Executive Assistant Masterclass

Key Objective: Empower executive assistants with vital knowledge and skills required to meet the ever-evolving demands of the corporate world, focusing on areas such as management, marketing, business communication, and customer service.

Target Audience: Executive assistants expected to support effectively the day-to-day workflow – beyond the clerical level – and thus be able to understand the core management, marketing and leadership rules.

Key Topics:

1. Executive Assistant’s Key Job Tasks

The purpose of this section is to discuss the essential day-to-day routine of an executive assistant through simplified theory and practical tools.

• Which are the key job tasks?
• What are the appropriate skills of an executive assistant?
• Office management
• Communicating professionally
• Professional appearance
• Active listening skills
• Effective meeting organization
• Creativity in day-to-day tasks

2. Business Communications

The purpose of this section is to discuss the important role of communication in the daily work of executive assistant such as the oral, written, digital communication, body language, as well as, how we can communicate in a mutually rewarding way, by using the right communication techniques.

Oral communication

• How to become an effective listener?
• 7 Reasons why people do not actively listen
• Types of Communication
  • Upward Communication
  • Downward Communication
  • Horizontal Communication
• Written Communication
• Electronic Communication
• Listen to the client carefully and understood his/her requests
• Persuasive Oral Communication
• General Principles of Communication
• Theories of Communication
  • Symbolic Interactionism
  • Attribution Theory
  • Accommodation Theory
• Oral Communication in Persuasion
• Consultative approach
• Telephone Skills
  • Review your telephone voice
  • Your role in communication
  • The characteristics of good and bad telephone voice
  • Tone Voice
  • Intensity
• How to adopt “positive” attitude to your work
• Okness Theory – Eric Byrne
• Managing difficult situations
  • Handling Conflict
• Elements of Interpersonal Sensitivity
• Dress Code
• Positive Interpersonal Communication
  • Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?
• Building your talents
• Improving your image
• Managing your time
• Developing specific skills
  • What are your strengths?
  • What are your weaknesses?
  • What makes you motivated interest?
• How to respond “positively”
  • Submissiveness
  • Aggression
  • Showing respect to others
  • Expressing sincere feelings
  • How to say “no”
  • How to defend your positions?
• How to listen and how … you hear
  • Listen actively
  • Make others hear you
  • How do you express yourself

3. Time and Stress Management

The purpose of this section is to provide specific guidelines concerning how an executive assistant can organize his/her daily activities in order to ensure effective time management.

• Time management – Basic approach
• Setting objectives
• Scheduling tasks
• Procedures and systems that save time
• Information Management
• Minimize interference
• How do I act immediately?
• Adair’s 10 principles on time management
• How to manage office work?
• How to react when interrupted
• How to manage paperwork, in order to save one hour a day
• The five worst traps to poor time management
• How to make the most of my time?
• Medium and long term planning
• Setting priorities
• Stress Management
• Techniques for dealing with stress

4. Customer Service with Heart!

The purpose of this workshop is to discuss the practical issues of customer service (internal and external) of an enterprise. The workshop analyzes the techniques for handling customer experience and how a series of customer service techniques are applied in order for our customer to feel happy and function as a word of mouth for our business.

• Customer Care – Definition
• Why do we deal with customer service?
• Use positive language
• Listen carefully to the client
• 7 reasons why people do not listen
• How to improve listening skills
• Why do we lose customers?
• The 5 ‘gaps’ in service delivery
• Handling Customer Complaints
• Effective ways of communicating
• Observe the clients body language
• Marketing techniques for customer retention
  • Top 10 strategies for customer retention
• Telephone Skills
• When customers are friends: 7 tips
• Why complaints are a gift for a company
• Create a dedicated customer
• Customers buy when they feel good!
• Managing Customer Experience (Customer Experience Management)
• Tips for loyal customers

5. Public Relations & Event Management

The purpose of this workshop is to discuss, the step – by step process of organizing and implementing successful corporate events (corporate events).

• Public Relations
  • What is and what is not “Public Relations”
• Events
  • Special events to promote a business
• Types of communication in business environment
• Basic programming questions in Public Relations
• Create the action plan
• Campaign Basics & Objectives
• Reputation management
• Managing Campaigns
• Defining the event’s strategy matrix
• How to create successful campaigns
• How to organize Conferences & Exhibitions?
  • Selection criteria in order to participate in an exhibition
  • How to design and build an exhibition stand
• Human Social Networking
• Advertising and public relations reports
• Press Conference
• Mall Openings
• Waste Management
• Signage at the event
• Organizational Issues
• Organizing the key actions
• Control Systems & Market Research
• Event Budget
• What are the factors that encourage/discourage the participation of people at an event?
• Security issues
• Tips for successful corporate gifts
• Event Marketing Tips
• Event Time Management
• Event Project Management
• How to build positive interpersonal relationships with people involved in organizing an event
• Handling Complaints
• Creativity
• General Tips for Successful Events

Case study: Organize a major corporate event

6. How to Manage your Boss?

The purpose of this workshop is to discuss how executive assistants should communicate effectively with all types of bosses, in order to achieve great results.

• Getting acquainted with your boss
• What kind of boss do you have?
• What are his/her strengths and weaknesses?
• What motivates your boss?
• What is exhausting your boss?
• Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?
• Building your talents
• Improving your image
• Managing your time
• Developing specific skills
  • What are your strengths?
  • What are your weaknesses?
• Dealing with interference
• Dealing with workload
• How to manage more than one boss
• Create the perfect relationship with your boss
  • What you should and should not do
  • How to respond “positively”
• Submissiveness
• Aggression
• Positivity
• Showing respect to others
• Expressing sincere feelings
• How to say ‘no’
• How to defend your arguments?
• Organize meetings
• How to express yourself
• Case study: Types of “bosses” and how to manage them!

7. Achieve my Goals through Human Social Networking

The purpose of this workshop is to discuss how participants can reach their goals and dreams, simply by setting the right goal statements in a chosen specific time frame and learn the techniques of human social networking that will help them expand their potential.

• Why do we set goals?
• What is the appropriate strategy/ies in the process of achieving our goals?
• “OK-ness” Theory – E. Berne
• Appropriately structured goal statements
• What happens if we don’t succeed?
• Reasons for not achieving our goals
• Who are the enemies of success?
• Who are the allies of success?
• Task prioritazation
• Which are the goals characteristics
• Advice for goal achievement
• The role of human social networking in achieving our goals
• Results evaluation
• The role of human social networking in goal achievement
• Why should we use human social networking?
• What are the types of social networking?
• Goal setting and social networking?
• Professional dress code
• Creativity in social networking
• How to I make the first move
• How to build self brand
• How to apply effective listening skills
• How to communicate effectively in social networking
• Body language
• Networking and Social Media (Online Word of Mouth)
• How to achieve the best approach towards the people I am interested networking with?
• Tips for successful conversations
• How do I know it worked?
• Ways to ask for help without being obtrusive
• Useful tricks for successful networking

Key Benefits:

• In-Depth Learning: Focused specifically on the role of an Executive Assistant. It covers various aspects, including advanced skills, industry-specific knowledge, and emerging trends.
• Specialized Knowledge: Delve into specialized areas relevant to executive support, such as strategic planning, project management, executive communication, event coordination, or stakeholder management. This focused learning enables you to develop specialized skills that set you apart in your role and make you more effective in supporting executives.
• Interactive and Practical Approach: Interactive approach that allows you to apply the concepts learned in real-world scenarios and enhances your understanding and retention of the material.