|
The ABC List for March 2009
|
onu-@iabc.com
|
Mar 31, 2009 13:28 PST
|
The ABC List for March 2009
Welcome to the newest monthly edition of the ABC List. The ABC List
serves 791 professional communicators.
This newsletter is a forum for accredited communicators, but more
importantly, offers information and resources for those communicators
interested in learning more about becoming accredited, the value of
accreditation and the process to obtain 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.
*** Congratulations to the New ABCs in March
*** ABC Article: J. Amanda Davidson, ABC
*** Upcoming Accreditation Teleseminar: “Preparing for Your
Accreditation Exam”
*** Upcoming Accreditation Exam at IABC 2009 World Conference in San
Francisco
*** Congratulations to the New ABCs in March
Victoria Miecznikowski, ABC from IABC / Golden Horseshoe
Jo-Ann Fraser, ABC from IABC / Calgary
Vanessa Farrelly, ABC from IABC / Calgary
Enriqueta Bauer, ABC from IABC / Chicago
Chris Fernandes, ABC from IABC / Toronto
*** ABC Article: J. Amanda Davidson, ABC
They say you always remember your first time. For me, it was a sunny
Saturday morning when my husband drove me downtown and dropped me at the
base of a tremendous skyscraper, my stomach full of butterflies. My
ascent on the elevator was a lonely one; I couldn’t remember that last
time I had been this nervous. But when the doors opened I was greeted
by two smiling faces that embodied more than half a century of IABC
experience between them. They were as happy as I was anxious, so after
a few pleasantries and a last-ditch breakfast pastry, I entered the
office where I would begin my long exam, and they pulled the door behind
them—just enough—like two proud parents unable to leave their child
completely on their own.
And the clock began to tick. Slowly I read, then quickly I typed while
the hours passed by and I sat there determined to demonstrate nearly 15
years of communications experiences to the strangers who would soon
judge me. When it was over, the two proctors brought me into a separate
office to complete the verbal portion of the exam. I was spent but
relieved to have made it this far. They’re right when they tell you
never to ponder too much or too long. You know it or you don’t and your
fingers need to fly if you want to answer every question before time
runs out. And I had done it!
When my husband returned to collect me I was tired, hungry and bursting
with delight. Accreditation was a process I had committed to a few
years prior, but as is always the case, life got in the way. Between my
acceptance as a candidate and this shiny Saturday I had gotten engaged,
then married, had an ectopic pregnancy that nearly took me out, been
elected vice president of professional development for my chapter and
survived cancer. And that was all before I took the written exam the
first time.
Fortunately, my portfolio was strong enough to carry me through on the
initial try. I had worked hard on it and was thrilled to hear of my
results. As for the written part, well, that took a bit longer. This
was surprising to me because I’ve always been an excellent test taker,
my writing skills are usually on point and I had studied my proverbial
hindquarters off. Still, it would ultimately take me four separate
tries to complete my accreditation.
Throughout the process I earned a reputation as quite an anomaly for
many reasons. First, my original verbal exam score was unusually high,
especially compared to my written score, so they had to review and
re-review my answers. Then the ethics portion kept throwing me for a
silly loop; that 20 minutes of my life was repeated four times. Don’t
assume they know you know anything. Ack! But my persistence paid off
when in January 2009 I received notice that I had passed every section
of the written exam and could finally add those three little letters
behind my name.
Of course, from that first written exam to the last one I had biked
across two countries, been laid off for the first time, earned an Emmy
nomination and had my tonsils taken out. And all this really begs the
question: What’s your excuse?
*** Upcoming Accreditation Teleseminar: “Preparing for Your
Accreditation Exam”
On 14 May 2009 Jo Langham, ABC will present on “Preparing for Your
Accreditation Exam.” The session will provide 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 current candidates and also has value
for those interested in pursuing accreditation.
For more information, visit:
http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=69982fd2-702b-4633-a4b9-8388e6cccebf
*** Upcoming Accreditation Exam at IABC 2009 World Conference in San
Francisco
IABC will be holding accreditation exams at the 2009 World Conference in
San Francisco on 6 June 2009, from 1p.m. – 6 p.m. Contact Olivia Nucum,
onu-@iabc.com, by 25 May 2009 to register for this exam date.
*** About the ABC List:
This list is a forum for accredited communicators, but more importantly
provides information and resources for those professional communicators
who seek accreditation and wish to learn more about the process and its
value.
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)
601 Montgomery Street, Suite 1900
San Francisco, CA 94111
USA
t + 1.415.544.4721
f + 1.415.544.4747
onu-@iabc.com
|
|
 |
|
