Give yourself
the Accreditation Advantage
•You, APR
Presenter
Organization
Date
Give the
Accreditation advantage…
…to yourself:
“Accreditation made a positive impact on how I
do my job and how I view the practice of public
relations….earning the APR was a challenge;
the sense of accomplishment earned is
something that will last throughout my career.”
Edward M. Bury, APR
Coord., Public Information
Urban Transportation Center at
the University of Illinois at Chicago
Give the
Accreditation advantage…
…to your employers:
“The guidance, approach and techniques reinforced
throughout the APR process have guided my work to a
higher plane, given me added influence and confidence,
and helped me advance our profession’s abilities. These
APR benefits have been very important to my career.”
Ken Hunter, APR
President and Lead Strategist
The PowerStation Communications
Give the
Accreditation advantage…
…to the profession:
“I wanted to take the Examination for Accreditation in
Public Relations to reassure myself that I had what it
takes to operate professionally in this industry ...
[Accreditation] gives them more confidence in the results
that public relations efforts can produce. The APR
program is a great support for an often misunderstood
industry.”
Sonya Ruffin, APR
Consultant
Emerge Communications
What are we going to
talk about?
96% of
Accredited
professionals
find the APR
credential
valuable
• Accreditation sets
industry standards
• Making Accreditation
personal
• Resources
• Accreditation and our
changing profession
Accreditation
sets professional standards
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
93% of Accredited
professionals agree
the Examination
covers the KSAs
needed to succeed.
– Research, planning, implementing
and evaluating programs
– Ethics and law
– Communication models and
theories
– Business literacy
– Management skills and issues
– Crisis communication
management
– Media relations
– Using information technology
efficiently
– History of and current issues in
public relations
– Advanced communication skills
Accreditation
defines the profession
• Sets standards
– “science” of public relations
Accredited
professionals find the
process establishes
the practice as
strategic (93%) and
ethical (91%).
• Legitimizes profession
– standards
– uniformity
• Builds accountable
– ethics
– legal knowledge
Accreditation
serves changing profession
• Continued high standards
• Brand equity through unified program
across many industries, specialties,
geographies
• Meeting human resource recruiting criteria
• Increased visibility among business and
human resource communities
Taking
Accreditation personally
94% of those
Accredited would
become
Accredited again.
96% would
recommend it to a
colleague.
• Professionals find
Accreditation to
– be a source of pride (91%)
– develop professional skills
(78%)
– provide personal benefit
(75%)
– help resolve ethical
dilemmas (58%)
Use Accreditation resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Coaching and mentoring
Extensive bookshelf of suggested texts
Online study, prep resources
Feedback through Readiness Review
User-friendly computer-based Examination
Improved feedback to candidates
Candidate-focused scheduling
There is no try.
There is only do. -Yoda
• Apply for eligibility at www.praccreditation.org
• Seek coaching support from
Accreditation chair
• Integrate online and
in-print study materials
• Form local study groups
• Readiness Review
• Computer-based Examination
• Start signing your name: You, APR!