to spending more time in Africa this coming year.

As well as media training, 2011 holds some exciting challenges for me. I’m kicking off the year with a Public Relations Master Class for PRISA (Public Relations Institute of South Africa) on the 26th January.  This follows my appearance as a guest speaker at their 2010 Conference and I’m flattered to be asked to take this further.

Hard to believe it’s almost the end of the year - but it’s not going out quietly for me.  I’m about to embark on a major ghost writing assignment – love to tell you who, but it’s ‘ghost’ writing!   

Life as a journalist and writer is never quiet and from meeting presidents earlier this year I’ve graduated to purple dinosaurs.  Yes on one day I can be writing about the world’s favourite dinosaur – Barney and post birth classes on vaginal exercises for The Baby Expo and the next I’m interviewing the amazing Professor Phillip Tobias for my new column in the Sunday Times Lifestyle.  This is called ‘‘What I’ve learnt’.  So far I’ve had the privilege of interviewing the legendary South African photographer, Alf Kumalo, Professor Tobias and the South African music icon, Claire Johnston of Mango Groove (see website for stories).  But watch that space as more familiar legends will be appearing over the next year.