The Perfect Executive Personal Assistant (PA)

SUITABLE FOR:

Senior Secretaries, Executive Personal Assistants and recently appointed secretaries who are keen to develop their personal effectiveness and potential.

OBJECTIVES:

By the end of the workshop, delegates will be able:

• To become a more effective contributor to the team by utilising your decision making skills.
• To build a successful partnership with your manager by sharing goals and ideas.
• To achieve organisational objectives by providing excellent administrative and secretarial support.
• To increase self-confidence and adopt a positive attitude.
• To improve your communication skills.

SUMMARY:

The topics covered include:

Day One
Your role as an Executive PA, Secretary, Executive Secretary

• Competencies for excellence and criteria for desired performance

What is management?

• Achieving results through others
• Working with your manager

Communications Skills

• What is it?
• Why does it fail
• The power of behaviour; verbal and non-verbal
• Exercises
• Video

Day Two
Conversation Skills

• Listening & questioning skills
• Achieving win-win solutions

Time Management

• Myths and realities
• Deciding your goals, setting priorities and meeting deadlines
• Sharing best practise with colleagues

Planning and prioritising

• How to build in systems which strengthen credibility and confidence
• Case study
• Exercise

Day Three
Interpersonal Skills

• Developing Interpersonal relationships
• How to motivate and influence people
• The importance of being strongly self motivated
• The high achievement factors

Problem Solving

• Solving problems in everyday situations

Projecting the right image

• The first impression, appearance, attitude and approach
• The need to establish rapport
• Acting as the organisation’s ambassador
• Case Study
• Videos

Day Four
Meeting skills

• Understand the purpose of the meeting
• Set clear objectives as to what you required outcomes are create your own “shipping list”
• Communication
• Presenting your case
• The role of the facilitator
• Appreciate the difference between “Process” and “Content”
• Understand group dynamics
• Determine the skills required
• Agree what is expected from the facilitator
• People and task issues
• The ability to stay neutral when necessary
• Develop mental resilience
• Be firm without causing upset
• Handle difficult situations
• The emotional cycle of change
• Catalytic skills
• Interventions that stimulate the process
• Establish ground rules
• Problem solving techniques
• The mastery ladder
• VIDEO
• Exercise

Day Five
Accepting Responsibility

• Identifying specific activities
• Agreeing objectives
• Identifying specific training needs
• Working to deadlines
• Effective feedback

Working Better together

• Encouraging teamwork
• Ways to increase your understanding of people at work

Self development

• Challenges and opportunities for PA
• Preparing for your appraisal
• Action Planning