Course Overview

To run a business efficiently a lot of effort goes behind the scenes at the office. There are multiple activities that are needed to be performed simultaneously to ensure coordination, cooperation, supervision, and control. Tasks such as greeting the guests, conducting meetings, scheduling appointments, preparing reports, managing databases, making presentations, and many more complex duties are performed routinely.

These duties require the presence of dedication, confidentiality, administrative skills, and multi-tasking elements within the personnel. Companies appoint executive secretaries to execute these duties to support the daily functions of a business. The executive secretary works with high ranking officials of the company and can be viewed as a connecting link between the Executive officials, operational level employees, and clients.

The executive secretary ensures the smooth sailing of the office functions through advanced organizational and administrative finesse. They usually work for top executives and make certain that executives are equipped with all the necessary information needed to make timely business decisions.

Executives are officials entrusted with the enforcement of the most prominent tasks. In such scenarios, executives cannot spare time to perform support activities for these tasks. Thus to assure timely enactment of these duties and support functions, Executive Secretaries are appointed. This makes the role of an executive secretary very crucial as an incompetent executive secretary will disrupt the business and can do more harm than good.

What are the various personality traits that need to be developed? How to integrate organising and planning skills needed to efficiently manage the executive’s packed calendar? How to research the industry specific information required by the executives to make better decisions? What are the effective ways of handling physical and electronic mail? How to develop and maintain an efficient filing system?

How to prepare the agenda and minutes of the meeting? How to ensure coordination between executives and operatives? How to systematically perform routine tasks of making travel arrangements, taking phone calls, planning events, and scheduling appointments? How to maintain a work-life balance while managing time and stress? An executive secretary often struggles with these issues in the course of discharging their duties.

They are required to be attentive, sharp, and well presentable at all times. The role requires focus, attention to detail, the ability to bear and work in pressured situations, and quick thinking for the personnel to be successful. An executive secretary is often at the crux of the decision-making process as Executives not only rely on them for performing the support functions but also expect them to provide the right counsel and guidance in matters of importance.

More often than not, the Executive Secretary is the first person to enter a meeting room to go over last-minute prep and the last person to exit the meeting room after wrapping up the meeting. This allows them to develop perception and judgment often overlooked by others.

Zoe Talent Solutions has introduced this exclusive course to meet the training needs of an Executive Secretary. The Executive Secretary Skills Training Course aims to equip the participants with the fortitude needed to excel in the field. The best practices and latest trends of the business have been brought together to be imparted by the experts alongside experiential administrative knowledge.

The course will promote productivity in the office as trained secretaries will have the capacity to eliminate disorder and disorganization prevalent in the fulfilment of the business functions. This training is a must for any participant looking to sharpen or discover essential office skills.

Course Objectives

This Executive Secretary Skills Training Course aims to achieve the following objectives:

• Apprise entire spectrum of responsibilities that rests upon the Executive Secretary
• Develop communication and interpersonal skills within the participants
• Refine participants into personalities capable of performing well in high pressure situations as well as develop the capacity to become the associating link between the executives and clients
• Ensure smooth functioning of tasks at the office and thus enhance overall productivity
• Develop participants into tech-savvy professionals

Training Methodology

• Interactive sessions and lectures
• Presentations
• Management games
• Role playing/modelling
• Case studies
• Group discussions
• Problem solving sessions

Zoe Talent Solutions follows the ‘Do-Review-Learn-Apply’ model.

Organisational Benefits

Successful completion of the Executive Secretary Skills Training Course shall benefit the organization in the following ways:

• Organizations can benefit from the division of labour as Executives won’t have to worry about clerical tasks and can focus on the most critical business functions. A well trained Executive secretary will take care of support and clerical tasks efficiently
• Executive will experience personal enhanced efficiency
• The smooth running of operations will result in less wastage, cost cutting which will enhance the productivity of the office
• Benefit from well synchronised business functions that are executed timely and orderly thereby increasing the efficiency of the business

Personal Benefits

Successful completion of Executive Secretary Skills Training Course shall benefit the participant in the following ways:

• Develop a dynamic approach that revolves around problem solving and creative thinking
• Enhance critical thinking, communication, and interpersonal skills that will help in better performance
• Foster work ethics and learn to maintain an apt balance between work and life
• Learn different routine tasks such as preparation of reports, minutes, handling calls, scheduling meetings, conducting research on behalf of Executives, etc.
• Acquire technological skills and learn to integrate them into day-to-day tasks
• Enhance their resumes with career appropriate certification and witness the opening up of new career opportunities

Who Should Attend?

• Executive Secretary
• Executive assistants
• Office secretary
• Front desk agent/assistants
• Office clerk
• Office manager
• Administrative assistant
• Front office managers
• Entrepreneurs and start-up founders

Course Outline

Module 1: Role of an Executive Secretary in Today’s Modern Office

• Types and duties
• Personal traits
• Required work ethics
• Recognising Executive’s needs

Module 2: Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Telephone skills- handling calls, telephone etiquettes
• Business correspondence- email, letter drafting, memos
• Body language and appearance
• Teamwork
• Collaboration skills

Module 3: Organizational Skills

• Strategic planning
• Innovative thinking
• Attention to detail
• Need of confidentiality and professional discretion

Module 4: Problem Solving and Critical Thinking

• Analyzing and evaluating
• Researching Executive’s needs
• Consultant skills

Module 5: Clerical and Administrative Skills

• Handling physical and electronic mail
• Developing filing system and indexing
• Arranging meetings- preparing minutes
• Making travel arrangements
• Basics of banking services- making and accepting payments

Module 6: Office Management

• Office organization
• Record administration
• Acting as a link between executives and other employees
• Work simplification

Module 7: Computer Skills

• Word processing
• Spreadsheets
• Preparing presentations
• Social media

Module 8: Maintaining Work-life Balance

• Time management
• Stress management
• Working in pressure situations