The Executive Secretary Master Development Program

The Executive Secretary Master Development Program

:Program Objectives

Administrative and secretarial staff is the hub of the organisation and it is their responsibility to implement the strategic policies of the organisation. This course is designed to heighten their awareness of their importance to the organisation.

:Course Outline

The Structure of the Workplace:

• Understanding corporate and organisational structure.
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) – what they are and how they work.
• Organisational politics.
• Organisational culture.
• Types of organisations and their hierarchy.
• Organisational structure.
• Environments.
• Business structures.

Team Working & Conflict:

• Relationships with staff.
• Ways to reduce role conflict.
• Leadership.
• Groups and teams.
• Team danger signs.

Workload & Time Management:

• Qualities required of a Secretary/Administrator.
• Responsibilities and limitations.
• How to delegate.
• Prioritising work.
• Personal organisation.
• Planning aids.
• Scheduling tasks.
• Departmental targets.
• Defining work objectives.
• Setting targets.
• Performance indicators.
• Monitoring achievement of targets.
• Organising work schedules.

Filing and Retrieval Systems, Mail, Stationery and Supplies, Standardised Forms, Telephone Answering etc.:

• Filing of information.
• Central Filing.
• Departmental filing.
• Methods of classification.
• Systems of filing.
• Electronic filing.
• Follow-up systems.
• File retention policy.
• Computer data storage and retrieval.
• Answering the telephone and greeting visitors.
• Planning for business trips.

Business Correspondence and Formal Report Writing:

• Planning and producing a report.
• Business letters.
• Memos.
• E-mail.

Communication Skills within Office Teams:

• Interpersonal skills and responsibilities.
• The role of the Secretary/Administrator.
• Face-to-Face communication skills.
• Barriers to communication.
• The multi-cultural society.
• Non-verbal communication.
• Listening skills.
• Questioning.

Internal and External Customer:

• Working Relationships.
• Making Commitments.
• Dealing with Disagreements and Conflicts.
• Problem Solving.

The Role of Information Technology in the Office Setting:

• Computers.
• Software application packages.
• Subject-specific packages.
• The Internet explained.
• Information retrieval on the Internet.
• The World Wide Web.

?WHO SHOULD ATTEND 

The experienced Executive Assistant/Secretary makes a major contribution to the success of executive operations. With a clear appreciation of the role and pressures faced by management, the assistant who “thinks like the executive” and takes responsibility, can create a powerful partnership that delivers results.