As promised, we are providing this update to leaders before it goes out to all members. The following update on certification from IABC Chair Robin McCasland will go out to all members early next week.
Hi everyone,
I wanted to update you on our progress toward launching a global certification program. This is another of the ongoing messages we’ll be sending to you over the coming months to keep you informed.
IABC’s annual Leadership Institute (LI) will take place in New Orleans from 6 to 8 February. We are taking advantage of that gathering to carry out several important processes that will move the new certification program forward.
First, the Nominating Committee appointed to review and recommend individuals to sit on the Global Communication Certification Council will bring their recommendations to the International Executive Board (IEB) at LI. We expect to announce the members of the new Council shortly after our meeting.
A small team of communication professionals will participate in a job task analysis (JTA), paving the way for development of a blueprint and exam for our first certification program. This first certification program will be targeted to communication professionals at the Generalist/Specialist level of their communication careers. The designation for people who attain this certification will be CCP, which stands for Certified Communication Professional.
The JTA is based on the six Global Principles℠ that were determined by IABC’s Career Road Map Committee. The committee members developed these principles based on their in-depth analysis of a wealth of research on our profession. The JTA defines job roles and competencies that will be required to earn the CCP designation.
Once we have a draft blueprint, we will validate it by conducting a survey among communication professionals currently working at that job level, including IABC members and the broader communication industry worldwide. After survey results are analyzed and the final blueprint is complete, we will be ready to draft exams.
We will also launch the new IABC Academy at LI. The Academy will be the umbrella for all of IABC’s professional development activities going forward. Research on career development needs for our profession was reviewed by the Career Roadmap Committee to determine initial Academy program offerings. Those potential programs are now being reviewed and focused to address a broad range of needs by our members and other communication professionals.
There are preliminary plans as well to work more closely with IABC chapters and regions to deliver face-to-face training, as well as expand online options and partnerships. I’ll provide more details about those plans as they are further developed.
As mentioned previously, some IABC volunteers have been developing concepts for engaging our Accredited Business Communicators (ABCs) long-term. We have a wealth of senior-level knowledge and expertise in our large community of ABCs around the world. Our ABCs have bonded through shared experiences of working toward and achieving accreditation, and serving in various leadership roles within IABC over time. We intend to nurture that special community and build on it for our ABCs, and also tap into their shared experiences to benefit newer members coming into the association now and into the future.
We had planned originally to host a webcast this month to share some of the concepts and seek feedback from our ABCs. We have revised our plans and will now share first with LI attendees the comprehensive concepts for a special “ABC Plus” program. Some of the proposed concepts include unique, senior-level professional programming and events that would be available only to ABCs.
Feedback from leaders attending LI will help us refine concepts and then determine how we can implement the activities and more fully engage our ABC community. If you are attending LI, please be part of the conversation, share your feedback and any additional ideas to help make this potential new program a great success.
I look forward to sharing more information with you soon after LI has concluded. As always, thank you for your interest and support as we build these very exciting programs for IABC.
Thank you,
Robin
IABC Chair