Support Staff and Administrative Assistants Workshop

Program overview:

Support Staff and Administrative assistants provide support to managers, other employees, and office visitors by handling a variety of tasks in order to ensure that all interactions between the organization and others are positive and productive. They are responsible for managing and distributing information among their co-workers and handling administrative requests and queries from senior managers amongst other things.

This program is therefore designed to provide office administrators, supervisors of clerical and administrative staff, executive secretaries and personal assistants the opportunity to review and develop the skills they need to do their jobs effectively. Thereby contributing to their own, their boss and their organization’s success.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• define their roles and explain the key contributions they make to their organization’s success;
• review their working relationships with colleagues and their bosses;
• review and set their personal goals;
• acquire skills for effective communication and interpersonal relationships; and
• design an action plan to help themselves, their boss and other colleagues work in more effective and efficient ways.

Course Outlines

Day 1: Understanding Your Roles, Competences and Personal Effectiveness

• The ‘competence’ model of skills, attitudes and values
• Personal competence review: Understanding your Skills, Knowledge and Attitude (SKA)
• Time management constraints – resources, systems, other people and self
• Handling requests and conflicting priorities

Day 2: Team Working, Communication & Meetings

• Team working and team roles
• Briefing skills – giving, receiving and passing on
• Organizing, and participating in, meetings
• Notes, minutes and follow-up

Day 3: Managing Working Relationships

• Delegation – giving and receiving
• Communication and listening skills
• Assertiveness, conflict and criticism
• People problems and problem people

Day 4: Managing Time/Desk Management/Written Communication Skills

• Managing interruptions and access
• Planning and priority setting
• Office layout and ergonomics
• Managing the paper-load
• Getting the best from e-mail and office technology
• Report and letter writing
• Setting & developing company writing standards
• Editing and proof-reading skills

Day 5: Managing Staff Performance/Action planning

• Dimensions of performance
• Motivation
• Appraisal
• Coaching and on-job training skills

Training Methodology

Lectures, discussions, exercises, case studies, audio-visual aids will be used to reinforce these teaching/learning methods.