Participate in PRSA’s online training session, “Getting Ready for the APR Computer-Based Examination,” on June 12, 2012 3–4 p.m. EDT . This public relations accreditation training sesssion is free to PRSA members.

Pursuing the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) designation is a decision that has been extremely valuable to my career. Public relations is a profession that is evolving every year but the core of all we do is still based on research and ethical communication practices. The APR helped elevate my role as communications counsel, provoking me to think beyond one-sided scenarios and come up with results-oriented solutions for my clients.

Continue reading " APR: Enhancing Your Role as a Trusted Communications Counselor "

April is Accreditation month at PRSA!

PRSA has designated April as Accreditation Month. Members can learn more about APR through many special events, including:

• Free On Demand Webinars: Accreditation Power Play, Knowing Your Business is Good PR ; Getting Ready for the Readiness Review
• Using the “Invite-a-Peer” tool to help spread the word about APR

My boss has been (thankfully) pestering me for three years to get my APR. But with growing workplace responsibilities and three sons to chase, who has time to prepare for “the unknown monster” of APR preparation?

So after faithfully placing “Accreditation in Public Relations” on my performance review goals for three years — and explaining it away every year — I had to make it happen in 2011–2012.

After applying and receiving my acceptance, the one-year clock kept ticking until I finally dug into the great resources on the PRSA website that broke it all down into three manageable chunks (Tip #1) — Readiness Review questionnaire, the presentation/portfolio and computer-based Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations.

Continue reading " Those Three Golden Letters — Finally! "

April is Accreditation month at PRSA!

PRSA has designated April as Accreditation Month. Members can learn more about APR through many special events, including:

• Accreditation Power Play Webinar – April 19; 3 – 4:30 p.m. EDT
• Free Online Course Open House – April 24 (for potential candidates; APR chairs invited to participate)
• Free On Demand Webinars:  Knowing Your Business is Good PR ; Getting Ready for the Readiness Review
• Using the “Invite-a-Peer” tool to help spread the word about APR

When I went through the process of obtaining my APR, I didn’t realize that PRSA had such a vast array of materials available for me to use. Of course, I was familiar with the APR Boot Camps, but I had no idea that there was an APR chair that I could connect with, or even that there was an Accreditation website filled with documents to help me with my studying. Do you know that?

Whether you know it or not, leveraging the available resources is a great way to get a start on studying for your APR. Here are some of the best tools to rely on as you complete your APR:

Continue reading " Getting Your APR: What Resources Are Available? "

April is Accreditation month at PRSA!

PRSA has designated April as Accreditation Month. Members can learn more about APR through many special events, including:

• Accreditation Power Play Webinar – April 19; 3 – 4:30 p.m. EDT
• Free Online Course Open House – April 24 (for potential candidates; APR chairs invited to participate)
• Free On Demand Webinars:  Knowing Your Business is Good PR ; Getting Ready for the Readiness Review
• Using the “Invite-a-Peer” tool to help spread the word about APR

My local PRSA chapter, Greater Kansas City, is on the prowl for our next crop of candidates for accreditation in public relations.

We have plenty of members who are interested, but turning an interested member into an accredited member is no easy task. We developed a local incentive package to supplement the rebate offered by national PRSA to members who successfully complete the accreditation process. But even with a financial package that makes the net cost of accreditation $100, we still have challenges recruiting APR candidates. I suspect many other chapters have the same problem.

I’ve read lots of articles and blog posts extolling the virtues of earning accreditation. They talk about bumps in pay, increased confidence, and the great information you’ll learn through the process. Those are all excellent and true points. I agree with them. But since those arguments have been eloquently addressed by others, I’d like to add a different argument to the mix.

Get your APR because it’s the best way you can help advance the credibility of our profession.

Continue reading " Earning APR Helps Everybody in Our Profession "

Participate in PRSA’s online training session, “Getting Ready for the Readiness Review,” on Feb. 14, 2012 3–4 p.m. EST. This public relations accreditation training sesssion is free to PRSA members.

Like many would-be APRs, I was a bit intimidated at the process — all through college, my professors all held APRs, and it seemed like some kind of distinction for the “select, chosen few.” But after completing the application process and the questionnaire successfully, the intimidation factor certainly diminished.

Continue reading " Think — Don’t Overthink: Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) "