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• Understand
your manager’s drivers and needs - totally
• Manage your relationship with your executive – brilliantly
• Understand your importance to the success of the
organisation - completely
• Realise your strongest asset in your demanding role –
yourself
• Learn how to take the initiative and become assertive -
outstandingly
• Enjoy your senior position and be recognised and rewarded
for it - richly
Today's PA - Two Day Workshop
From the Top
However you became a PA – and it’s surprising just how many
PAs tell us it happened to them almost by accident – your
position is unusual in many ways. No other role in business
places so much reliance on the absolute capability of one
person to provide unwavering and comprehensive support to a
senior executive.
Working in the shadow of someone important and busy, it’s
difficult to avoid your own needs and aspirations being
overlooked – by you and others. Today’s PA workshop brings
you out of the shadows and into the light as you become
aware of the critical part you play in your organisation’s
success and how you can give your career a boost as well.
We give you the knowledge and tools to ensure you become the
indispensable aide and business associate your manager needs
– so much more than a secretary. We also make sure you begin
to appreciate your real worth - not just to your manager and
yourself, but to the whole organisation - and arm you with
the confidence and assertiveness necessary to be not just
good at your job, but brilliant.
The rewards for this fresh, new approach to your role and
the enhanced outlook on your career and life it delivers,
will quickly become apparent in the weeks and months
following the workshop.
And because the course is designed by successful PAs, for
PAs, rest assured – it will be the most career (and even
life) changing two days you will spend.
A packed programme:
Tough Love – Tact and Diplomacy
Protecting your manager from unnecessary interruptions is a
critical part of your job and it’s one of the hardest,
especially when there’s a steady stream of other, often very
senior, people wanting opinions and decisions. We will show
you how to handle these tricky encounters, diplomatically
but firmly, whilst ensuring that you don’t create a
bottleneck that threatens the success of the organisation.
As your reputation for decisive action grows, people seeking
your manager’s time will start to think harder and more
thoroughly before doing so and will even begin bouncing
their thoughts off you first. You will become a kind of
executive ‘triage nurse’, deciding which ideas and requests
really merit the attention of your manager and which can be
delegated sideways or downwards to someone more appropriate.
Don’t Stress Me!
Few people in business have to juggle as many different
balls as a busy PA and it can be very stressful, especially
if you work for more than one manager. During the workshop
we will show you a number of different strategies you can
try in order to reduce stress. These include managing your
and your manager’s time more effectively and learning how to
deflect or defer tasks or priority interruptions that often
turn out to be little more than fire-fighting activities,
with tactful firmness.
Improve Your Outlook
As with all computer-based office tools, we tend to use
familiar features and functions and ignore the rest. Over
the years, however, applications like Microsoft Outlook have
grown in sophistication and refinement to the point where
they really can help you do your job better – and take some
of the pressure off. Outlook is now a mature and
fully-fledged assistant for you; learning to exploit its
capabilities will help you make the most of your time and
simplify and automate other office tasks that until now have
been tediously manual or just impossible. You can:
• Convert
information in emails straight into contacts,
appointments and tasks with a click of the mouse
• Carry out mail merges to email, just as you do with
Word
• Manage your projects and your manager’s projects with
the tasks function
• Personalise your diary and run your manager’s at the
same time
Make My Day
You
are the gatekeeper to your manager, but who protects you
from the interruptions that conspire to prevent you
achieving what needs to be done each day? It’s tough enough
working for someone who never seems to go home, without
missing your lunch break or even occasionally getting out of
the office on time. Our research suggests that PAs
frequently experience interruptions of 90 minutes a day or
more. Think what you could achieve and how much better you
would feel if you could claw back two hours of lost time
each day. Sounds impossible? During the Today’s PA workshop,
we will show you how it can be done. And you will love us
for it.
Serving Two Masters – or More!
Working for one demanding and exacting manager can be more
than enough for most PAs, so if you work for two or more,
you have our sympathy. But it need not be hell trying to
balance their individual needs. Plainly you cannot give them
the same level of attention they would get if they didn’t
have to share you, but there is a better way. We will show
you how it works and equip you with the tools and skills –
and patience – you need to make a great job of keeping them
all happy and successful - and your stress levels down.
Have Conference, Will Travel
A
PA is expected to embody elements of a number of services
that are otherwise provided by specialist companies.
Depending on the size of your organisation and the resources
and budgets available, you may be able to take advantage of
these companies, but we also know you will probably have to
do much of the donkey work yourself. We will show you how to
ensure events and travel arrangements are not only a runaway
success and make you look good, but also come in on time and
on budget without taking over your life and giving you a
nervous breakdown.
You’ll Never Walk Alone
As
a PA, you ‘plough a lonely furrow’ at times. Your position
is unique: you work closely with and have the ear of someone
important and influential, yet you occupy a relatively
junior place in the hierarchy. The orbit in which you move
makes colleagues keep their distance from you and be on
their guard about what they say in your presence, in case it
gets back to your manager, possibly to their detriment. So
it’s hard to establish the friendly interpersonal
relationships that allow office workers to work effectively
together.
It’s a bit like being a royal consort – all the glory, but
no power. Sometimes, however, you need some of that power to
rub off on you, because today’s senior executive expects you
to be able to act as proxy and delegate accordingly.
A major part of the Today’s PA workshop involves building up
your self-esteem and sense of self-worth, so that you see
yourself not just as the assistant to an important person,
but an extension to that person’s management style and
vision.
We will show you how to acquire levels of confidence and
assertiveness that will give your manager the executive
associate actually required of today’s PA. As a result, you
will feel much more comfortable with asking colleagues to
carry out tasks that advance the objectives of the
organisation, because you will share your manager’s ‘big
picture’ outlook, rather than the more limited horizons of
the traditional secretary-based PA.
Don’t Forget to Write
Texting, email and social networking websites have taken a
terrible toll of writing as a skill to be nurtured,
developed and valued. So it’s ironic that today’s PA still
has to tackle a steady stream of letters, proposals,
reports, presentations, emails and more, all of which demand
absolute clarity and economy. You may work for a brilliant
and successful entrepreneur who perhaps doesn’t feel
comfortable putting his thoughts into writing, for instance.
But it’s your job to ensure that important information and
messages are disseminated to peers and the media without
your business leader losing face or appearing ignorant.
During the workshop we will take you back to basics with the
essentials of good written business English, another key
confidence-builder.
PA Confidential
Your unique position as a PA means you often hear things
that challenge your sense of discretion. Does your boss need
to know about all of them, or do you decide what to pass on
on a ‘need to know’ basis? Do you remain as enigmatic as the
Sphinx, or behave like a C-list celebrity on a reality TV
show. We’re exaggerating a bit here, but the purpose is
serious: to win the confidence of colleagues at all levels
is vital if you are to function effectively and
successfully. A reputation for utter discretion, except
where to keep silent might threaten the organisation or your
manager, will open new conduits of communication and
information that will help make your job easier and give you
the opportunity to present your manager with new business
options to consider.
Time After Time
No-one likes time management courses, except the people who
send you on them. PAs know that time management courses are
for people who haven’t got enough to do, so we’re not going
to give you one of those. But because Today’s PA has been
designed by PAs, for PAs, there are some very useful tips
and wrinkles we can pass on to help you manage not just your
time, but your manager’s time, more effectively and
productively. One thing we will do, before you attend the
workshop, is ask you to keep a log of your daily activity,
so we can analyse it with you during the course.
Just a Minute
No
PA considers taking minutes to be pleasurable, but it has to
be done – and done well. Not everyone working at PA level
has come via the traditional route, which means that if you
don’t take shorthand, it can be difficult to keep up with
what’s being said. If it’s also a less than interesting
meeting, it can be hard to maintain your attention so you
don’t miss something. And then when the meeting’s over it’s
all got to be typed up and circulated – about as much fun as
watching paint dry. You might find it hard to believe we can
make the job enjoyable, but after the Today’s PA workshop,
your will know how to write minutes that are beyond reproach
– and even enjoy doing so! We will show you how to:
• Enhance
your listening skills
• Condense your minutes down to the essentials, without
losing the flow of the meeting
• Maintain your concentration during the meeting
• Improve your note taking
• Deal with technical subjects and jargon
Questions, Questions
When you commit two valuable days of your time to Today’s PA
workshop, we want you to know that we understand and
recognise that commitment. We want to do everything we can
to ensure that the workshop is thoroughly worthwhile for
you. Being properly prepared will play a key part in
achieving that success. Indeed, your success is our success.
If you get what we promise from the workshop – and we know
you will – we are confident you will recommend it to peers
and colleagues. So we would like you to complete a short
questionnaire, just before you attend the workshop, in order
to give us a snapshot of the kind of person and PA you are,
how you became a PA and what are your issues, frustrations,
hopes and ambitions.
When you arrive at the workshop, you will be able to feel
that you are among friends who understand you – and you are,
because your trainers and course designers have all been
where you are now. Doesn’t that give you a warm, fuzzy
feeling?
A Professional Trainer For Professional PAs
Your principal trainer has been a highly-successful PA and
Office Manager and is now Managing Director of Indiquo. With
a post-graduate degree in business studies, few if any
trainers are better qualified to deliver and lead the
workshop for Today’s PAs – for you.
Lest You Forget
You
will hear and learn a lot during the workshop – too much to
remember in its entirety, in fact - so we have put together
a comprehensive set of handouts, comprising more than 100
pages of key information that pull together everything you
have seen and heard on the course.
Something for Nothing - That’s Priceless
Once the workshop is over, we don’t just wave you goodbye
and close the door. When you leave, you take with you our
ongoing commitment to your success, which includes:
• Free
membership of the Today’s PA network
• Email support from a nationwide network of experienced
PAs
• A platform for your opinions through our bi-monthly
newsletter
• Professional help and information just a phone call
away
• Ongoing help with time-saving tips to make your day
easier
• Experienced help with finding venues and accommodation
world-wide
• Access to our extensive professional network to
provide event management information
• A training company dedicated to the development of
your ongoing career
• Your own event management consultant on call
• Regular visits from other professionals working in
similar business sectors to yours
• Visits to potential event and accommodation venues
• Someone to ‘be there’ for you when you need them!
• And finally – ongoing coaching to develop you and your
career
Over the Moon
Who
could be more persuasive than a PA who’s already been on the
course? Here’s what a few had to say about the Today’s PA
workshop.
“Regardless of whether you’re an experienced PA wanting to
learn a few new tricks or you’re looking to get your first
PA role, I would highly recommend ‘Today’s PA’ training
course. It is full of practical tips and advice as well as
assertiveness exercises and is a great confidence booster. I
came away with the belief that I should be earning more
money and, more importantly, the confidence to ask my boss
to pay me more money; a conversation that I’m pleased to
report went very well indeed!”
Jharda Walker - Waggener Edstrom
“The trainer was brilliant, fun and relaxed. The course was
just what I had been searching for and I thoroughly enjoyed
it, and will miss it. It’s a shame it's not Monday tomorrow
as I can't wait to put it all into practise.”
Julie Flageul - Chigwell Construction
“Absolutely brilliant! The best course I have been on. The
trainer was fantastic. Enjoyed every single minute of it.”
Kate Worrall - Banctec
“Would recommend the course to any PAs. I had been searching
for a good PA course - this was just right. It covered all
the points I hoped it would. I really enjoyed the course and
will definitely be putting the ideas into practice. Great
trainer and great materials.”
Reese Sansom - Girlguiding UK
Name Dropping
When you sign up for the Today’s PA workshop, we can
guarantee you’ll be in good company. Below are just some of
the companies who have sent PAs to the Today’s PA workshop
recently.
* 2012
* American Golf
* AMT Coffee
* Barclays
* Boots
* Brunel University
* Carphone Warehouse
* Girlguiding UK
* Home Office
* IPC Media
* Liz Earle Cosmetics
* npower
* Pfizer
* QinetiQ
* Selfridges
* Waggener Edstrom
Tasty – Very Tasty
You’ve read this far, so it looks as though we’ve caught
your interest with the content of the course – and the
testimonials and client list look very reassuring, don’t
they? If you or your manager didn’t get where you are today
by throwing money away on dodgy training courses, however,
you may want a taster first, and that’s entirely
understandable. Many of our biggest clients took advantage
of our free trial before committing to the workshop proper.
Have You Got What It Takes?
If
your organisation has six or more PAs (or people in similar
roles) and intends to provide personal and/or career
development workshops or coaching for its staff, then it may
well qualify for a free trial. We will come to your premises
or other venue and deliver a no-charge 90 minute session
that we are sure will energise and motivate all who attend
to sign up for the full workshop.
You Know You Want It
Contact
paul@indiquo.co.uk or call Paul on +44 (0) 0207 622 2400
and we will get in touch within 24 hours to discuss
arranging your free trial session.
Where:
Regent's College Conference Centre Ltd,
Regent's Park, London NW1 4NS.
Regent's College
You may
also be interested in some of our other courses...
Other Course Available
Minute Writing Made Simple
Writing For Business
Assertiveness At Work; In Life
The Art Of Delegation
Throw Away The Stress!
The Successful Administrator
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