At the end of this seminar participants will:

•Develop the skills and attributes of a first-class office professional and make a greater contribution to your manager/team.
•Become more confident in using your initiative.
•Become more proactive.
•Communicate confidently and effectively with your manager, colleagues, and other departments.
•Deal with the difficulties and pressures of working for more than one person.
•Prioritize between urgent and important tasks.
•Plan, organize and manage your time more effectively.
•Write professional correspondence with less instruction.

Setting the Scene and Evaluating Existing Skills

•General introduction
•Mapping your current skill base in preparation for action planning on return to work
•Perceptions & biases
•Type 1. V Type 2. thinkers
•Time management skills
•Short exercise on creative/lateral thinking –Tie a knot
•Group exercise using communications skills (oral & listening), planning & problem-solving skills, memory & sequencing, creative/logical thinking and teamwork

Understanding & Use of Personality Characteristics, Team Roles & Communications

•Characteristics of individuals in effective teams
•Your preferred & least preferred style
•Personality/Work profiling and its impact upon individual behavior
•Completion of Myers Briggs Type Inventory
•The four main components of effective communication Part 1
•Broadcast communication exercise
•Use of planning, teamwork, creative thinking, verbal & written communication & presentation skills
•The value of listening skills

Communication Using Assertiveness, Difficulty in Gaining Consensus, Team Exercises

•Communications Part 2 -listening skills
•Group feedback on Myers Briggs Team Inventory (individual feedback by appointment in additional sessions)
•Assertive not aggressive communications –cultural considerations
•Video –Assertive communications
•Gaining consensus ––individual, team & group working, getting your view across to others, persuasion, accepting views of others & being prepared to change your own views
•Updating of personal skill base –SWOT analysis in preparation for action planning using Force Field Analysis
•Color Code Exercise –team working involving sequencing, problem solving & concentration and memory

Creative Thinking, Problem Solving and Teamwork Including Team Exercise

•Creative thinking and problem solving for secretaries & administrators
•Creative thinking exercise –Tantrix–creative & innovative thinking, sequencing, visual perception, hand/eye co-ordination, memory & persistence
•Understanding, managing & coping with stress
•Team exercise ––visual skills & co-ordination, recognizing patterns, problem solving, innovative thinking, memory, individual & team-working, competing & coping with frustration

Communications: Understanding & Using Body Language, Conflict Management & Team Exercise

•Communications Part 3 -Body Language for the office
•Managing your Boss –Managing difficult people
•Team Exercise –Mast –leading a team, transference of information accurately
•Team Exercise –Understanding data, listening skills, teamwork, creative thinking, monitoring & control and working to a time criteria.