IABC and Royal Roads University Executive Accreditation Seminar - Hosted at Victoria, British Columbia, 6-11 May 2012
Applications are now closed for this session. Please check back for dates to our next program.
What is the Executive Accreditation Seminar?
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), in partnership with Royal Roads University (RRU), offers the Executive Accreditation Seminar (EAS), an intensive learning program designed for senior-level communicators seeking the Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) designation. IABC accreditation is a global standard of professional achievement in the communication industry.
In a collaborative and interactive learning environment, participants can expect personal coaching that provides critical insight into the requirements of accreditation.
The EAS program combines the elements of the traditional IABC accreditation process with a Leadership Development Challenge that leverages the experience, responsibilities and strategic planning skills of advanced practitioners.
IABC is offering two exceptional EAS opportunities for qualified candidates in 2012 (see the qualifications explained below). The most recent session culminated in a weeklong seminar hosted by Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from 5-10 November 2011. The next session will be conducted from 6-11 May 2012, again at Royal Roads University in Victoria. Space for the May session is limited and applications must be submitted by 20 January 2012. The second 2012 session is slated for 11-16 November in Melbourne, Australia.
Read testimonials from the November 2011 EAS participants.
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What is accreditation?
Accreditation is IABC’s recognized standard of professional excellence for business communicators. Accredited members, practicing around the world, apply the same strategic management process in all communication disciplines, across diverse cultures, within for-profit, government and nonprofit organizations of all sizes.
This peer-reviewed program challenges candidates to demonstrate their knowledge of strategic communication planning, implementation, measurement and ethics. Candidates who meet all requirements earn the Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) designation.
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Why should I become accredited?
Accredited IABC members are recognized for achieving IABC’s global standard in organizational communication excellence. The designation confirms that you think and plan strategically, understand the role of business communication, and align your work with the needs of the organization you serve. It confirms that you can use research to gain insight into a particular communication challenge or opportunity, establish meaningful goals and objectives that impact business outcomes, and clearly understand the needs of your audiences. An ABC designation represents your ability to develop sound strategy, targeted tactical execution plans and creative elements that are aligned with business and audience needs. A key competency is the ability to measure results that clearly support the strategic goals and objectives of an organization.
According to IABC’s salary survey, accreditation and higher education serve as indicators for higher base salaries.
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What does
Royal Roads University bring to the EAS?
The EAS is presented through the School of Communication and Culture and the Centre for Applied Leadership and Management at Royal Roads University. The School of Communication and Culture offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in professional and international communication. The Centre for Applied Leadership and Management specializes in graduate certificates and leading-edge, customized programming. The Royal Roads programs offer practical, applied, relevant experience. They are developed in collaboration with communication experts and taught by leading communication practitioners to ensure that participants receive current, useful knowledge and skills.
These programs allow participants to focus on professional interests and strengths, build on existing skills and experience, and apply new knowledge and strategies in the workplace. Royal Roads offers a unique communication leadership component through the Leadership Challenge by tackling an authentic corporate social responsibility issue.
In November 2011, participants came to the assistance of a local organization, Community Micro Lending, that facilitates small business loans in the Greater Victoria area. Community Micro Lending aids small business owners and entrepreneurs who have solid business ideas, but lack the funding to make them a reality.
In May 2011, Executive Accreditation Seminar participants provided insights and strategies to Sustainable Tompkins, an organization that promotes community well-being in the Finger Lakes region in the state of New York. Sustainable Tompkins advocates a systems, community-based approach to three main ideals: social equity, economic vitality and ecological stewardship.
Participants who successfully complete the Executive Accreditation Seminar are eligible to receive academic credit toward the Master of Arts in Professional Communication program at Royal Roads University.
For more information on Royal Roads, go to: http://www.royalroads.ca.
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What are the benefits of attending this seminar?
The program’s real-life challenge offers a unique opportunity for personal career growth and reflection within a rigorous and disciplined learning environment. The EAS is more than an organized, collaborative, hands-on program to become accredited. It offers a graduate-level education in strategic communication analysis, the opportunity to develop leadership skills by working with the industry’s best, and a chance to work and learn with professional peers from a variety of fields. On completion of the program, participants gain:
- The ABC designation (when all requirements are met).
- A certificate of completion from the esteemed Royal Roads University and credit toward an RRU degree (based on full participation at the event).
- New skills and knowledge that can be applied to other real-life communication challenges.
- A new network of senior-level colleagues and peers.
- The satisfaction of contributing to the success of a community-related effort though the Leadership Challenge.
Read testimonials from past participants.
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What qualifications are required for the program?
This intensive seminar is targeted to senior-level communication professionals. It engages senior practitioners from many communication disciplines who want to take on significant leadership roles within their organizations and the broader communication culture. EAS offers an extraordinary opportunity to employers that value a new generation of communication leaders to guide their development and success.
To be considered for the program, applicants must be full-time, professional communicators working with, or at, the executive level, and have one of the following:
- A bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 10 years of experience in business communication, such as organizational communication, public relations or communication management (A diversity of experience and responsibilities is recommended.)
- 15 years of experience in senior communication roles
- 15 years of combined post-secondary education and/or business communication experience
IABC will consider the breadth, depth and scope of a candidate’s experience as important factors in determining acceptance.
You must be an IABC member to apply for and maintain your accredited status. Join IABC.
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How is the program delivered?
Participants will develop the first required portfolio and participate in self-study with guidance from an assigned mentor. The months prior to the week-long event are a critical time to ensure successful development of the first portfolio project and preparation for the exam. Participants will then be ready for a successful seminar experience.
At the seminar, participants will deliver group reports and presentations on the Leadership Challenge, which constitute the required second portfolio plan. Oral and written exam work will also be conducted at the seminar. Evaluations are based on written and oral skills that showcase a candidate’s ability to develop and manage strategic communication, such as setting measurable, business-focused objectives, understanding target audiences, making strategic use of communication media and tools, and evaluating results.
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What are the steps in the EAS program?
Applications are now closed for this session. Please check back for dates to our next program.
Step 1: Apply by 20 January 2012.
Seats are limited so please apply as soon as possible.
Complete the IABC ethics quiz.
This will confirm your knowledge of the IABC Code of Ethics. Use the answer key to score your quiz.
Ethics Quiz
Answer Key
Download and fill-out the application form:
Application Form MS Word
Application Form PDF
Include your résumé and a letter of reference from
a) Accredited member familiar with your work as a communication professional
b) Your direct supervisor
Submit payment via the online payment program or mail a check to the address indicated on the application form.
Email application, resume and letter of reference to IABC@royalroads.ca . Applications must be received no later than 20 January 2012.
You will receive notification of acceptance to the program by the end of January 2012. Successful applicants will be matched with a mentor. Applicants not invited to the program are encouraged to pursue accreditation through the individual or chapter program.
Step 2: Develop your portfolio
Connect with your mentor
Upon acceptance to the program, your first step will be to connect with your mentor, an accredited IABC member experienced in leadership/executive communication who will provide you with ongoing guidance and support on portfolio development and exam preparation.
About your portfolio
The accreditation portfolio stage requires two work projects. In the EAS program, you will submit one portfolio in advance of the seminar and the other will be developed on-site with your peers.
You must pass the first portfolio to attend the week-long seminar. If you do not pass the first portfolio by the deadline, you will receive a refund minus a 20% administrative fee and are welcome to apply to future EAS programs.
Develop your first portfolio project
The first portfolio requirement, submitted prior to the seminar, will be fulfilled with successful passing of a single project that represents your best work.
Your first portfolio consists of a work plan and work sample. The work plan must describe a communication situation or opportunity that you have addressed, and include:
- Background research and analysis of the situation.
- How your communication approach aligns with the organization’s business objectives.
- Definitions and descriptions of key audiences, messages and media.
- Meaningful, measurable objectives.
For information on developing a portfolio, go to: www.iabc.com/abc/current/portfolio
Deadlines for your first portfolio project
Portfolio draft due to mentors February 13
Final portfolio due for evaluation February 27 (Instructions for uploading your portfolio to IABC’s online accreditation system will be provided.)
Develop your second portfolio project
The second portfolio requirement will be fulfilled on-site at the event and will be comprised of a written group report and presentation relating to the Leadership Challenge. The Leadership Challenge is a central feature of the seminar and involves an actual organization facing a significant communication issue. On-site you will experience a dynamic and interactive approach to portfolio development. Working with EAS peers, you will tackle a project geared to the abilities of seasoned executive communication practitioners.
The challenge offers an authentic case study as the basis for evaluating the candidate’s abilities. Teams will address similar components as required for the individual portfolio submission process.
Candidates will act as consultants to the organization in the case study, working in small teams to conduct research, develop a strategic analysis, submit a written report that outlines the communication plan, and formally present their solution to peers. Qualified accreditation reviewers will evaluate this work during the seminar.
Step 3: Examination (written and oral) 6-11 May 2012
Throughout the seminar, candidates will participate in a two-part, senior-level communication curriculum that will be delivered by university faculty specializing in leadership and communication. The curriculum will include sessions on topics relating to leadership, ethics, policy, the philosophy of communication, and crisis communication.
During the seminar, communication accreditation experts will evaluate candidates’ strategic communication leadership and problem-solving skills and responses as they complete each element of the accreditation process. Evaluators will assess these skills as part of fulfilling the requirements to become accredited.
At the conclusion of the event, candidates will sit for the written and oral exam. More information on the written exam can be found here. Questions on the oral exam are drawn from your first portfolio. IABC will be notify you of your exam score within 60-90 days via email.
Candidates who successfully complete all components of the EAS program, including the written and oral exams, receive the ABC designation, an IABC certificate and pin, and a certificate of seminar completion from Royal Roads University.
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How will participants receive communication and interact with their peers in advance of the event?
EAS candidates are invited to join IABC’s EAS social networking site as part of the registration process. This site provides access to downloads (documents, links, etc.), instructions and alerts specific to the EAS program. The site will serve as the central source for information, online peer interaction and mentor support as participants embark on their accreditation journey in advance of the seminar event.
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What resources are available for EAS participants?
Assigned mentors provide structured support to help participants through specific checkpoints in support of portfolio development and exam preparation. IABC also offers free resources to participants during the accreditation journey, including portfolio examples, practice exams, and teleseminars on portfolio development and exam preparation.
The following fee-based resources are also available:
Discovery: IABC’s online content library. The complimentary portion of Discovery includes access to Communication World and CW Bulletin, two publications that feature outstanding communication case study examples. A premium section, available for an annual subscription of US$99, will give you access to entire books on organizational communication, as well as Gold Quill Award-winning work plans that can inspire the development of an accreditation portfolio.
The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication, edited by Tamara Gillis, Ed.D., ABC. This book—IABC’s most comprehensive resource on organizational communication—showcases best practices for internal communication, public relations, marketing and communication strategy. With contributions from the leading experts in organizational, business and corporate communication, this book outlines the changing landscape of corporate roles across many disciplines. Purchase the Handbook.
The Communication Plan: The Heart of Strategic Communication, second edition, by Lester R. Potter, ABC, IABC Fellow. IABC’s definitive guide on communication planning walks you through the strategic communication process and offers straightforward case studies and how-to techniques for proper evaluation and measurement—a critical part of creating a successful portfolio. Purchase the manual.
The Business of Truth: A Guide to Ethical Communication, by Shannon Bowen, Ph.D. This toolkit will help you become comfortable with your ethical obligations as a communicator. This resource has practical tools and an analytical survey of the typical ethics training communicators receive, including frequency of training, the communicator’s ethical role, and methods of measuring organizational ethics. An electronic version of this toolkit is available on Discovery—or you may purchase a hard copy.
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What is the seminar fee?
The Executive Accreditation Seminar fee is CDN$4,600.00 plus a 12% Canadian Harmonized Sales Tax (CDN$552) and includes:
- ABC accreditation fee
- Opening reception
- Course materials
- Breakfast each morning
- Lunch each day
Fees do NOT include:
- Transportation
- Lodging
- IABC membership fee (membership is required to attend)
- Fee-based resources listed above
- Premium access to Discovery
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Who are the instructors, and what is their approach?
The seminar will be jointly delivered by an IABC facilitator and Royal Roads University facilitators. The accreditation facilitator will have a background as a successful practitioner with diverse experience, in addition to being a seasoned educator in organizational communication with the ability to help candidates combine communication practice with theory. IABC facilitators will coach participants through exam preparation and practice. Royal Roads facilitators will share a depth of knowledge in leadership communication and work with the IABC facilitators to guide participants through the Leadership Challenge process.
Instructors:
David C. Kistle, ABC
David Kistle, ABC retired from a 37-year career in communication and public relations in 2008 to devote his full attention to education and academics. He joined Padilla Upper Beardsley, a public relations firm headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA in 1981 as an account supervisor. He retired as senior vice president responsible for research and measurement 27 years later.
He was 2004-5 chairman of IABC and chairman of the IABC Research Foundation 1999-2000. His teaching career began in 1995 at the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Minneapolis, MN) where he was instructor and adjunct faculty member.
Since 2003 he has also been an online instructor for Webster University (St. Louis, MO) and a classroom teacher at Webster's campus in Cha Am, Thailand. David has served on the boards of the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) Commission on PR Measurement and Evaluation, IABC, Tubman Family Alliance and The Advocates for Human Rights.
David Whittington, Ph.D.
Dave Whittington and his wife, Tammy Dewar, moved to Victoria from Glasgow, Scotland in 2004. He studied and worked at a number of universities in the UK: Southampton, Birmingham, the Open University, Strathclyde and Glasgow. His background in science, engineering and education, over time, shifted to an interest in why various projects he was involved in had a mixed success rate. It became clear to him that human factors such as open communication, team work, and leadership were critical.
His first involvement with Royal Roads University was in a January 2000 research project exploring how personality type impacts online learners. This research has since been published in the Journal of Education Computing Research, has led to further research, and is being used to inform how future MA in Leadership learners transition from intense residential learning to online learning.
From 2000 to 2005, he spent a month each summer at RRU working in residencies and facilitated two of the three online courses that make up the MA in Leadership. He has also supervised many major projects. During this time, his "day job" was at the University of Glasgow where he ws Director of Research at the Robert Clark Centre for Technological Education.
Tammy Dewar, Ph.D.
Tammy Dewar grew up on a farm in Alberta and brings a down-to-earth, entrepreneurial and hopeful attitude to her teaching, coaching and consulting. Having been the only one in her large extended family of hundreds to complete a Ph.D., she encourages and challenges people to transcend whatever limitations they may think they have. She has lived in many cities in Canada, the USA and the UK, but now calls Victoria home, and is committed to living a balanced and sustainable life with her husband and business partner, Dave Whittington.
Together, they run Calliope Learning (www.calliopelearning.com), a consulting company that specializes in leadership development and coaching. They are proud to be a part of the growing high tech sector on Vancouver Island and are working with several exciting clients to help them be the best they can be. They also have clients in other sectors and provide team development, executive coaching, customized 360 performance reviews, action research, and the application of distance and online technologies to workplace learning. She has been an associate faculty member at Royal Roads University since 1997 and teaches in the MA and MBA programs.
She loves living in Victoria and enjoys the local food, wine, festivals, sporting events and amazing recreational activities. In the summer you can find her riding her bike or walking and in the winter you'll find her watching the local pro-hockey team, the Salmon Kings. Travel has been a consistent theme in her life and she spends a lot of time on airplanes visiting friends and family in Alberta and the UK, as well as more exotic locales around the world.
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About IABC
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a global network of communication professionals committed to improving organizational effectiveness through strategic communication. Established in 1970, IABC serves more than 15,000 members in 70 countries and 100 chapters. For more information, visit www.iabc.com.
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About Royal Roads University
Royal Roads University (RRU)is well equipped to serve ABC candidates, with a view of education that blends the best of academic and professional traditions. In a National Survey of Student Engagement reported in the Canadian news magazine Maclean’s, Royal Roads University ranked first of 57 Canadian universities for “active and collaborative learning” and first for “level of academic challenge.”
Questions?
If you have questions about the Executive Accreditation Seminar, email recognition@iabc.com
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