Cincinnati PRSA

Seven Steps for APR Success
By Stacy Stufft, APR

1. Start Early. Determine which PR plan you wish to submit or begin to develop a plan from scratch as soon as possible. If you’d rather wait until after your class on plan development to begin your plan, fill the downtime by working on your written responses.

2. Don’t Stress About the Finding the Perfect Plan—Focus on Making Your Existing Plan Perfect. Perhaps you work for an organization where many people develop the communications plan. Or you inherited the communications plan from a former colleague and you handled implementation. Perhaps you work at an agency and have written many plans, though most focus the evaluation on resulting media coverage rather than true influence. Never fear! The Accreditation Board understands that you may not have the perfect plan on file. As you work on your plan, be sure to focus on what you would have done if given the opportunity and include new sections based on the knowledge gleaned from your APR classes.

3. Read, Retain and Understand. Especially the chapters on planning and research, which make up the majority of the exam.

4. Apply Your Knowledge. Both the oral and written exam require application of knowledge, not the ability to memorize. Be sure to apply information from your reading to your plan and oral exam responses.

5. Find a Study Buddy. Once your APR classes conclude, you are on your own for motivation. For moral support and to prevent procrastination, keep up communication with your APR comrades.

6. Ask Your APR Chair for Feedback. Take advantage of your Accreditation Chair’s perspective on the exam. Submit drafts of your plan for review and do not hesitate to ask questions. PRSA wants you to do well on the exam.

7. Don’t Wait a Year. Before your APR classes are finished, set a goal date for your oral presentation as well as your written exam.

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APR

The Cincinnati PRSA offers a review class for those interested in receiving the APR certification. Although not a prerequisite for taking the APR exam, the class is an easy way to learn the key information on the test, further hone your public relations skills, and provides a "study group" of fellow members preparing to take the test. Topics to be covered include ethics/legal, media relations, investor relations, research, crisis communication and technology. To sign up for the class contact:

Debbie Copeland-Bloom, APR
dbloom@one.net

Visit the National APR website at http://www.praccreditation.org/ for more details about the application requirements as well as information on the new testing process.

NOTE: You must be an active member of PRSA to take the review class. You must also be an active member of PRSA to use the APR designation after your name.

Board Member/Accreditation Chair
Debbie Copeland-Bloom, APR
dbloom@one.net

PRSA CINCINNATI CHAPTER ACCREDITATED MEMBERS
First Name	Last Name	Company
Joyce M.	Battoclette, APR	TriHealth
Joe	Bobbey, Jr. APR	The Aberon Group
Michael J.	Boehmer, APR	Hamilton County Dept. of Job and Family Services
Judith S.	Bogart Meredith, APR, Fellow PRSA
William E.	Brewer, APR	Miami University
Emily J.	Carpenter-Pluskamp, APR	Western & Southern Financial Group
Beth E.	Charlton, APR	Macy's Inc.
Debbie D.	Copeland-Bloom, APR	Copeland-Bloom Communications, LLC
Melissa D.	Dallas, APR	Federal Home Loan Bank
Debra A.	DeCourcy, APR	Fifth Third Bancorp
Jennifer L.	Doerger, APR	Sunrise Advertising
Lisa M.	Doxsee, APR	Easter Seals Work Resource Center
Kevin M.	Dugan, APR
Joe J.	Feiertag, APR	Cincinnati/N. KY Int. Airport
Pamela K.	Gilchrist, APR, CPT	PR~Link Public Relations
Cynthia	Godby, APR	Chiquita Brands International
Lauren	Green-Caldwell, APR	Hill-Rom
Kellie A.	Grob, APR	Cold Jet
Adrienne E.	Gutbier, APR	Ohio National Financial Services
Tamara	Hatcher, APR	Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Ginny	Hizer, APR	Raymond Walters College
Peter H.	Hollister, APR, Fellow PRSA	Hollister, Trubow & Associates
Terri	Hornbach-Torres, APR	THT Communications
Jeffrey J.	Huggins, APR	Justice & Young, Inc.
Holly S.	Ingram, APR	Luxottica Retail
Chris	Kemper, APR	Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce
Crystal	Kirkland, APR	Colliers Turley Martin Tucker
Robin	Klaene, APR	Kenton County Public Library
Connie M.	Kolita, APR	Federal Home Loan Bank
Darlyne	Koretos, APR	Executive Service Corps of Cincinnati Inc.
Carrie	Krysanick, APR	Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Deborah	Leonard, APR	Environmental Quality Management
Linda B.	Liebau, APR	College of Mount St. Joseph
Linnea E.	Lose, APR	TriHealth
Pam	Lowe, APR	Cintas Corporation
Joy T.	Maples, APR	Maples Communications, Inc.
Donna	Marquard, APR	Ethicon Endo-Surgery
Jose D.	Marques, APR	Western & Southern Financial Group
Ann M.	McManis, APR	McManis Communications LLC
Rick	Miller, APR	Rick Miller Communications
Anne	Mitchell, APR	KAO Brands Company
Tamara L.	Monroe, APR	HSR Business to Business
Renea B.	Morris, APR	Ohio University
J. Duncan	Muir, APR
Lee	Oberlag, APR	Heidelberg Distributing Co.
Sherrie	O'Rear, APR	Western & Southern Financial Group
Peter J.	Osborne, APR	American Cancer Society
Robert S.	Pasquinucci, APR	NKU
Sarah M.	Pasquinucci, APR	P&G
Richard F.	Pender, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA	Cincinnati Opera
Anne M.	Petrocelli, APR	New Horizons Computer Learning Centers
Dan	Pinger, APR, Fellow PRSA
Jon	Reischel, APR	Strata-G Communications
Elizabeth	Reiter, APR	The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
Maureen	Richmond, APR
Thomas Van	Rosenberger, APR	Mayfield Clinic
Thomas A.	Schick, APR, Fellow PRSA	Xavier University
Rebecca	Schultz, APR	Schultz Marketing Communications, Inc.
James	Sluzewski, APR	Macy's Inc.
Mary Anne	Smith, APR	Smith Marketing Group
Mary R.	Stagaman, APR	University of Cincinnati
Patricia A.	Trubow, APR, Fellow PRSA	Hollister, Trubow & Associates
Jennifer C.	Wolfe, APR	The Wolfe Company
Dawn M.	Woods, APR	HealthSpan
Elaine M.	Zeinner, APR	AAA Allied Group