In addition to management training for executives, global management training providers in the field of leadership and management training offer executive secretaries and top-management level secretaries one-week and two-week educational programmes that cover advanced office management and administration.
Who Should Take the Course?
This kind of coursework, which is typically backed and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) in Europe, is a curriculum that is ideally designed for personal assistants and secretaries who wish to improve their administrative performance in order to apply for advanced administrative and executive roles.
When a veteran secretary takes office management training courses of this calibre, she opens herself up to a whole new world of opportunity. The role of today’s secretary continues to evolve and is a role that must keep pace with ever-changing technologies.
The Major Benefits of a Secretarial-based Management Programme
Courses that lead to a better understanding of management practices for secretaries enable the course participant, after completing the programme, to carry out her duties with more efficiency, update and raise the standards of the office systems already in-place and align her performance on the job with the vision of the organisation. Management training enables the top-level secretary to develop her interpersonal skills and establish strategies that lead to team development and cooperation as well.
Today, most executive secretaries work independently, without the need for on-site supervision. The office management specialist is typically responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company and supplies complete headquarters assistance to managers and executives. In top-tier roles, secretaries often supervise the paid office staff or may coordinate the activities of volunteers in non-profit organisations (NSOs).
An executive secretary is generally considered the liaison between various levels of management. She manages all correspondence, whether internal or external – by regular postal mail or by e-mail. With respect to financial responsibilities, executive and advanced management level secretaries may maintain corporate accounts and books, including the receipt and disbursement of funds. He or she may assist executives with the preparation and maintenance of the company’s budget, including managing the billing and collection of funds. Included in the recordkeeping may be an inventory of the tangible corporate assets of the company for tax or audit purposes
In some corporate roles, an executive assistant or secretary may handle the publishing of articles on the corporate website. She may also manage the printing and mailing of corporate publications or fulfil the requests of individuals, governments or organisations who request company white papers, associated publications or software.
In some instances, an executive secretary may be the initial point of contact for the press. In this role, the secretary may distribute press kits for the company or assist one of the company directors in writing press releases. She may also provide information about the company and its activities in response to postal, e-mail, facsimile or telephone enquiries. In her PR role, she is usually responsible for both the preparation of PR content or materials and their publication.
IT is of significant importance for executive secretaries today. Secretaries of executive calibre can expand on their roles and be more useful to their company by exhibiting a fluency in such IT subjects as HyperText Markup Language (HTML), the latest Windows Operating Systems, including the current versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Access and/or Outlook.
Given the kind of skillset that an executive secretary must possess, signing up for a managerial educational programme will give her an even greater opportunity to be an integral player on the administrative end within her company.
When executive secretaries upgrade their skillset through managerial educational programmes, they are able to enhance production levels in their company. Course curriculums for high-level secretaries often cover subjects that stress improving the workflow within the office and developing good, ongoing relationships with a company’s suppliers.
Practical Training
Some of the other areas that are featured in management training for secretaries include the following:
- Arranging meetings and taking accurate minutes
- Planning company-sponsored events and managing on budget
- Communicating more confidently and concisely
- Expressing core ideas to various audiences
- Enhancing report writing skills, including learning the structure and theme of reports and executive summaries
- Following best practices in e-mail communications and letter writing skills
If a secretary wishes to advance in her chosen career and take on more executive responsibilities, then it is important for her to upgrade her verbal communication skills to the point where she is able to develop winning teams at work and motivate the staff in order to ensure results. It is also important for her to know how to recognise underperformers and how to realign some of the underperforming teams to maximise productivity.
Stress Management
Needless to say, time and stress management are usually on most managerial training agendas for secretaries. Areas covered under this category include:
- Dealing with stress and workplace pressure;
- Psychological well-being and performance;
- Encouraging a high level of performance without increasing stress; and
- The differences between an emotional quotient (EQ) and an intelligence quotient (IQ).
It’s All in the Presentation
Improving one’s presentation’s skills is also essential for secretaries who also want to hone their managerial capabilities. Coursework for managerial training programmes for secretaries covers such topics as:
- Delivering memorable presentations;
- Writing speeches for events and conferences;
- Proven speaking techniques for enhancing presentations; and
- Overcoming the fear of speaking in public
Travel management is another area that is included in advanced level management programmes for secretarial employees. Secretaries are instructed on arranging flights and accommodations, managing timelines, negotiating with vendors or suppliers and researching routes for travel planning purposes.
If you want to improve your secretarial and administrative skills and overall business expertise, you owe it to yourself to participate in webinars, seminars and brick-and-mortar programmes that are featured for aspiring secretaries.
Global management training providers offer one and two-week educational programmes for secretaries working in various sectors, such as law, finance, human resources, public relations and operations management. Reviewing programmes online can assist you in gaining a better understanding in the educational opportunities that are available to experienced administrative professionals.
