Extraordinary Administrative Support

This practical, two-day program is designed for professionals who provide administrative support, including supervisors, co-ordinators, assistants and associates who are responsible for ensuring smooth, day-to-day business operations.

The course first identifies the critical support functions that assistants and administrators provide and then engages in extensive skill-building in a variety of areas, ranging from communications techniques to collaboration to productivity tools and problem-solving.

This program will pay tremendous dividends to both participants and the managers or directors they report to.

What You Will Learn

• Adapt your communications style to build more productive relationships with managers, colleagues, employees and other internal and external customers
• Work smarter using creative thinking, problem solving and time management approaches
• Practice assertiveness techniques in routine and challenging situations with team members
• Convey your message in conversations and meetings with more focus and confidence
• Productivity strategies that you can use every day
• Communications skills training, interpersonal techniques, and effective listening skills
• Overcoming barriers to performance
• Become more flexible with diverse styles in team situations
• How to manage your stress responses to avoid burnout

Working Materials

• Receive an extensive interpersonal skills guide for how to interact with and adapt to different styles more effectively
• Acquire access to an extensive reference material section
• Practise new techniques with the assistance of role-plays, group work, individual exercises and audio/visuals

Course content details

Interpersonal Skills: Dealing Effectively with Different People

• The four people styles: tendencies and communication tips
• Evaluating your team skills and abilities
• How to establish a strong working partnership with your boss, senior management and others you support

Learning to Listen Effectively

• Guidelines for listening critically and empathetically to diverse styles
• Tips for enhancing your listening skills with diverse audiences

Assertiveness, Communications and Problem-Solving Techniques

• Assertiveness principles for more effective communication
• Techniques for influencing others with more clarity and diplomacy
• Evaluating new ways to increase your communication effectiveness
• Conveying messages assertively in tense and conflict situations
• The EPM technique for saying “no”

Productivity Management Principles

• Demands on your time: your personal checklist
• How to cope with constant interruptions
• Charts for effective time planning
• Prioritizing your time while supporting others

Controlling Workplace Stress

• Defining stress, identifying your worst stressors and determining your current stress level
• “Good” and “bad” stress
• Balancing your stress: ten stress-free tips

Conflict Management with Difficult People

• Tips for managing your “trigger” responses to challenging people, including those that are aggressive, non-assertive and passive-aggressive

Communicating Effectively in All Business Situations

• Setting and managing expectations more proactively
• Communicating upwards with more impact when informing and persuading
• Tips for communications clarity
• Tips for using positive language

Your Career Development

• Distinguishing between responsibility, authority and accountability
• Assessing your true career skills
• Preparing your own personal development action plan:
  • Setting goals and deadlines
  • Applying your learning back at the office