International Association of Business Communicators
Encyclopedia
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a leading association for business communication
professionals. IABC has approximately 16,000 members in more than 100 chapters in over 80 countries.
IABC members hold positions in a variety of communication professions, including: public relations
, media relations
, corporate communications
, employee communications, public affairs
, investor relations
, government relations, marketing communication, community relations, writing, editing, advertising
, graphic design
, human resources
and teaching.
IABC's headquarters are located in San Francisco, California
, United States
.
IABC was founded in 1970 from a merger of the American Association of Industrial Editors and the International Council of Industrial Editors. Its initial focus was on internal communication
. However, IABC expanded its mission after research showed that members would leave after being promoted into positions with wider public relations responsibilities.
Accreditation is a peer-review program offered as an IABC professional development program. It offers communicators a way of demonstrating their ability to think and plan strategically and to successfully manage those skills essential to effective organizational communication, which could include internal communications, media relations, crisis communications and external relations. To receive accreditation, applicants must meet education and experience requirements, submit a portfolio that includes work samples with measurable outcomes, and pass both written and oral examinations. http://www.iabc.com/abc/
Accreditation recognizes communicators who have reached a standard of knowledge and proficiency that is globally accepted among the communication profession.
for those professionals in public relations. The themes of its values are that business communications must be "legal ... ethical, and ... in good taste".
Members are required to follow the IABC Code of Ethics. However, it has been observed that there is not an enforcement program in place that can realistically punish breaches of its code.
s contests. The specific divisions and categories for each contest can vary, but typical categories include marketing communications, member/employee communications, media relations, crisis communications, social responsibility, writing, graphic design, publication design, social media, interactive/web design, and photography. http://www.iabc.com/awards/gq/categories/
Bronze Quill (BQ) awards programs are hosted by local IABC chapters. The respective chapter's board of directors plans and executes a BQ communications contest open to business communicators working with a specific city and/or a small region of a state/province.
Silver Quill is sponsored by regional divisions, such as IABC's Heritage http://www.iabcheritageregion.com/silverquill/awards.htm and Pacific Plains http://pacificplains.iabc.com/silver-quill-awards/professional_communicator_recognition.html regions, and are open to communicators in the respective geographic area.
Open to all communicators worldwide, Gold Quill typically receives entries from over 25 countries. The program aims to cross communication disciplines and reviews entries from professional communicators, ranging from strategists to tacticians. All Gold Quill Awards winners receive international recognition in IABC's magazine, Communication World; are eligible to participate in an awards ceremony at IABC's annual international conference, are mentioned on the IABC website, and are considered for publication in IABC's resource materials.http://www.comminit.com/en/node/266174/36 In 2008, the program attracted over 1,000 entries across 26 categories.
IABC awards programs are open to both members and non-members of the organization. http://www.iabc.com/awards/gq/
Global Leadership Awards include the Fellow Award and the Chairman's Award. The IABC Fellow designation is the highest honor IABC can bestow on an individual and acknowledges outstanding leadership, professional accomplishment and service to IABC and the communication profession. Criteria for the Fellow Award include contribution to the organizational communication field and profession; career achievement; authorship, speaking and lecturing; contributions to IABC; and other professional recognition such as community activities and other business-related activities. The Chairman’s Award recognizes IABC members who have made selfless contributions and worked behind the scenes at the international level to enhance the association’s image, facilitate member development and benefit the communication profession. http://www.iabc.com/awards/chairAWARD.htm
IABC also publishes a bi-monthly magazine, Communication World , for its members.
, Canada
. In 2007, the host city was New Orleans, Louisiana
and IABC partnered with Wells Fargo
to volunteer and provide financial support to build homes through Habitat for Humanity for the city's hurricane-damaged Ninth Ward. . The 2008 conference was in New York City, and the 2009 event was in San Francisco. The 2010 conference was held in Toronto from June 6–9, 2010.http://www.iabc.com/wc/index.htm
Eurocomm 2009 was held in Lugano, Switzerland February 9–10, 2009 http://europe.iabc.com/events/2008/12/05/eurocomm-2009-conference/
IABC's world conference is open to communicators, regardless of membership.
As a professional association, IABC offers networking opportunities for students and other people entering the industry. As the United States
Department of Labor
notes, IABC "provides an opportunity for students to exchange views with public relations specialists and to make professional contacts that may help them find a full-time job in the field."
Related organizations
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
professionals. IABC has approximately 16,000 members in more than 100 chapters in over 80 countries.
IABC members hold positions in a variety of communication professions, including: public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
, media relations
Media relations
Media relations involves working with various media for the purpose of informing the public of an organization's mission, policies and practices in a positive, consistent and credible manner. Typically, this means coordinating directly with the people responsible for producing the news and features...
, corporate communications
Corporate communications
Corporate communication is the message issued by a corporate organization, body, or institute to its publics. "Publics" can be both internal Corporate communication is the message issued by a corporate organization, body, or institute to its publics. "Publics" can be both internal Corporate...
, employee communications, public affairs
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
, investor relations
Investor relations
Investor Relations is a strategic management responsibility that integrates finance, communication, marketing and securities law compliance to enable the most effective two-way communication between a company, the financial community, and other constituencies, which ultimately contributes to a...
, government relations, marketing communication, community relations, writing, editing, advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
, human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
and teaching.
IABC's headquarters are located in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
IABC was founded in 1970 from a merger of the American Association of Industrial Editors and the International Council of Industrial Editors. Its initial focus was on internal communication
Internal communications
Internal communications is the function responsible for effective communication among participants within an organization.A relatively young profession, IC draws on the theory and practice of related professions, not least journalism, knowledge management, public relations, media relations,...
. However, IABC expanded its mission after research showed that members would leave after being promoted into positions with wider public relations responsibilities.
Accreditation
IABC members can seek accreditation as Accredited Business Communicators (post-nominal ABC).Accreditation is a peer-review program offered as an IABC professional development program. It offers communicators a way of demonstrating their ability to think and plan strategically and to successfully manage those skills essential to effective organizational communication, which could include internal communications, media relations, crisis communications and external relations. To receive accreditation, applicants must meet education and experience requirements, submit a portfolio that includes work samples with measurable outcomes, and pass both written and oral examinations. http://www.iabc.com/abc/
Accreditation recognizes communicators who have reached a standard of knowledge and proficiency that is globally accepted among the communication profession.
Code of ethics
The organization has a code of ethicsEthics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
for those professionals in public relations. The themes of its values are that business communications must be "legal ... ethical, and ... in good taste".
Members are required to follow the IABC Code of Ethics. However, it has been observed that there is not an enforcement program in place that can realistically punish breaches of its code.
Research Foundation
Founded in 1982, IABC Research Foundation serves as the research and development arm of the International Association of Business Communicators. The Foundation supports and advances the practice of organizational communication by providing IABC members with research that bridges the divide between communication theory and practice by offering in-depth knowledge and tools that improve organizational communication performance and strengthen the communication profession as a whole.Awards programs
Every year, IABC sponsors three levels of communication awards programs for members and nonmembers: Bronze Quill awards, Silver Quill awards, and Gold Quill awards. Communicators can choose to enter their best professional work produced during the prior year in these Quill communicationCommunication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
s contests. The specific divisions and categories for each contest can vary, but typical categories include marketing communications, member/employee communications, media relations, crisis communications, social responsibility, writing, graphic design, publication design, social media, interactive/web design, and photography. http://www.iabc.com/awards/gq/categories/
Bronze Quill (BQ) awards programs are hosted by local IABC chapters. The respective chapter's board of directors plans and executes a BQ communications contest open to business communicators working with a specific city and/or a small region of a state/province.
Silver Quill is sponsored by regional divisions, such as IABC's Heritage http://www.iabcheritageregion.com/silverquill/awards.htm and Pacific Plains http://pacificplains.iabc.com/silver-quill-awards/professional_communicator_recognition.html regions, and are open to communicators in the respective geographic area.
Open to all communicators worldwide, Gold Quill typically receives entries from over 25 countries. The program aims to cross communication disciplines and reviews entries from professional communicators, ranging from strategists to tacticians. All Gold Quill Awards winners receive international recognition in IABC's magazine, Communication World; are eligible to participate in an awards ceremony at IABC's annual international conference, are mentioned on the IABC website, and are considered for publication in IABC's resource materials.http://www.comminit.com/en/node/266174/36 In 2008, the program attracted over 1,000 entries across 26 categories.
IABC awards programs are open to both members and non-members of the organization. http://www.iabc.com/awards/gq/
Global Leadership Awards include the Fellow Award and the Chairman's Award. The IABC Fellow designation is the highest honor IABC can bestow on an individual and acknowledges outstanding leadership, professional accomplishment and service to IABC and the communication profession. Criteria for the Fellow Award include contribution to the organizational communication field and profession; career achievement; authorship, speaking and lecturing; contributions to IABC; and other professional recognition such as community activities and other business-related activities. The Chairman’s Award recognizes IABC members who have made selfless contributions and worked behind the scenes at the international level to enhance the association’s image, facilitate member development and benefit the communication profession. http://www.iabc.com/awards/chairAWARD.htm
Publications
IABC publishes The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication (ISBN 0787980803), a 546-page guide to effective corporate communication. The 2006 edition is the fourth edition and was once known as Inside Organizational Communication.IABC also publishes a bi-monthly magazine, Communication World , for its members.
Annual conference and networking opportunities
IABC holds a world conference each year. In 2006, the host city was VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 2007, the host city was New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and IABC partnered with Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
to volunteer and provide financial support to build homes through Habitat for Humanity for the city's hurricane-damaged Ninth Ward. . The 2008 conference was in New York City, and the 2009 event was in San Francisco. The 2010 conference was held in Toronto from June 6–9, 2010.http://www.iabc.com/wc/index.htm
Eurocomm 2009 was held in Lugano, Switzerland February 9–10, 2009 http://europe.iabc.com/events/2008/12/05/eurocomm-2009-conference/
IABC's world conference is open to communicators, regardless of membership.
As a professional association, IABC offers networking opportunities for students and other people entering the industry. As the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Department of Labor
United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
notes, IABC "provides an opportunity for students to exchange views with public relations specialists and to make professional contacts that may help them find a full-time job in the field."
Student Chapters
The IABC takes pride in helping students with obtaining head starts on their careers, as well as providing additional knowledge pertaining to desired concentrations such as public relations, journalism, technical communication, and corporate communication to name a few. As of right now there are 35 student chapters located in the United States . These chapters allow students to gain access to a network of over 16,000 professional communicators, all associated with the IABC organization. This network provides insight from professionals regarding matters such as future career aspirations and general knowledge pertaining to business communication. Chapters provide service for their respected communities, take part in conferences sponsored by the IABC, and focus on important aspects and information that will aid in the improvement of their skills as exceptional business communicators.External links
Related organizations
- Institute of Internal Communication - British Web site