Introduction:

The roles of executive secretaries, personal assistants, and other administrative staff in the business world are constantly evolving. Their function cannot be overlooked as an integral part of an organization that achieves its strategic objectives and goals. Executive secretaries, personal assistants, and other administrative staff play a crucial role in any organization, providing essential services to both internal and external clients alike. By attending this training course to develop the skills of senior executives/personal assistants, participants will be able to return to work having learned how to expand their roles and deal with work situations more effectively. They will also have the confidence to use these skills, thereby elevating their status in their company, and implementing an action plan. This course aims to develop participants' skills with a range of relevant professional and creative best practices and necessary competencies that will lead to professional excellence in business performance.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

- Enhance skills to work at a higher level.

- Learn how to write more effective correspondence.

- Understand how to deliver unforgettable presentations.

- Be aware of how to be more proactive.

- Understand ways to expand their business acumen.

- Understand business in order to work effectively.

- Use communication skills to achieve personal gains and benefit the organization.

- Develop skills in dealing with others to improve work practices.

- Excel in managing and maintaining executive schedules.

- Apply emotional intelligence to enhance excellent relationships.

- Utilize modern communication concepts and strategies to facilitate workflow.

- Know how to manage conflicts, understand problem-solving basics, and master multitasking. Behave gracefully and diplomatically.

Training Methodology:

The training course to develop skills for senior executives/personal assistants will be based on discussions and practical applications, providing participants with the opportunity to share their issues with the group. There will be practical activities, exercises, and real-life scenario discussions. Participants will be encouraged to prepare to speak in-depth about their roles and work with others to develop plans for the future. Pre and post-course assessments will be used to measure the effectiveness of this training.

Target Audience:

The training course is designed to develop professional skills for senior executives/personal assistants to executive assistants and executive officers/assistants, as well as administrative staff who wish to develop and enhance their role within their organization. This includes executive officers, senior assistants, executive assistants, personal assistants, senior administrators, secretaries, and administrative officers and assistants looking to advance their professional lives to the next level.

Program Content:

Building on Current Skills:

- What is your role?

- Organizational skills.

- Planning and prioritizing.

- Time management under pressure.

- Advanced customer service skills.

Developing the Role:

- Ways to become more proactive.

- Managing your workload.

- Discuss how to expand your work knowledge.

- Dealing with change in your work environment and benefiting from it.

- Goal setting.

The Importance and Value of Communication Skills:

- Why are communication skills so important?

- Discuss how to be more assertive in the workplace.

- Learn delegation.

- Improve your listening skills.

- Writing effective business letters and emails.

- Learn how to structure reports.

- Tips for delivering excellent presentations.

Managing Your Manager and Enhancing Your Profile:

- Building an effective working relationship with your manager.

- What is expected of you?

- Your work style.

- Understanding how to be effective in meetings.

- Discuss ways to improve your self-confidence.

- Working as a team.

- Using your skills to empower your manager to focus on priorities.

Emotional Intelligence Mastery:

- Expressing yourself clearly.

- Asserting your needs.

- Giving and receiving constructive feedback.

- Influencing skills.

- Conflict resolution.

- Being a team player.

- Being flexible.

Time Management and Productivity Techniques:

- The importance of time management.

- Priority matrix.

- Time management - personal vs professional.

- Time management toolkits.

Organizing Meetings and Events:

- Planning, executing, and monitoring events.

- Event budget management.

- Meeting management skills.

- Effective planning and execution of meetings.

Written Communication:

- Report writing.

- Business letters, emails, and memos.

- Writing tools and templates.

- Writing online content including social media.

Giving and Receiving Constructive Feedback:

- What is constructive feedback and what is not.

- Effective feedback outcomes.

- Language for good feedback.

- Guidance for feedback.

Effective Visual Communication:

- Understanding video techniques.

- Lighting, sound, and camera.

- Environment and background.

- Creating a professional appearance.

Strategic Thinking:

- What is strategic thinking?

- The importance of strategy for the organization.

- Linking strategic planning and decision making.

- Different types and characteristics of strategy.

Technical Skills for Executive Assistants:

- Writing and word processing.

- Handling telephone calls.

- Sending and receiving messages and correspondence.

- Writing impactful meeting minutes.

- Preparing and delivering presentations using visual and auditory aids.

- Designing and running databases using computers.

- Saving information on computers.

- Electronically archiving files.

Problem-Solving, Multitasking, and Dealing with Complexities:

- Identifying and categorizing different types of problems.

- Identifying the optimal problem-solving approach based on its nature.

- Root cause analysis.

- Evaluating solutions and applying creative thinking techniques to problem-solving.

- Setting required decision goals.