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APR and Public Sector Communications
This
article on the value of the international "APR" (Accredited
in Public Relations) designation in public sector communications
appeared in the January 2005 issue of Perspectives
, a publication of the Canadian Public Relations Society.
By
Vicky Cheng
January
2005
Perspectives
Proficiency, integrity and skills - every PR practitioner
should possess these prerequisites. The challenge lies in
the ability to benchmark such a claim. An APR designation
provides proof that indicates a PR practitioner has a track
record of knowledge with a high mark of quality. It is this
assurance that the public sector would most value for their
communications services.
"The public sector values standards, process and accountability,
and that must be reflected in its communications," says Dan
Tisch, an APR, and President of Argyle Rowland Communications.
Tisch says says public sector communicators must not only
convey the public policy of the organization, but also bear
the responsibility of being accountable to citizens. As a
seasoned professional with extensive experience in senior
government communications and policy roles, he points out
this is the main impact of accreditation on the practice of
pubic sector communications.
Furthermore, Tisch believes that because of the high-stakes
nature of matters involving public interest, it is particularly
important for communicators to have "achieved a standard,
gone through a process and be accountable for the work they
do. To subscribe a high level of ethics is particularly important."
According to Sarah Jones, APR, former Director of Communications
with the Trillium Gift of Life Network, the APR designation
signals that people can hire practitioners and be confident
that they know what they are doing and have good ethics. A
past president of CPRS (Toronto) and past member of the CPRS
National Board of Directors, Jones defines APR as the designation
for a well-rounded professional with knowledge of the whole
PR business.
The APR process provides a strategic grounding that guides
prospective candidates to have a complete view of their PR
knowledge, approaches and experiences.
"It makes you think through your own philosophy of public
relations," says Tisch.
"Going through the process and being successful at it means
doing your job well," adds Jones. "In my circumstance, this
means having a thoughtful appreciation of the development
of public policy and its communications."
Jones finds the benefits she gained from the APR designation,
which she acquired 20 years ago, have augmented her 18 years
of communications experience with the Ontario government.
She has provided countless professional counsel on public
policies, and many of them involved regulatory responsibilities
and policy issues. Jones' strategically grounded plans provided
a strong explanation of the issues for the taxpayers.
Awareness of accreditation is certainly on the rise. According
to Jones, in the past three to five years, the Ontario government
has increased its focus on professional reputation and training
for communications staff. While experiences are intangible
and can be tough to measure, the APR designation examines
a practitioner's capability against standards set by senior
professionals across the country.
Tisch hopes that over time, accreditation will be a factor
that more and more organizations consider when making a decision
to hire a PR practitioner. He would like to see it become
a widely recognized differentiator of quality.
"As a profession, we have a lot more work to do to make sure
both public and private organizations know what APR means,
see its value, and understand how it differentiates a practitioner.
When we reach that point, you'll see clients not just requesting
it but actually demanding it," Tisch says. "For now, we simply
tell our clients we have met or exceeded our industry's professional
standards."
Differentiation, capability and ethics matter to organizations
and willcontinue to be of strong relevance.
To find out more about becoming accredited, contact Kristina
Sanecki, APR, Accreditation Chair for CPRS (Toronto). She
can be reached at (905) 662-9963 or ks1@porchlight.ca.
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