Introduction

This program empowers Senior Secretaries to enhance their influence and partnership with senior management, driving executive success. It builds on existing capabilities by introducing advanced competencies, interactive team exercises, and practical video-based learning. Participants will benefit from networking opportunities with peers across industries, developing critical people and social skills. The course focuses on improving performance, achieving outstanding results, and preparing participants for future challenges in their role.

Objectives

• Creating opportunities for your personal development and accepting the challenges when they arise

• Managing yourself, your subordinates, your colleagues and your boss more effectively

• Developing the competence & managerial aspects of your role

• Improving your confidence, assertiveness and communication skills

• Managing the stress and pressure in an increasingly challenging environment

• Understanding your own and others personality & its effect on behavior

• Make better and more effective decisions

• How to communicate better with a wide range of people

• How to negotiate with others more effectively

• How to use a variety of time tools effectively

• Improvement in memory skills

• How to motivate yourself and others How to analyze your performance for future development opportunities

Methodology

The seminar is based on a combination of interactive activities - group and individual exercises, case studies, role plays and discussions - along with formal inputs.

The environment will be a supportive one in which individuals with varying degrees of experience will be encouraged to share the approaches they currently use as well as try out new ones that they encounter on the course. The course Tutor will be on hand to answer any questions a delegate may have and to act as a facilitator for building and applying new approaches.

We aim for this to be an enjoyable as well as a learning experience and feel that the mix of style and learning techniques will prove valuable to those that attend. The tutor is available to discuss any personal or private problems each day.

Organizational Impact

• An improvement in confidence from the attendee

• An enhanced range of competencies deployed in the workplace

• An increased awareness of the impact of personality on behavior and appropriate techniques to improve the effectiveness

• Improvement in problem-solving & decision-making techniques employed

• Able to work on own initiative more effectively

• An improvement in memory

• Enhanced social interaction skills

Personal Impact

• Better able to think through situations in a more logical and analytical manner

• Understand and explain the methods that will be of benefit to them in managing the pressures and demands of their work in such a position.

• Have a selection of tools to approach situations and people more effectively

• Feel more confident in their own capacity to handle the more unusual situations that occur

• Have practiced skills in a non-threatening environment

• Have the tools to develop a personal action plan

Outlines

DAY 1: Defining and Developing the Role

• The Executive PA – your vital partnership with management

• Defining the responsibilities and authority of your role. Biases & prejudice

• Identifying ways of broadening your role and creating opportunities to increase your responsibilities

• Developing the managerial aspects of your role – essential management skills Planning for development – identifying and overcoming barriers to your success

• Understanding your own and others personality & subsequent behavior

• Team Exercise

DAY 2: Effective Communication

• Interacting with others and networking for success – getting yourself seen and heard

• Developing and advancing your relationship with your manager/director

• Improving your communication skills – negotiating, influencing, persuading and delegating

• Individual, Team & Group exercise on Consensus

DAY 3: Developing Confidence

• Trusting your initiative and judgment

• Saying "no" constructively

• Problem Solving & Decision making tools

• Team roles and interaction with others

• Video Presentation Skills

• Individual & Team Exercise Tantrix & Colour Blind

DAY 4: Developing and Improving Key Skills

• Improving your confidence and assertiveness

• Practicing effective time management skills

• Concentrating, thinking, listening and making decisions under pressure

• Conflict Management

• Improving your memory

• Video Conflict Management

• Team Exercise & Leadership Practice Building/Tower Exercise

 DAY 5: Getting Results

• Benefiting from key motivation techniques – motivating yourself, your subordinates and your boss

• Achieving results through others

• Managing stress and pressure that comes with change and challenge

• Measuring your performance based on objectives, standards, responsibilities set and achieved

• Preparing for your development

• Action planning

• Group Exercise