Workshop led by Douglas F. Cannon, Ph.D., APR+M, Fellow PRSA at the 2017 Religion Communicators Convention.

1. Advancing ministry through
Accreditation in Public Relations
Religion Communicators Council
88th
Annual National Convention
Chicago, Illinois
March 31, 2017
Douglas F. Cannon, Ph.D., APR+M, Fellow PRSA
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
RCC Universal Accreditation Board Representative

2. Outline
• What’s APR?
• Value of APR
– For employers
– For practitioners
– For religion communication/ministry
• Accreditation process
• Knowledge tested
• Planning to earn APR

3. What’s Accreditation in Public Relations
(APR)?
• Voluntary professional/industry credential (since 1964)
• Offered by Universal Accreditation Board
• Earned through a two-step process
– Panel Presentation
– Computer-based Examination
• Demonstrates:
 Commitment to professional advancement and ethical practice.
 Mastery of broad and strategic public relations knowledge, skills and
abilities.
 High professional level of experience and competence.
93% of Accredited practitioners agree the Examination for Accreditation
in Public relations covers the KSAs needed to succeed.

4. Universal Accreditation Board
10 public relations “participating organizations”
• Agricultural Relations Council
• Asociación de Relacionistas Profesionales de Puerto Rico
• California Association of Public Information Officials
• Florida Public Relations Association
• Maine Public Relations Council
• National Association of Government Communicators
• National School Public Relations Association
• Public Relations Society of America
• Religion Communicators Council
• Southern Public Relations Federation
(Department of Defense: APR+M)
www.praccreditation.org

5. Eligibility and fee
• Who is eligible?
– Members of 10 participating organizations.
– Recommend 5+ years of paid, full-time professional experience or in
teaching of public relations courses in an accredited college or
university.
• Examination fee is $385.
(RCC rebates $100 to members who earn APR.)
• Good “for life,” with fulfillment of maintenance of
Accreditation requirements and continued membership in
participating organization.

6. Value of certifications for employers
• PHR® (Professional in Human Resources)
• SPHR® (Senior Professional in Human Resources)
• GPHR® (Global Professional in Human Resources)
• Others: CPA – accountants; PE – engineers; CLU – life
insurance agents; CFP – financial planners; APR –
public relations

7. Value of certifications for employers
“Organizations that employ certified HR professionals
can be assured that their certified employees
understand and can apply forward thinking
employment practices and policies and are staying
abreast of changes in the field.”
Source: HR Certification Institute

8. Value of certifications for employers
• Evaluation criteria for comparing candidates for
professional/technical positions.
• Independent validation of specialized knowledge,
skills and abilities.
• Improves odds of selecting quality employees –
committed to professionalism and ethics.

9. Value for you
• Validates your mastery of
strategic communication skills
and a specialized body of PR
knowledge.
• Legitimizes PR as management
function.
• Enhances image of your work.
• Shows you know standards of
industry practice.
• Emphasizes your ethical
approach.
96% of
Accredited
practitioners find
the APR
credential
valuable.

10. Value for ministry
• Move from tactical to strategic.
• Move from technical to
managerial.
• Offer counsel, not just take
orders.
• Focus on outcomes, not outputs.
• Foster 2-way relationships, not
1-way messaging.
• Build on research, not gut
feelings.
• Identify key publics for outreach.
• Align with industry best
practices.
Accredited
practitioners find the
process establishes
the practice as
strategic (93%) and
ethical (91%).

11. Steps to earning APR
1. Apply
2. Study
3. Panel Presentation
4. Computer-based Examination
5. Maintenance

12. 1. Apply
• Initiate process at your discretion.
• Print application form from UAB website.
• Submit completed eligibility form with payment.
• Receive notification of eligibility.
• Complete process within one year of application
being approved.

13. 2. Study
• Read APR Study Guide (available online).
• Identify additional texts to fill in gaps.
• Panel Presentation Questionnaire.
• Work on your own or with a cohort.
• Use resources at www.praccreditation.org.
• Consider online study course.

14. 3. Panel Presentation
• Includes a questionnaire and portfolio review to demonstrate
use of RPIE/RACE process.
– Your organization and your role
– Your experience
• Assesses competence in areas not easily judged by computer-
based examination.
• Takes 60 to 90 minutes.
• Conducted locally
– 3 Accredited members
– Recommend to the UAB to Advance or Not Advance the candidate

15. 4. Computer-based Examination
• Computer-delivered and scored.
• 100% multiple-choice questions – terms, situation
analysis, examples.
• Takes 3 hours and 45 minutes.
• Testing process is administered by Prometric at local
sites around United States.
• Preliminary results immediate; final results in weeks.

16. KSAs assessed
• Researching, planning, implementing and
evaluating programs (33%)
• Leading the public relations function (18%)
• Managing relationships (15%)
• Ethics/law (13%)
• Managing issues and crisis communications (13%)
• Understanding communications models, theories
and history of the profession (8%)

17. 5. Maintenance
• Remain current and involved in profession and
professional growth.
– Continuing education and professional development (5 of
10 points required)
– Professionalism
– Public service
• Submit form and $50 fee every three years.

18. What APRs Say
“The process increased my understanding of the planning and
strategy that goes into creating successful public relations
campaigns versus the ‘it just happens’ syndrome.”
- Carol Crawford, APR, Principal, Crawford Communications, San Francisco, Cailf.
“The APR preparation provided a thorough review of the proper
thought-processes involving public relations issues and strategic
planning process. Additionally, my APR experience has
strengthened my confidence in my ability to counsel senior
management on all public relations issues.”
- Robert Stillwell, APR, Corporate Communications, NV Energy, Las Vegas, Nev.

19. Information and resources:
www.praccreditation.org