ABC Accreditation

Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) is the professional designation offered by the International Association of Business Communicators. It offers professional communicators a way to demonstrate their ability to think and plan strategically and to successfully manage the skills essential for effective organizational communication.

The ABC designation can contribute significantly to workplace credibility and earning power, and is recognized worldwide by all IABC chapters and many employers. Becoming an Accredited Business Communicator is both professionally and personally rewarding. The ABC designation is increasingly valuable to organizations and clients as part of the job search and career enhancement process, and is recognized worldwide by all chapters of IABC.

IABC/BC offers two programs to both educate and support members who wish to become accredited: the Accreditation Preparation Program (APP) – a series of skill development workshops – and the Accreditation Completion Program (ACP) – a coaching program that guides you step-by-step through the entire accreditation process.

Accreditation Preparation Program

Why You Should Take the Accreditation Preparation Program

While it is not required to take the APP to become ready for the Accreditation Completion Program or accreditation itself, it will help almost-qualified IABC members to fill in skill gaps and begin to navigate the accreditation journey. Learning or honing necessary accreditation skills directly from senior practitioners in the field and peers is helpful in both building confidence and helping making decisions re: readiness for accreditation and timing of next steps.

The APP is particularly suited to future ABC candidates who want to learn on-site during classes, but don’t have time for off-site work (there is no homework per se for this program) and who want to measure their readiness for accreditation through learning and discussion. Read and listen to the comments of some APP participants who’ve taken the program.

Course Description

The Accreditation Preparation Program (APP) is designed to help fill those knowledge gaps and assist in readying “almost-qualified” candidates for the accreditation process. It is a five-to-six week program (six Wednesdays in a row, for example). Completion of the APP does not assume automatic success into the ACP or guarantee full readiness for the accreditation process.

Instructors

The instructors in the preparation program are senior accredited members with expertise in key areas. The program incorporates instruction, candidate buddies and independent reading/learning. The following senior communicators were volunteer instructors in the past:

Nicole Adams, ABC
Director of Communications
Street to Home Foundation

Karen J. Lee, ABC, MC
Principal
The KJ Lee Group

Gail Pickard, ABC
Manager, Strategic Communications
Insurance Corporation of British Columbia

Ron Shewchuk, ABC, MC
Independent Consultant

Kate Stebbings, ABC
Senior Consultant
Communication Solutions

Cost

IABC/BC Accreditation Completion Program: CAD$350 (six-month program), includes The Manager’s Guide to Excellence in Communication, meals at monthly meetings, portfolio shipping fees and other administrative costs.

There is a separate fee for the IABC Accreditation Program (ABC). For more information, visit http://www.iabc.com/abc/

Who Should Participate?

The program is designed for intermediate-to-senior-level practitioners with most, but not all, qualifications for accreditation. They have gaps in the areas noted above, have never entered or judged awards and have limited experience in creating strategic communications work plans, but have managed and/or worked on multi-faceted communication programs.

Dates

TBA

Application
To request an application form, please email James Nesbitt.

Accreditation Completion Program (ACP)

The Accreditation Completion Program (ACP) has been running for more than six years and is credited for increasing the number of ABCs in the BC chapter from 13 to 80 – currently the second highest number of ABCs of any chapter in the world. The ACP is now the International standard for accreditation support programs offered by chapters around the world.

The program includes, but is not limited to, monthly group meetings, assignment of a personal accredited mentor, individual and personalized review of your ABC portfolio, exam tips and samples, mock exams and, finally, a local group sitting of the exam followed by recognition at a chapter event.

Why You Should Take the Accreditation Completion Program

The chapter’s Accreditation Completion Program (ACP) is a six-month course designed to take qualified candidates step-by-step through the accreditation process. It is not a course to teach communication skills, but a process-driven coaching program.

Experience has shown over the past five years of the ACP that knowledge gaps can exist with accreditation candidates that make completion of the process difficult and, at times, unrealistic. Gaps often exist in the areas of:

• Crisis communications/Issues management
• Managing the strategic communications function
• Technical areas such as media relations and investor relations
• Portfolio preparation/writing strategic communication plans
• Integrating research into portfolios and practice

Advantages of ACP

While any qualified IABC member can work through the accreditation process on his or her own, the ACP helps you navigate the accreditation journey, learning from your fellow aspiring ABCs and accredited members along the way. The ACP is particularly suited to ABC candidates who feel they need the added incentive of a program or mentor to complete their accreditation. It is process-driven coaching program versus a skill-development program (see the Accreditation Preparation Program above). Read the comments of some ABCs who’ve been there.

Cost

IABC/BC Accreditation Completion Program: CAD$350 (six-month program), includes The Manager’s Guide to Excellence in Communication, meals at monthly meetings, portfolio shipping fees and other administrative costs.

Interested in Accreditation?

To find out if you are ready to embark on the ABC journey, take the Accreditation Readiness Quiz. Or take the time to work through the Communicators’ Competency Model. For more information about the benefits of accreditation, visit the IABC international website.

Then, if you know one of the ABCs listed below, contact them to find out more about their accreditation experience and if they think you might be ready. Or, contact James Nesbitt, ABC, at 604-738-6272 or nesbitt.james@gmail.com.

Now, consider becoming involved with IABC awards judging – it offers great insight into what is expected of an accreditation portfolio and is a rich learning experience. A couple times a year, the chapter offers a free three-hour Awards Judging Training Workshop followed by an awards judging experience. Accreditation Completion Program candidates will be required to have completed the workshop and judging prior to applying for the program. Basically, you learn how to judge IABC awards programs, then you’re paired up with an experienced ABC to put that learning into practice.

Dates

The next session will run January to June/July 2012. Applications for the ACP will be accepted in the Fall. Potential candidates should consider taking the Accreditation Preparation Program in advance. See above.

Timing is Everything

If accreditation is in your career plans, consider the following timing:

• Accreditation information session, August 24, 2011. Free for members and free appies will be provided: Click here to register now!
• Applications accepted for APP: July through September, 2011
• Deadline for the ACP application: November 30, 2011
• Awards Judging Training Workshop (free) & Silver Leaf Awards judging: dates – TBA
• Accreditation Preparation Program (APP): October to November, 2011 (six consecutive weeks)
• Accreditation Completion Program (ACP): January to June/July, 2012
• Accreditation information session, August 24. See Chapter Events on IABC/BC homepage for more information.