Administrative Professionals: Communication and Planning Skills

Introduction:

Administrative roles require mastery in communication and strategic planning to be successful. Administrative Communication and Planning is an online course designed to enhance the communication skills of administrative professionals while fostering a deep understanding of strategic communication and planning. Participants will study fundamental concepts in communication and planning, which they will use to boost their personal effectiveness as well as team effectiveness.

Strong written and oral communication skills, combined with sound planning abilities, are essential for all those working in administrative support roles. This training program for administrative managers focuses on enhancing these skills, thereby improving self-efficiency across all professions and within colleagues' workgroups.

Attendees will gain hands-on experience in various forms of administrative communication by exploring different areas of communication and strategic planning. They will develop the knowledge necessary to implement effective strategies and plans in communication. As a result, participants will be able to articulate their thoughts clearly through strategic thinking and actions related to their organizational responsibilities.

Objectives:

At the end of this training, participants should be able to:

• Engage effectively in face-to-face interactions, both individually and in small groups.
• Improve telephone communication skills.
• Develop strong written communication skills, including emailing, report writing, and preparing manuals.
• Facilitate meetings effectively.
• Enhance interpersonal relationships and influencing attitudes.
• Develop effective personal time-management abilities.
• Understand the essentials of project management regarding implementation.

Training Methodology:

• Interactive Workshops
• Case Studies
• Role-Playing Exercises
• Group Discussions
• Hands-On Practice
• Real-Life Scenarios
• Peer Feedback Sessions
• Guided Simulations
• Self-Assessment Tools
• Collaborative Learning

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Face-to-Face Communication and Interpersonal Skills:

• Barriers to Effective Communication and How to Overcome Them
• Interpersonal Skills: Building Working Relationships
• Delegation: Giving and Receiving
• Assertiveness
• Managing Conflict

Unit 2: Planning & Time Management:

• Prioritizing Requests and Tasks
• Handling Requests Effectively
• Personal Planning Tools and Systems
• Managing Interruptions and Distractions
• Project Planning: Principles of Critical Path Analysis (CPA)

Unit 3: Team-Working and Meetings:

• Team Development & Group Dynamics
• Constructive Discussions
• Challenging Ideas and Reaching Agreements
• Improving Meeting Outcomes Through Planning and Preparation
• Participation, Control, and Effective Meeting Follow-Up

Unit 4: Managing Information and Written Communication:

• Information Management Principles
• Assessing Information Critically and Presenting It Insightfully
• The Essential Parts of Report Writing: Relevance, Layout, Structure
• Grammatical Intricacies and Punctuation
• Editing and Proofreading Skills
• Attention to Style, Tone, and Structure When Writing Emails and Letters
• Other Types of Writing

Unit 5: Supporting Presentations/Improving Teamwork and Systems:

• Designing Powerful Slides with Relevant Graphics
• Room Setup, Equipment Control & Troubleshooting Methods
• Encouraging Continuous Improvement in Presentations Using Creative Thinking
• Constructing Convincing Arguments
• Program Review & Feedback Processes