Design your day to meet your unique needs. This conference has packed a lot of information into just one day - so feel free to move in and out of these two tracks and 10 dynamic sessions. It's your conference-don't miss a thing! You choose which sessions you would like to attend in this one-day training scheduled 9:00 - 4:00PM
OPENING SESSION: 9:00 - 9:35 a.m. - Where do you want to go tomorrow?
TRACK 1 IMAGE AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
SESSION 1: 9:50 - 10:40 a.m.
Winning respect and credibility
Get your work and ideas noticed by those who count
Assistants are truly the backbone of an organization. But it's easy to feel overlooked, even ignored, in the rush of everyday business. The few "pats on the back" or positive strokes you do get make all the difference in the world to your attitude.
In this session, you'll learn how to get more recognition for your good work-and use this fuel to make even greater contributions on your job.
-How to come across confidently in meetings - the perfect opportunity to increase your visibility
-How to present your ideas "up the ladder" in a way that gets attention and respect
-How to gracefully "toot your own horn" to gain recognition for your contributions
-Personal power-where it comes from and how to use it
-Concrete steps you can take to increase the level of support you get from co-workers, employees and your boss
SESSION 2: 10:55 - 11:45 a.m.
Communicate with confidence up and down the ladder
Verbal and written skills that convey professionalism
Think about the most valued and respected assistants you know. They speak, write and act professionally in every situation-from the lunchroom to the boardroom. And their sense of confidence draws greater respect, responsibility and success like a magnet.
Here's your opportunity to look at your own communication style from a different perspective, develop new insight about yourself and focus on behaviors you want to alter.
-How to eliminate credibility-robbing speech habits, poor grammar and words that trigger negative emotions
-How to use "I language" to convey confidence and authority
-10 practical tips used by professional editors guaranteed to polish anyone's writing
-How to recognize and eliminate common business writing mistakes that can make you look sloppy and unprofessional
SESSION 3: 1:00 - 1:50 p.m.
Interpersonal communication skills-your secret weapon
Avoid power-robbing habits that hold you back
Have you ever been passed over for a promotion? Are you often interrupted during meetings? Do others in the organization not take you seriously? Do you know why? Chances are your behavior has contributed to these disappointments. This session sheds light on a form of psychological censorship that protects us from
seeing ourselves the way we really are and offers frank insight into habits that hold us back.
-8 steps you can take to make sure you'll never be tongue-tied or at a loss for words again
-What to do when you're being ignored or repeatedly interrupted
-How to avoid an autocratic, sarcastic or condescending tone that can alienate your listener
-Recognizing the unconscious cues that tell others when you're feeling weak, nonassertive or intimidated
-Mouth management: Know how to keep confidences confidential and secrets secret
SESSION 4: 2:05 - 2:55 p.m.
Your professional image
Project the message that you're in control
Image is so much more than the clothes you wear or the car you drive. It's the way you walk into a room - how you respond when under attack ??? how you handle awkward situations. What kind of image do you project? How can you change it to convey the message that you're competent and in control? Find out in this session.
-Identifying your personal style and how it affects your ability to get and use power
-Learn how to think on your feet when challenged with a difficult or negative question
-How to avoid sending contradictory or confusing signals about yourself
-Recognizing the single biggest factor that determines whether or not people take you seriously
-Learn how to correctly "set the stage" for every interaction
SESSION 5: 3:10 - 4:00 p.m.
Believe in yourself
Eliminating beliefs that chip away at your confidence
For many of us, negative self-talk is a part of our everyday lives. We're constantly feeding ourselves with messages like "I can't -I should have -??? Why didn't I?" It's no wonder we go home at night feeling unsettled, even angry at times. Here we'll explore why people do this to themselves and how to fill
yourself with the "good stuff" that builds self-esteem and self-confidence.
-Understanding how your professional success and personal happiness are directly linked to your level of self-confidence
-Protecting your self-esteem-the 2 ways you can ensure its safety
-How fear may be limiting you in ways you never imagined
-How to conquer the 4 big confidence destroyers-anxiety, depression, guilt and anger
-The single most important thing you can do every day to maintain a sense of high self-confidence
-How to use specific techniques for turning negative self-talk into positive self-affirmations
TRACK 2 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SESSION 1: 9:50 - 10:40 a.m.
Organize everything in your life
Your office, your boss and yourself
Do you waste minutes-even hours-looking for things? Do you and your boss ever have "words" when a file has been misplaced or a meeting overlooked? Do you have the feeling things are slipping through the cracks at home and the office?
This session's for you. You'll gain great shortcuts and tips, designed and proven effective by assistants, for putting everything in order and, yes, keeping it that way!
-How the 80/20 rule will help you identify your most important tasks
-Back to the basics ??? the unbeatable benefits of the tried-and-true "to-do" list
-Damming the paper flow to give your boss more uninterrupted time
-Dealing with correspondence - shortcuts you and your boss can work out together
-6 tips for developing a plan to get the most out of every day
SESSION 2: 10:55 - 11:45 a.m.
Staying in sync with your boss
The secrets to a boss/assistant relationship that "clicks"
No two people are busier than the assistant and the boss. A constant avalanche of meetings, phone calls and deadlines leaves little time to talk-let alone communicate. Out of necessity, the most successful assistants have had to carve out their own ways of making the boss/assistant team work.
You'll gain an hour's worth of their valuable insight in this session that you can use to give your boss/assistant relationship true lasting power.
-How to play the valuable role of liaison between your boss and other managers
-9 important keys to maintaining an excellent working relationship with your boss
-Special strategies to use when the difficult person is the boss
-When working with multiple bosses -establishing channels among multiple supervisors so they'll know the
demands on your time
SESSION 3: 1:00 - 1:50 p.m.
Juggling multiple projects with ease
Keep it all on track, on time and under control
Do you sometimes feel like you're being asked to wear more hats than you have heads for? Join the club! Administrative professionals are handling more projects than ever, yet few have had the time for training in project management. Attend this session, and you'll build valuable and sought-after business skills that will help you plan, organize, control and complete projects with efficiency and professionalism allowing you to
tackle your very next project with greater confidence and see it through to positive results.
-Putting into practice a proven 5-phase project management process that works on any project large or small
-How to benefit from a task checklist to identify specifically what needs to be done and when
-When things go wrong -5 tips for proceeding in a way that maintains your credibility
-Coping with the stress and strain of multiple responsibilities
-How to use influence to get the job done, especially when you have responsibility without authority
SESSION 4: 2:05- 2:55 p.m.
Dealing with chronically impossible people
Neutralize the impact difficult personalitieshave on your life
You walk into work every morning and there that difficult person is - the co-worker, the vendor or the VP who is making your life miserable. Your amateur psychotherapist friend has given you plenty of advice on improving the situation, but none of it has worked. It's time to stop beating around the bush. Attend this session and get straightforward techniques, tested and proven effective in the business world, for getting problem personalities under control.
-The 6 basic steps for dealing with all negative behavior
-How to deal with feelings of helplessness and anger when faced with difficult people and situations
-"What's this really about?" How to get to the root of the problem instead of battling the symptoms
-How to address a chronic disagreement and arrive at a mutually acceptable action plan for resolution
-How honesty and understanding will help you keep your cool when dealing with an out-of-control person
SESSION 5: 3:10 - 4:00 p.m.
Everyday negotiation skills
Get others to see it your way ??? at work and at home
If you're tired of getting the short end of the stick, you're ripe for this crash course on negotiation. And do you ever need it. Between the kids, the spouse, the vendors-even the boss- you can barely remember what it feels like to "have it your way." Practice these great new skills every day and before you
know it, winning will become a habit.
-The principles of everyday negotiation
-How to turn the points of disagreement into a framework for resolution
-How your personality affects the way you "give and take"
-How to express yourself without accusation, sarcasm or hostility
-How a few simple words can work like magic in getting others to do what you want