Advanced Executive Assistants and PAs including Protocol & Diplomacy

Administrative professionals have a unique role in the everyday operations of a company. As an administrator, others will look to you for support. To be successful as an administrative professional you don’t just need excellent management skills for handling multiple tasks and meeting deadlines, but the more subtle arts of leadership.

This training course will enhance your admin skills and enable you Cope with greater responsibility by addressing the organizational challenges. It will also help you to influence and benefit those around you with your enthusiasm and personal example, with your clarity and vision and with your clear, confident and considerate communication. No matter what your job description, with honed administration skills, you can definitely ‘do more, be more and achieve more’ for yourself and your company.

Top 3 Learning Objectives:

• Discover practical tools and techniques that will help you manage your workload and relationships more successfully and improve productivity
• Explore strategies to reduce conflict and learn to deal effectively with difficult situations and people
• Provide a high level of administrative support by enhancing your ability to manage change, plan and coordinate workflow, and build an effective team

By the end of this training course participants will be able to:

• Understand how your role as Executive Secretary, PA, Administrator or Office Manager contributes to organizational success
• Build an effective work team
• Plan and coordinate workflow and productivity
• Become a change champion and manage change effectively
• Interact with people in ways which reinforce positive working relationships
• Manage personal emotions and stress
• Manage conflict, difficult situations and people, with ease
• Deliver presentations to small groups with maximum effect
• Recruit, select and induct new staff who will work effectively with your team

This course will utilize a variety of proven adult learning techniques to ensure maximum understanding, comprehension and retention of the information presented. This includes group and individual exercises, case studies, role-plays, videos, and discussions - along with formal inputs.

This course is suitable for a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:

• Office Managers
• Coordinators
• Supervisors
• Team Leaders
• Secretaries and PA’s
• Project Managers
• New leaders
• Senior Administrators
• Organisation Reps
• Managerial Assistants

Working in the Executive

It is important to understand the vision of the organization and the role of your Executive’s Office as a front to internal and external stakeholders

• Obtaining specific instructions
• Filing manually and electronically
• Digital dictation
• Taking initiative
• Taking responsibility
• Organizing
• Controlling and ensuring that events occur in conformity with plans
• Welcoming important guests
• Identifying important non-verbal gestures
• Representing your superiors

Strategies for Effective Office Management

In order to support your role in the Executive office, one is expected to streamline processes in your office so that Information and communication is efficient. The proactive PA will use the available pool of resources to her/his advantage whilst retaining a sound relationship with internal and external stakeholders

• Electronic Diary Management
• Electronic Ticketing
• AIRY Files
• 12 tips for superior/PA synergy
• Quit time for your manager
• Managing access to your Superior

Managing Meetings with Confidence

Types of meetings;

• Recurring meetings
• Ad hoc meetings
• General meetings
• Periodic meetings
• Important meetings

Meetings affect everyday business in the corporate arena

The goal of every PA/Executive Assistant is to get the Most out of the meeting in the least amount of time

• Preparing and planning for meetings
• Invitations and agenda
• Punctuality and Hospitality
• Minute Taking and Distribution
• The Role of the Minute taker
• Guidelines of teleconferences and video Conferences
• Venues- equipment and visuals
• Identifying urgent messages that interrupt meetings

Handling Confidential Information

All organizations must be aware of the various types of Information that it handles whether this constitutes sensitive confidential and classified information. A thorough information audit is necessary to ascertain the:

• Sources of confidential info
• Identification
• Understanding internal policy
• Maintenance of paperwork
• Recommended base practices
• Data ownership and responsibilities
• Accessibility and re-enforcing individual obligations
• Disposal and retention of confidential info

Supported by experimental Training activities and Simulations

The programme consists of Sound foundation for Communication

• Practical and Personal needs
• 10 principles of communication

Building Human Relations

This programme will give Managers and Leaders the necessary skills to build good Interpersonal relationships with their teams. It will also give team members a base for future communications that will be more effective.

• How do we move our level of service from “Good” to “Delightful Module Content
• Customer Service paradigm and the shift
• Identifying our customer’s needs through questioning techniques
• Identifying our customer’s behavior styles and meeting their needs through behavior styles
• Dealing with difficult clients
• Building Human Relations
• Empathy Skill

Five Key Principles

• Esteem
• Listen and Respond with Empathy
• Ask for Help and Encourage involvement
• Share thoughts, feelings and rationale
• Provide support without removing responsibility

JOHARI Window Feedback Skills

• Modern Business writing skills learn to write effective letters and emails using the six principles of modern business writing.
• Practical Minute-taking Guidelines skills to manage the entire minute-taking process and format for good minutes

Presentation Skills and Communicating

Organizational Objectives with Confidence Modern Business Writing Skills/ Report Writing Why do we go blank when we have to put words onto paper? Initiating correspondence; what is important and what is admirable? Speaking better in a manner of writing

• Main objectives; Clarity, Speed and Image
• Writing to express not to impress
• Active not Passive
• Report writing

Report Writing Skills

• Initiating Reports
• Design and editing
• Effective strategies of good minute taking
• Role playing and Practical Exercise Sounding Confident and intelligent whilst writing effectively

Presentation Skills

The best quality presented out of the least of input

• Getting started preparing your presentation
• Sequencing your information for optimum impact
• Presenting with confidence
• Winning the audience’s appeal
• Understanding audience styles and applying the knowledge to reach each style in the audience in order to meet individual requirements
• Understanding non-verbal communication and body language
• Creating the greatest Impact from the least amount of Input

PowerPoint Presentations

• Purpose for PowerPoint Presentations and effective usage
• Preparing the presentation
• Using Visual Aids effectively
• Overcoming Presentation nerves
• Delivering the Presentation confidently
• Answering questions confidently with the help of visual aids

Stress Management and Wellness for the Executive Assistant/Personal Assistant

• What is stress?
• Positive and negative stress
• Identifying your personal causes of stress and symptoms
• Analyzing stress contributors, lifestyle, habits, patterns
• Setting goals and action plans for a less stressful lifestyle
• How to achieve emotional wellness in the workplace

Emotional Intelligence

Success does not only depend on technical ability and Mental dexterity (IQ), but also on emotional awareness and maturity: to be aware of, and regulate one’s emotions-and manage relationships with sensitivity

• Analysis of preferred behavior styles
• Values of emotionally intelligent professionals
• EQ as part of your daily bread
• Benefits of EQ-Emotional Intelligence

Protocol & Diplomacy

Protocol

• Introduction to Protocol and Diplomacy
• Why the importance
• Basics of Diplomacy
• Difference Constitution of various African Countries

Applies to Protocol Matters

• Introduction to the Use of National Symbols of Different
• Countries
• National Flag National
• Coat of Arms National
• Anthem

Precedence or Seniority

• Importance
• International Government Systems
• Official Table of Precedence of different countries
• Practical application at the office

Official Forms of Address and Titles

• Introduction
• Verbal use of forms of address and titles
• Written use of forms of address and titles

Social Etiquette

• Background to etiquette
• Professionalism
• Telephone, e-mail and voice mail etiquette
• Business lunch etiquette
• International etiquette
• Etiquette with the physically handicapped
• Table etiquette
• Business card etiquette

Working in an Executive Office

• First impressions
• Taking initiative Diary
• Taking responsibility