Business Communications Accreditation - Worthwhile, Gaining Value

Accreditation as a PR veteran or business communications pro gives you a certain something. The International Association of Business Communicators recently  released some research to quantify what that something is.

According to a survey of people who have earned their Accredited Business Communicator designation, the process was well worth the effort.

As few as 9-10% of ABCs and their supervisors and clients felt the accreditation had little or no value. Yet, only two-thirds of people surveyed chose “valuable” or “very valuable” when describing it.

Confusing? Not really. It takes a lot of time and effort to prepare your portfolio, study, and take the examination. Compared to that effort, was it worth it? Most people say yes, and a few say not so much.

The apparent disconnect between whether the process was worthwhile and whether having accreditation is valuable comes down to this: you’re the same person you were before being accredited; it’s seems only logical that a minority feel they have not gained anything of tangible value. Especially with something like ABC or APR certification, which don’t carry the same weight as an accounting designation.

I haven’t done any research to prove it, but I’m willing to bet there are similar feelings about masters degrees, PhDs and most other activities you can undertake to add initials to the end of your name. For some, the initials add considerable value. For others, particularly those who will gain no additional pay or clientele as a result, the value may be less tangible.

The research and anecdotal evidence shows clearly that people feel more confident for having gone through the IABC accreditation process.

The perceived value of accreditation continues to gain ground, even if not everyone agrees on exactly what benefits it brings to the recipient, their work, their workplace and their clients.

Check out The Value of Accreditation research results: news release;  executive summary and charts.