International Association of Business Communicators

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a global network of communications professionals.

International Association of Business Communicators
TypeNot-for-profit
IndustryCommunications Public Relations Marketing Internal Communications Human Resources
Founded1970
HeadquartersSan Francisco
Area served
Worldwide
Number of employees
20
Websitewww.iabc.com

Each summer, IABC hosts World Conference, a three-day event with professional development seminars and activities, as well as talks by industry leaders.

Decisions within the organization are made by a two-thirds vote of the executive board, which is elected by members. IABC members agree to follow a professional code of ethics, which encourages members to do what is legal, ethical and in good taste.[1]

History

IABC's predecessor was the American Association of Industrial Editors (AAIE), which was founded in 1938. AAIE became a member of the International Council of Industrial Editors (ICIE) in 1941. It withdrew from ICIE in 1946 over policy differences, but formed IABC when it merged again in 1970.[2][3] In IABC's first year of operation, the association had 2,280 members and was focused on internal communications.[4] IABC's research showed its members were moving into positions with broader public relations responsibilities and the association expanded its scope.[5] In 1974 it merged with Corporate Communicators Canada.[4]

In 1982 the association formed the IABC Research Foundation, which funded a study of 323 organizations in the 1980s to determine what made some public relations teams more effective than others. The study found that executive involvement in communications was the best predictor of effectiveness.[6] The Research Foundation also looked into the status and pay of women in the public relations field, in a pioneering study called The Velvet Ghetto.[7]

IABC had financial troubles in 2000 after losing $1 million in an e-business initiative called TalkingBusinessNow.[8][9] In 2001 a grass-roots initiative was started within IABC's membership that eventually developed into the Gift of Communication program, whereby members donated their professional services to local charities.[10] Membership grew 7–9 percent each year in the 2000s due to an increasing number of practitioners in the field of internal communications.[3] IABC hosted its first annual world conference in 2005[11] and grew to more than 16,000 members by 2008.[3] That same year, IABC accredited Chinese citizens for the first time in the Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) program.[12][13]

In 2009 the IABC Research Foundation conducted a survey that found 79 percent of respondents frequently use social media to communicate with employees.[14] It also co-authored a study the following year that found email and intranet were the most common internal communications tools among respondents.[15][16]

For 40 years, the association offered an accreditation program called Accreditation for Business Communications (ABC). By the time the program ended in 2013, a total of 1,003 people had earned ABC status. Though the program stopped accepting new applicants in September 2012, ABCs will be recognized as long as they maintain their membership in IABC.[17][18] A new professional certification program to replace accreditation with a more affordable, computer-based process was proposed in January 2013. The goal is to set an international standard for all communications professionals that will be recognized by an organization such as ISO17024. The autonomous international group to oversee the creation of the new certification program — the Global Communication Certification Council — was appointed in February 2014.

Organization

IABC offers professional, corporate, student and retired memberships. Representatives from different chapters and regions, as well as professional members, vote at the Annual General Meeting to elect members to the international executive board. The board can change dues, establish new chapters, create workgroups and remove members with a two-thirds vote. IABC also has various committees focused on ethics, research, finance, auditing and others. All positions within IABC are filled by volunteers.[19]

IABC has more than 100 chapters worldwide in North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Europe.[20]

Services

IABC hosts networking events and mentoring programs to help recent graduates connect with working public relations, marketing and corporate communications professionals.[21] Most professional members join IABC to further their career advancement, professional development and to grow their professional network. IABC is no longer accepting new applicants for its Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) program, but a new certification program has been initiated that would involve computerized testing and renewals every three years.[22] The new certification program will have two levels; the first level being developed is for Communications Generalists.[23]

IABC publishes a code of ethics,[24] which has three principles: that professional communications be legal, ethical and in good taste. It says members should be sensitive to cultural values, as well as be truthful, accurate and respectful.[25] Before 1995, the code said "Communicators should encourage frequent communication and messages that are honest in their content, candid, accurate and appropriate to the needs of the organization and its audiences."[26]

IABC hosts the Gold Quill Awards, which are bestowed at three levels: Gold, Silver and Bronze. The Gold Quill is an international awards program that's open to both members and non- members. The Silver and Bronze Quills are conducted at a local chapter level and open to both members and non-members.[27] The awards are bestowed for "creatively and effectively communicating" in measurable ways that contribute to the local community.[28] In 2014 the Gold Quill has four divisions and more than 40 categories.[29] Both the Gold Quill and some of the regional chapters offer special awards for college students.[30]

IABC's goal is to connect and inspire each other through events and professional development programmes, and by sharing best practices.

IABC inaugural edition of its Regional Conference for business communicators in Asia-Pacific region was held in 2017 in Singapore. The theme of the conference was – FUSION: Connecting Communicators. Asia-Pacific is one of the most culturally and geographically diverse regions in IABC. Goal is to Connect Communicators across the APAC region and the world to inspire, create connections, foster best practices, and promote leadership in the communications profession. Ashwani Singla, Vice President of the IABC India chapter board former APAC board member of Burson-Marsteller, amongst the speakers at Fusion[31]

World Conference Locations
YearCityHashtag
2010Toronto#IABC
2011San Diego#IABC11
2012Chicago#IABC12
2013New York#IABC13
2014Toronto#IABC14
2015San Francisco#IABC15
2016New Orleans#IABC16
2017Washington DC#IABC17
2018Montréal#IABC18
2019Vancouver#IABC19
2020Chicago#IABC20

Fellows

The IABC Fellow designation is the highest honor IABC bestows on its members. Becoming a Fellow denotes a body of achievement by a communicator who has had a significant impact not only on their organization and IABC, but also on the communication profession at large.

The criteria for Fellow nominations:

  1. Contribution to the communication profession
  2. Career achievement
  3. Authorship, speaking and lecturing
  4. Contributions to the community
YearIABC Fellow
1977Wally Court, ABC
1978Roger D’Aprix, ABC
1981Philip Douglis, ABC
1982John Aspery, ABC
1984Roy G. Foltz, ABC, APR
1985Louis C. Williams Jr., ABC, APR
1985Lynda Stewart, ABC
1988Jerome Blackstone
1988Wilma Mathews, ABC
1989Rae Leaper, ABC
1990Thomas Ruddell, ABC
1991Albert Wann, ABC, APR
1991David Orman
1992Christopher Bunting, ABC
1992Robert Berzok, ABC
1993Frederic Halperin, ABC
1994Jean Cormier, APR
1995Sharon Paul, ABC
1996Brad Whitworth, ABC
1997Lester R. Potter, ABC
1998Norman Leaper, ABC
1998Ron E. Martin, ABC
1999Jim Shaffer
2000Ian Hawkins, ABC
2001Robert Dilenschneider
2002Don Ranly, Ph.D.
2003Anne Forrest
2004Tudor Williams, ABC
2005Roberta (Bobbie) Resnick, ABC, APR, MC
2005Shel Holtz, ABC
2006Leticia Narvaez, ABC
2007Connie Eckard, ABC, Ph.D.
2007Sheri Rosen, ABC
2008Angela Sinickas, ABC
2009Joe Williams
2009Pixie Malherbe Emslie, ABC
2010Annette Martell, ABC, MC
2010William Briggs, Ed.D.
2011Paul Sanchez, ABC, APR
2012Barbara Puffer, ABC
2012John Clemons, ABC, APR
2013Elpi Cuna, Jr., APR
2013Lorraine Lennon
2013Mary Ann McCauley, ABC
2013Suzanne Salvo
2014George McGrath
2014Jennifer Wah, ABC, MC
2014John Deveney, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA
2014Mark Schumann, ABC
2014Tamara Gillis, Ed.D., ABC
2015Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, ABC
2015Anna Marie Willey, ABC, MC
2015Jim Lukaszewski, ABC
2015John Gerstner, ABC
2015Kellie Garrett, MC

Abbreviations used in the above list:

  • ABC - Accredited Business Communicator
  • MC - Master Communicator
  • CMP - Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP®)
  • SCMP - Communication Management Professional (CMP®)

Publishing
  • Brent D. Ruben and Stacy M. Smulowitz (August 15, 2007). Core Communication: A Guide to Organizational Assessment, Planning and Improvement. International Association of Business Communicators. ISBN 1888015543.
  • International Association of Business Communicators (January 1982). Without bias: a guidebook for nondiscriminatory communication. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-08561-4.
  • Tamara Gillis; IABC (21 March 2011). The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A Guide to Internal Communication, Public Relations, Marketing, and Leadership. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-01635-0.

IABC also publishes a monthly digital magazine Communication World. Recent issues have shared researched and first-person, expert articles on connecting with Millennials, social intranets and crisis communications.[32]

References
  1. http://www.iabc.com/about/code.htm
  2. American Association of Industrial Editors (AAIE) Records, Syracuse University Library, retrieved December 3, 2012
  3. O'Dwyer, Jack (January 26, 2009). "Emphasis on internal communication spurs IABC". O'Dwyer's.
  4. International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, archived from the original on August 29, 2012, retrieved December 4, 2012
  5. James E. Grunig (1992). Excellence Public Relations Pr. Psychology Press. pp. 533–. ISBN 978-0-8058-0227-6. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  6. Grunig, James E., and Larissa A. Grunig. "Public Relations In Strategic Management And Strategic Management Of Public Relations: Theory And Evidence From The IABC Excellence Project." Journalism Studies 1.2 (2000): Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-08. Retrieved 2014-03-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. O'Dwyer, Jack (April 9, 2002). "IABC, PRSA Revamp Ties to Ragan, PRW". O'Dwyer's. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  9. "Special Insert: Ragan Report's IABC Watch". Ragans. August 3, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  10. "Social Responsibility at IABC". Association. February–March 2011. p. 21. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  11. "IABC preps for World Conference". O'Dwyer's. May 29, 2009.
  12. "Global standard for business communication is introduced in China – Shanghai Expo will bring opportunities to PR industry". Shanghai Evening Post. September 26, 2008.
  13. "The first-ever Chinese citizens earn the ABC designation". Shanghai Business Daily. September 13, 2008.
  14. Palmer, Maija (March 22, 2010). "Time to connect". The Financial Times. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  15. "Email, Intranet Top Tools for Engaging Employees". MarketingProfs. August 9, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  16. Ciarallo, Joe (August 4, 2010). "IABC Survey: Email, Intranets More Popular Than Social Media For Employee Engagement". PRNewser. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-28. Retrieved 2014-03-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. O'Dwyer, Jack (December 3, 2012). "IABC Cutting Staff by 16, Digital Emphasized". O'Dwyers. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  19. "IABC Bylaws", About IABC, IABC, archived from the original on November 23, 2012, retrieved December 3, 2012
  20. http://www.iabc.com/regions-chapters/
  21. U. S. Department of Labor (1 April 1996). Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1996–97. Bernan Assoc. ISBN 978-0-89059-061-4. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  22. O'Dwyer, Jack (January 14, 2012). "IABC Proposes That "Certification" Replace ABC". O'Dwyer's.
  23. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2014-03-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. Rise of Public Relations Ethics (chapter), Mini-Me History: Public Relations from the Dawn of Civilization, By Don Bates APR Fellow PRSA, for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, 2002, Updated 2006, Retrieved July 4, 2007.
  25. "Code of Ethics", About IABC, IABC, retrieved December 4, 2012
  26. Public relations codes of ethics, Northern Kentucky University, retrieved December 4, 2012
  27. "IABC makes call for entries for 2001 Bronze Quill awards". Kansas City Business Journal. February 13, 2001. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  28. "Johnson & Johnson Garners 2 Gold Quill Awards". Philippine Daily Inquirer. June 20, 2007.
  29. https://gq.iabc.com/info/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/GQ14_call_for_entries_pdf.pdf%5B%5D
  30. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2014-03-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  31. "Fusion".
  32. Communication World (CW)

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