A Case Study of IABC’s Accreditation Program
By Shannon Clark
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is an IABC professional development program offering candidates the opportunity to earn the designation of Accredited Business Communicator (ABC). The three-step process includes an application to the program, portfolio submission and an examination with both written and oral segments.
Why become accredited?
Since public relations is a non-licensed profession, communicators have developed this designation in order to assess professional ability. According to Jo Langham, senior vice president at Langdon Starr Ketchum and vice president of professional standards at IABC/Toronto, there are as many different reasons for applying for accreditation as there are people who apply.
“Those who have gone through the program often see it as a gauge of their experience and professional ability against recognized experts. Successful completion of the exam and portfolio submission can be an important milestone,” says Langham.
Very practical reasons for accreditation include its growing recognition by recruiters and potential employers as a standard for top professionals. In addition, according to Profile, IABC’s biennial survey of the profession, the average salary of accredited IABC communicators is significantly higher than that of the non-accredited communicators.
The process itself is a learning experience and allows candidates the opportunity for self- evaluation. For Langham, who has spent her career in agency settings, becoming accredited allowed her to examine organizational public relations and the difference between focusing on a single organization’s public relations needs and focusing on the needs of many, as is the case in an agency setting.
Who qualifies for accreditation?
Communicators from every sector of public relations are eligible to apply, providing they meet the following requirements: a minimum of five years experience in the communication profession and a bachelor’s degree, or a total of nine years experience and/or post-secondary education.
IABC’s international website at www.iabc.com/about/accredit/abc.htm recommends that potential applicants:
1. understand the goals and philosophy of organizational communications;
2. appreciate the role of the communicator and communication in modern organizations;
3. have the knowledge to plan, direct and implement a broad range of communication programs; and
4. are able to apply the skills and abilities to translate that knowledge to real-life situations.
How difficult is the process?
Langham believes that the accreditation process is practical and well within the capabilities of a professional communicator, but does not deny that it is challenging. IABC, however, is extremely supportive of its members, offering mentors, advice and resources to equip participants, thus minimizing surprises.
Langham says she benefited enormously from the advice of Janet Wile, then vice president of the Professional Standards portfolio. “Janet warned me that the exam is a race against time, and that rather than reading everything beforehand, I should jump straight in and start answering questions, especially as each section has to be completed for a passing grade.” Tips like this, offered by an accredited colleague, can make all the difference to your success.
IABC offers practice written and oral exams on their website at:
http://www.iabc.com/about/accredit/exams.htm#written and http://www.iabc.com/about/accredit/exams.htm#oral
In addition, each candidate is given a second chance to improve a sub-standard grade. If a portfolio does not pass the first time it is submitted, an applicant may rework it, with suggestions given by the assessment panel. Similarly, a participant who fails a portion of the exam is entitled to a one-time re-examination of that portion.
[Source: IABC/Toronto’s Communicator]
Editor’s note: The next portfolio deadline is July 1, 2000 for examination on Internationational Accreditation Day in September. For more information about accreditation contact the Service Centre at service_centre@iabc.com
