“Certified professionals are almost 2x as likely to receive pay raises than their non-certified peers”
View a Full List of Certified Communicators: CMP and SCMPs in Asia Pacific
Communication professionals can now have their skills acknowledged with a global certification. Experienced practitioners can apply for recognition as a Communication Management Professional (CMP) or Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP).
Certification is a process whereby your capabilities are assessed and recognized. Widely used in other professions, the process tells peers, colleagues and clients that they are working with an experienced and competent communicator. And, certification shows the world that you are committed to keeping your skills and knowledge up to date. It’s a way to challenge yourself and prove your worth!
The certifications offered, including the continuing professional development requirement, are based on the Global Standard for communication professionals set forth by IABC.
The Global Standard was developed through research and consultation with the wider profession and states that communication professionals around the world embrace a shared career purpose and six core principles as the building blocks of their work. Applying that standard enables the GCCC to cross all borders, align with diverse cultures, and effectively serve organisations of all types and sizes.
“Certification allowed me to back up my claim of being a highly skilled business communications professional. With so many people calling themselves communication experts, why gamble your company’s reputation by allowing someone who isn’t qualified to manage it?”

“Through certification, communicators can not only benchmark their professional capabilities, but also establish a framework that helps to motivate and structure continued professional development. I recommend certification for those interested in establishing and maintaining their communications careers.”

“Having an accredited global standard for communication practices is a significant benefit to the industry, to practitioners and to the organisations in which they work. A global benchmark for the capabilities, ethics and practices that constitute professional practice pushes the standards even further towards ensuring that strategic communication is consistently achieved across industries, sectors and organisations. Achieving my certification as a strategic communication professional enables me to demonstrate to clients that the standards I work to in delivering their outcomes through communication are global, measurable, ethical and consistent.”

“Sitting for and receiving my SCMP certification was a very worthwhile experience. After many years of working in the strategic communications profession, it was great acknowledgement to receive SCMP status. In addition, as someone who is working in a commercial consulting environment it’s also a point of difference for me in a very competitive market place. It’s also an assurance for my current and future clients that I’ve been independently assessed by a global certification body at this level. For me, the whole experience has been very valuable.”

“I was initially nervous about undertaking the certification exam. What if I didn’t pass? But having backed myself and my years as a professional communicator, I feel very proud to have achieved SCMP certification. I also enjoyed the exam as it tested my strategic thinking and professional judgement.”

“Certification is the best step you can take in advancing your career and demonstrating value as a communication professional in the organization you work. Not only is the certification process a huge learning experience, but it also allows you to benchmark yourself against the best in our profession. More and more organizations today are looking for communication professionals who are certified, giving them confidence they are employing professionals who keep themselves up to date with the latest trends. Do yourself and your career a huge favour and gain your certification today.”

“Strategic communication is a critical business driver that influences business results. Whether your dream job means leading the communication team or being the ‘go to’ senior advisor that contributes to multi-faceted strategies, some elements of intellectual capital will get you to the C-suite faster than others. Gaining a global certification proves you have achieved an internationally recognised standard of communication excellence based on a global understanding of key principles and job competencies.”

I would recommend the CMP certification for anyone who is interested in challenging themselves, anyone who is looking to refresh or test their understanding and knowledge or increase the credibility of the corporate communication function in their organization.

CMP certification provides an excellent opportunity to further develop my skills, learn what areas I need to pay more attention to during my day-to-day work, and obtain independent verification of my experience.

“Certification supports the ongoing professional development of communication practitioners and our profession as a whole, so I didn’t hesitate to sit the latest SCMP exam in Melbourne. We must continue to professionalise our function and be innovative in our approaches, while delivering consistently ethical, effective and measurable communication that can be benchmarked to a global standard.”

WHY CERTIFY
Below is a webinar recording with Brad Whitworth, ABC, SCMP, IABC Fellow, and vice chairman of Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC). Please keep in mind, some of the test dates he spoke about have been postponed due to COVID-19. Please check the GCCC website for the latest dates.
Communication Management Professional (CMP)
For generalist, specialist and other business communicators established in their careers as managers and looking to demonstrate their competence.
To be eligible for the CMP exam, candidates must demonstrate:
- Eight years of experience and 40 hours of training –OR–
- Six years of experience, two years of education, and 40 hours of training
Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP)
For highly skilled business communicators practiced in providing strategic communication advice and counseling to an organization’s leadership.
To be eligible for the SCMP exam, candidates must demonstrate:
- Eleven years of experience and 20 hours of training –AND-
- Provide a letter of recommendation from mentees or an organization for which the candidate has done pro bono work addressing senior level contributions to communications
“For those communicators who have been in the business for a long time, we know communication is a critical management function. Yet we still come across those people who believe it is tactical and so simple that anyone can do it. Gaining certification as a Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP) reminded me of why I enjoy doing what I do. When we operate strategically, communicators make meaning; we engage people and we act as the conscience of the organisation. We support organisations to become better workplaces and we encourage values-led decision making by leaders. In doing so, we help our organisations to progress. Being recognised as a SCMP certificant globally acknowledges I have the skills and experience to do these things well and that’s got to be beneficial for my career. I encourage other experienced communicators in APAC to take the plunge with certification.”

“It was rewarding to renew my certification as a Strategic Communication Management Professional in September 2019. It is a strong statement to my employer and my professional community that my expertise and experience have been independently verified and that through proactive professional development, I continue to demonstrate proficiency in six key professional domains: Advising and leading; management; strategy development; innovation; ethics and reputation management. On another note, it was great to look back on 12 months of learning and contributions to my profession including awards evaluation/judging, coaching and mentoring early-career communication professionals, participating in conferences and courses, presenting at professional forums and universities, publishing articles/blog posts, volunteering for local and international IABC leadership roles and wide reading.”

“Today more than ever we see a plethora of professionals calling themselves experts in business communications. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds, training and experience. But as more and more people call themselves experts, how do you separate the wheat from the chaff in this increasingly noisy space? Research tells us that being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important of all life skills. Acquiring the SCMP Certification allowed me to back up my claim of being a highly skilled business communication professional, practiced in providing strategic communication advice and counselling to an organisation’s executive leadership. You wouldn’t go to a doctor without knowing her qualifications. Or hand over your money to a financial advisor who hadn’t demonstrated he has the right qualifications to give you confidence in his abilities to do the job. In the same vein, would you ever gamble your reputation by allowing someone who wasn’t qualified to manage it?”

Q&A : Certification Round Table Webinar
Chapters & Volunteers : Get Involved
Looking to host the CMP or SCMP exam in your country or your next chapter event?
Click here or email the GCCC for details and the RFP.
Do you or someone in your chapter have 11-15 years of experience as a communicator? GCCC needs your expertise for ongoing exam development.
Email the GCCC for full details.
Three steps need to be taken by anyone seeking certification:
- Detail their experience, education and skills
- Take a multiple choice exam
- Keep records of their learning and personal development to maintain their certification.
Click here for upcoming exam dates and locations.
Source: Career Data Labs | Simplilearn.com (2018) Retrieved 7 May 2018, from http://www.simplilearn.com/career-data-labs
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