To
give candidates a greater incentive to complete the Accreditation
process, the Universal Accreditation Board is implementing
a new fee payment schedule for the Examination for Accreditation
in Public Relations (APR). As of July 1, candidates will be
asked to pay for the Examination when they apply:
A
single payment of $385 covering the full process cost, or
$205
at the time of the application and the remaining $205 when
the candidate completes Readiness Review and is Advanced to
the computer-based Examination ($385 + $25 application fee
currently charged)
Please
note that the $25 application fee is waived for those who
pay in full with their applications, and any rebates or partial
refunds of the Examination fee will be at the discretion of
Participating Organizations.
Candidates
who have already Advanced through Readiness Review but who
have not yet made their reservations for the computer-based
Examination will receive a special letter with instructions
to remit their payment to UAB before setting up their appointment
at Prometric.
In
addition, as a result of the annual review of the Examination
for Accreditation in Public Relations, the computer-based
Examination has been refreshed. Beginning on July 1,
an additional 30 unscored beta-test questions will be added,
and the time allotted to complete the Examination will be
extended to 3 hours and 45 minutes, including 10 minutes for
a suggested break. These changes are necessary to maintain
the relevance, flexibility and security of the Examination.
If
you have specific questions relating to an existing application
or plans to apply, then please contact Kathy Mulvilhill, APR
manager for the Universal Accreditation Board/PRSA, at (212)
460-1436 or kathy.mulvihill@prsa.org.
If you have more questions about accreditation in general,
then please contact WMPRSA accreditation chair Molly Klimas
at (616) 776-3511 and/or visit www.praccreditation.org.
Summary
of May 2005 Event: Crisis Communication Crisis
– preparedness is key
More
than 30 West Michigan public relations professionals gathered
at the Prince Conference Center on the Calvin College campus
– yes, in close proximity to the renowned Petra exhibit (make
plans now to see it before it disappears from Grand Rapids)
– to hear two of our own speak out on crisis communications
at the May WMPRSA meeting.
Ruth
Steele Walker of Foremost Insurance and Rick Chambers, APR,
of Pfizer represented completely different industries but
shared a single message: Be prepared.
Crisis
can hit at any time – and in many ways.
Ruth
presented a DVD of Foremost’s response to hurricanes – the
most common crisis that the company’s customers face annually
in such southern states as Florida, the Carolinas and Texas.
2004 proved to be a perfect storm of hurricanes with four
major ones hitting the States starting last August and causing
major damage.
Foremost’s
crisis communication plan addresses multiple facets – advertising,
sales, and public relations – and is imbued in the company’s
overall business plan.
Ruth’s
advice to participants: “Not only be prepared; also be flexible.
A plan should evolve.”
Rick
talked about challenges faced by the pharmaceuticals industry
while giving advice that can be applied to any environment.
He identified the elements of a “chronic crisis”:
Poor
public opinion
Your organization has become a
scapegoat
Widespread cynicism
Messages that don’t “stick”
Employee uncertainty
Rick
offered these solutions:
Keep
focused on your mission
Equip people with accurate information
– help them to become advocates
Be
ready for “what ifs”
Be swift but not reckless to respond/communicate
(in other words: “ready, aim, fire,” not “fire, aim, ready”)
Poke your head up once and a while
to see the forest through the trees
Much
thanks to Ruth and Rick for sharing their time and wisdom!
Thanks
to member Molly Klimas for authoring this month's summary.
