I’ve been a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) for the past three years and this is the first year I’ve logged my CPD with them (*hiding behind the sofa in shame*).
I work in an extremely busy role, which I’m sure many of you do. So, the thought of logging on after a busy work day or at a weekend to fill out a form and write about what I’ve learnt wasn’t really at the top of my list. I already had a good job, people at work valued me, I was recognised for my skills and I never struggled to prove my worth. So why bother logging it? However, this all changed when I heard Sarah Pinch, former CIPR UK president, speak about CPD at the AGM last year. She very eloquently spoke about the importance of professional development. How as comms professionals we had a duty to ourselves to keep on learning, to improve our skills so we can keep up with the latest trends and most importantly to be the trusted advisors that our stakeholders seek. Other professional industries are rigorous on their CPD and without it they wouldn’t be able to continue practising. So, why should our industry be any different?

Sarah’s speech gave me lots of food for thought. What she spoke about was so on point – we are professionals, just like the accountants, lawyers etc and as such we should be logging our learnings and prove how we are keeping on top of our industry, so we can be the best we possibly can be.

Logging my points this year has given me much more confidence in what I do. It’s given me time to pause and reflect on the things I’ve learnt. It’s also been a great reference point as I’ve had the opportunity to go back to my logged work and remind myself of just how much knowledge I’ve gained. I just wish I started logging three years ago.

If you are a CIPR member but haven’t started logging your CPD yet, it isn’t too late. There is just over a week left to log your points (29 Feb). I promise you that you won’t regret it.

Find out more about CPD by clicking  here: