This course is designed to give the candidates a better understanding of the ‘people skills’ which are needed in a business environment and which can help them develop their existing competencies into superior skills. It will focus on:

· The ‘HOW!’ – using critical skills and behavior to develop personal competencies

· The ‘WHAT!’ – developing task competencies needed to achieve successful process delivery

· Building on your existing personal knowledge and skills-set

· Giving you a better understanding of how you and your colleagues might work together more effectively in any office environment

· The production of a follow-up action plan which can help you implement new skills back at work

At the end of this seminar participants will:

· Identify, develop and improve key competencies necessary for superior performance

· Improve creative thinking, problem solving and decision making skills

· Develop reading skills and note-making effectiveness

· Learn to use and apply simple memory systems

· Be better able to understand personality and behavioral characteristics in order to achieve what they want from other people

· Develop a plan and approach for self-development

Administrative personnel, Supervisors, Administration Officers, Secretaries, Administrative Personnel, Clerks, Document Controllers, Executive Secretaries, Administrative Assistants, Assistant Controllers, Data Loaders, Camp Admins, Projects Administrators, Technical Assistants, Office Administrators & Managers, HR Officers, PA’s & Secretaries, Records Officers, Events Planners & Designers, Event Managers, Project Coordinators, Customer Service Personnel, Procurement Officers, Support Staff, anyone involved in office management and administration skills and practices, Office Administrators, Office Professionals, Supervisors of clerical and administrative staff, Executive Secretaries, Personal Assistants, Admin Staffs, Document Controllers, IT Management , Technical staff, Document and Records Management personnel, Records Management Supervisors, Suppliers, Solution Providers and Vendors, Executives, Users of Records Management, Users of Document & Enterprise Content Management, Personnel seeking to enhance their skills

Personal Effectiveness

• Your brain skills: the brains behind a business
• Thinking about reading (and identifying your current skills)
• How to be a ‘successful’ reader
• Reading strategies: the theory
• Thinking about note-making
• How to make notes quickly and effectively using mind mapping
• Practice using mind mapping
• Reading at work
• Combining fast reading and mind mapping skills to increase effectiveness
• Memory magic? Introduction to memory systems
• Memory linking
• Memory journeys
• Remembering names and numbers
• Memory at work

Effective Inter-Personal Communications

• Barriers – and their solutions
• Body Language/building rapport
• Keys to relationships
• Self image and self esteem
• Getting your point across: know what to say and when to say it
• Managing feelings; managing other people
• Listening and questioning

Time Management, Planning & Problem Solving

• Results-orientated time management
• Outcome planning for better results
• Can anyone be creative?
• Practical approaches to problem solving
• Prioritization and planning periods
• Getting things done
• Identifying and dealing with time-wasters

Your Personal Skills Set: Putting It All Together

• Your role and job in the context of any organization
• Using core skills in the real world
• Thinking and working in groups
• Better meetings
• How to change habits of a lifetime

Setting the Scene, Assessing Existing Skills, Time Management

• General introduction
• Assessing prior skills and knowledge
• Competencies required
• Perceptions, attitudes and beliefs
• Learning Styles/thinking Styles
• Time management skills
• Time management group activity 1
• Time management group activity 2

Organizing and Planning

• Managing workflow
• Techniques for organizing and planning
• Brainstorming
• SWOT analysis
• Goal setting
• Setting SMART objectives
• Group activity
• Mind mapping
• Group activity – mind mapping exercise
• Managing meetings

Communication Skills

• Understanding assertiveness
• Group activity on assertiveness
• Listening and questioning skills
• Group activity on listening effectively
• Body language
• Group activity on body language

Team Working

• Conflict management
• Dealing with difficult people
• Managing upwards
• Stress management
• Group Team building activity to demonstrate leading, sharing information, understanding the brief, listening skills, teamwork, creative thinking, time management

Presentation Skills

• Telephone skills
• Writing skills
• Email etiquette
• Presentation skills
• Group exercise

COURSE LOCATIONS