A survey was conducted by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) to create a profile of the profession in 1983. Questionnaires were sent in December 1982 to 1,700 randomly selected members of the IABC in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Among the results are the following: (1) the typical American communicator (communications or public relations professional) is female, 34, a manager, and earns $24,800; (2) in the past two years, communicators have played a more significant role in the decision making process within their organizations; (3) communication career opportunities are continuing to grow; (4) 9 of 10 communicators are college graduates, and increasing numbers have advanced degrees; (5) most communicators major in journalism or English; (6) half of the communicators work for corporations; (7) communicators see employee morale and productivity as the key issues in the next few years; (8) salaries for communicators are increasing, with pay highest in the Northeastern United States; and (9) the typical communicator has been a member of the IABC for three years and rates the organization's publication service highly. (JL)