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Executive and Personal Assistants
Being an Executive or Personal Assistant is a unique position that requires a variety of skills. Whether you are updating schedules, making travel arrangements, minute taking, or creating important documents all must be done with a high degree of confidentiality. Confidentiality is one of the most important characteristics for every assistant.
Our Executive and Personal Assistants workshop will show your participants what it takes to be a successful assistant. Participants will learn what it takes to effectively manage a schedule, organize a meeting, and even how to be a successful gatekeeper. Being an Executive or Personal Assistant takes a special skill set and this workshop will provide your participants with the necessary tools.
Objective:
- Adapt to the needs and styles of management
- Communicate through written, verbal, and nonverbal methods
- Improve time management skills
- Manage meetings effectively
- Act as a gatekeeper
- Use the tools of the trade effectively
Introduction :
Getting Started
Executive and personal assistants have always played an important role in business. Their roles and responsibilities have evolved, but assistants are still vital to the profitability of any organization. Training to become an effective assistant will make you a valued employee who assists management on the road to success.
Module 1 :
Working with Your Manager
All assistants work to make life easier for their employers. This requires assistants to be adaptable. While you should never work in an unsafe environment, it is imperative that you adapt your communication and work style to the style, needs, and responsibilities of your boss. This will help ensure that you have a productive and amiable work relationship.
Module 2 :
Administrative Soft Skills
An assistant also functions as an administrator. Your job requires you to work with different people, and administrative soft skills are essential for success. Developing social intelligence, business acumen, office management skills, and active listening will improve your working relationship with those around you and make your life much easier.
Module 3 :
Effective Time Management
Time management is extremely complicated for assistants. Not only do you have to manage your own time but also the time of your manager and those around you. It is easy to be blindsided by life and lose control of your schedule. By taking the time to implement a few time management techniques, you can maintain control of your time and increase your productivity.
Module 4 :
Meeting Management
Meetings are crucial to the success of your business. As an assistant, you will be in charge of managing meetings. To provide an effective meeting it is a matter of planning, organization, and timing. Fortunately, experience will make meetings easier to manage. Additionally, you can improve meetings by following a few basic tips.
Module 5 :
Tools of the Trade (I)
It is impossible to be an effective assistant if you do not use the tools of the trade. The tools of the trade for an assistant go beyond simply printing, filing, and taking messages. You need to become familiar with machines, computer programs, and etiquette to become a successful assistant. If you are unsure about any job-related tools, you should take the time to educate yourself.
Module 6 :
Tools of the Trade (II)
Ever changing technology is shaping the job of the assistant. You must pay attention to the tools of the trade and adapt as social convention and technology changes. Keeping up with the tools of the trade will allow you to become an invaluable assistant.
Module 7 :
Being an Effective Gatekeeper
Assistants are gatekeepers. It is your job to save your manager the time and hassle of distractions. These may be preventing sales calls or weeding unnecessary information. Being a gatekeeper requires you to be savvy and develop the ability to see through tricks.
Module 8 :
Organizational Skills
With the busy schedule that assistants have to keep, organizational skills are essential to success. You must learn how to prioritize, plan, and work towards your goals. Organization is a skill that you can always work to improve. However, by implementing the following techniques, you will improve your efficiency as an assistant.
Module 9 :
Confidentiality Guidelines
As an assistant, you will be privy to confidential information. It is imperative that you learn how to handle this information and keep privileged information from leaking to the public. Following confidentiality guidelines will make you a better assistant and improve the level of trust that your employer has in you.
Module 10 :
Special Tasks
As a valued assistant, you should be prepared to take on special roles and tasks. You will find yourself interacting with clients and managing social media. You may be managing projects and hosting trade shows. With a little practice and research, you will be ready for any situation.
Conclusion :
Wrapping Up
Although this workshop is coming to a close, we hope that your journey to understanding the skills necessary to being an effective Executive or Personal assistant is just beginning. Please take a moment to review and update your action plan. This will be a key tool to guide your progress in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. We wish you the best of luck on the rest of your travels!