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The ABC List for March 2008
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onu-@iabc.com
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Mar 31, 2008 15:34 PST
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The ABC List for March 2008
Welcome to the newest monthly edition of the ABC List. The ABC List
serves 721 professional communicators.
This newsletter is a forum for accredited communicators, but more
importantly, those communicators interested in learning more about
becoming accredited, the value of accreditation and the process to
attain accreditation. If you have a question, a topic for discussion or
something you’d like to see in the ABC List, e-mail onu-@iabc.com.
If your chapter is holding a workshop, fun shop, exam prep session, exam
date, pinning ceremony or the like, let me know and I’ll publicize your
event here in the ABC List.
IABC Accreditation: The Global Standard. A Personal Statement.
In this issue:
*** Upcoming Portfolio Teleseminar: “Preparing for your Accreditation
Exam”
*** Upcoming Accreditation Exam at International Conference in New York
*** “The Value of Accreditation”: Ray Atkinson, ABC, APR
*** ABC Article: James Millar, ABC
*** Upcoming Portfolio Teleseminar: “Preparing for your Accreditation
Exam”
Join Jo Langham, ABC, on 22 May 2008 for “Preparing for your
Accreditation Exam.” This session will focus on the final step of the
accreditation process and will provide you with an in-depth
understanding of how to prepare in order to successfully complete the
four-hour written and half-hour oral exam.
This teleseminar is designed for anyone who is already an accreditation
candidate, but has value to anyone considering entering the
accreditation process.
For more information or to register for this teleseminar, please visit:
http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=4417814d-7df2-4fad-b7c6-a5595267a3e9.
*** Upcoming Accreditation Exam at International Conference in New York
IABC will be holding accreditation exams on 21 June 2008, from 1 – 6
p.m., in New York. Please contact Olivia Nucum at onu-@iabc.com by 2
June 2008 if you’d like to take your exam during this time.
*** “The Value of Accreditation”: Ray Atkinson, ABC, APR
Completing IABC's accreditation process was an extremely valuable
learning experience that really helped change the way I approach my
work. It has made me think more in terms of how to apply best practices
in communication management to everything I do, and has helped me think
through why I'm doing things in the first place, rather than just asking
how I can accomplish them. It has also increased my confidence in
dealing with difficult and complex problems because I know that my
capabilities have been measured by a thorough and comprehensive
peer-reviewed process. Becoming an Accredited Business Communicator has
given me a fresh perspective on the profession and a new appreciation
for the work of my colleagues in the PR/communication field.
As far as the immediate value of accreditation from a career
perspective, the ABC designation is universally recognized by
communication professionals worldwide as a symbol of credibility and
professionalism. It signals a comprehensive understanding of the
principles of communication management, the ability to think
strategically, and the depth of experience necessary to produce
measurable results. I highly recommend the accreditation program to
anyone seeking to raise the bar in their professional development goals.
*** ABC Article: James Millar, ABC
So why would one want their IABC accreditation? Personal satisfaction?
Higher pay? Better job opportunities? Peer recognition? It could be any
one of these reasons in the beginning, but when that smile creeps across
your face when you read the letter saying ‘you’ve done it!’ many more
reasons come to mind.
To say the accreditation process is a journey is true, but it goes much
deeper than that. You start the journey by simply looking at the end
goals: when is my portfolio due and (a slight shudder) when do I write
the exam. But an amazing thing happens as you focus on the end result.
You realize accreditation is not just about getting a passing grade on
your portfolio or surviving four hours of the most intense writing in
your life! Accreditation is about self discovery. It’s about realizing
your true knowledge and abilities as the process pushes you places you
thought you’d not be able to go.
Let’s look at preparing your portfolio a little closer. At first
glance, the sheer volume of what you have to prepare seems enormous.
But when you break down the sum of the parts, you quickly learn
attacking one section at a time is the key. Slowly but surely you chip
away at what seems like an impossible piece of granite and in the end
are left with a true individual piece of sculpted work. Sure it has it
flaws and (in hindsight) you wish you would have designed that brochure
a bit differently or added a punchier quote to a press release. But as
you leaf through the pages of what has suddenly become a letter
carrier’s hernia’s worst nightmare, you find yourself staring at
something that’s pretty good and has been worth all the long hours and
hard work (at least you hope so, because if it doesn’t pass muster, all
your good feelings are shot to hell!)
So clearing the barrier of an approved portfolio, it’s on to the next
and final stage. I recommend to everyone that taking classes with other
potential ABCs to prepare for the exam is invaluable. These sessions
help focus your thinking toward what you will face. That focus and
purpose of thought will serve as a guide through, what I mentioned
earlier as, what might be the longest and most intense four hours of
your life.
When you finally sit down with the keyboard at the ready, make sure you
stick to your pre-set times! I can’t stress this enough. If you spend
too much time early on offering up too much detail in certain portions
of the exam, you will run out of time – it’s that simple. A very
sinking feeling will come over you when you glance at your watch and
wonder aloud ‘How will I ever finish?’ Sticking to a set schedule for
each section should prevent this from happening. And even by following
a schedule, you’ll feel like an out-of-shape heavyweight boxer sucking
wind after 15 rounds when the buzzer rings and you are told ‘times up –
hand in your papers’ (or memory stick as the case may be).
I remember walking in a daze to my car, trying to figure out what just
happened, wondering if I remembered to explain how I would measure that
last communications plan. And as I returned to reality and in the days
and weeks that followed, waiting anxiously for the all-important email
from IABC head office, I began to realize what I had accomplished.
Regardless of pass or fail, the accreditation process, for me, was
already a success. I was pushed to limits I thought I was not capable
of, and put words on a computer screen that demonstrated knowledge I was
not sure I had. A newfound confidence enveloped me, coupled with a
focus to achieve.
I took part in a ‘pinning’ ceremony this month, something I looked
forward to very much. Just another part of the journey, but now with
the self discovery of accreditation at my side.
*** About the ABC List:
This list is a forum for accredited communicators, but more importantly
those professional communicators who seek to be accredited and wish to
learn more about the process and the value of accreditation.
I invite candidates, prospective candidates and ABCs to send questions,
comments and observations to onu-@iabc.com.
You can read the back issues on the Web.
Visit http://www.topica.com/lists/ABCList/read. If you are new to this
list, I encourage you to do so.
*** Do you know someone who would be interested in the ABC List? Pass it
on.
To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to ABCList-s-@topica.com.
*** You can change your address by sending a blank e-mail from your old
address to ABCLis-@topica.com. Then send a blank e-mail from your
new address to ABCLi-@topica.com.
*** Professional communicators are invited to subscribe to the
award-winning free Job of the Week e-mail networking newsletter. Send a
blank e-mail to JOTW-su-@topica.com. There are more than 10,000
professional communicators in the JOTW network.
The ABC List was created by Ned Lundquist, ABC. It is currently edited
and published by:
Olivia Nucum
International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
One Hallidie Plaza Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94102
USA
t + 1.415.544.4721
f + 1.415.544.4747
onu-@iabc.com
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