Effective Office Management

This extremely intensive course will concentrate on providing you with all the skills and techniques you need to run your office systems effectively, while also equipping you with the ability to manage yourself and the others around you. Designed carefully to enhance your existing skills, it will provide you with a valuable survival kit to deal with every aspect of your role when you return to work. In a nutshell you will have the know-how and the confidence to create a dynamic and stimulating office environment where systems and people work effectively together to achieve the desired results.

Course Overview

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This course can also be delivered in-house and tailored to meet the specific needs of your organisation. Click here for more information.

Acquire all the skills and techniques needed to run a first class and highly efficient office environment.

In modern working environments more and more secretaries and management assistants are encouraged to take on office management responsibilities. Whether it is purely taking over the day to day running of office activities or taking on a team of staff to help. This can be very challenging as not only will your workload increase but you will be required to use skills you have never used before. It is not uncommon to feel lost and unsupported in the office management role, everyone having high expectations of you and yet offering very little help and guidance. In addition there is very little formal training out there for office managers and that is why we have designed this unique programme in order to address this obvious gap.

During the intensive and highly practical two days you will learn:

The importance of defining and understanding your crucial role as an office manager
The keys to robust and effective organisation
How to understand, write and control budgets with ease
The importance of possessing basic negotiation and influencing skills and how best to apply them in your role
How to get the outcome you desire through effective win/win communication skills
How to cram 24 hours into a morning – a masterclass in dynamic time management
How to manage difficult people, situations and stress in a calm and effective manner

YOU WILL RETURN TO WORK WITH THE ABILITY TO:

Plan, organise and prioritise effectively
Demonstrate a clear understanding of finance and budgets successfully
Communicate effectively to any level with the influence and negotiating skills to support you
Deal with difficult people and situations with ease
Take on extra responsibility while staying in control
Foster a productive and efficient office environment

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This course serves as an in-depth guide and solid foundation for anyone becoming an office manager or taking on office management responsibilities. It also serves as a very useful refresher for anyone already in an existing office management position who wants to enhance their skills by benefiting from formal structured training with real world applications. It would therefore be suitable for Office Managers, Management Assistants, Senior Secretaries, PAs, New managers and team leaders.

Booking Information

Dates	Prices	Book This Course	Discount
10 - 11 May 2012	£ 995		-
22 - 23 Oct 2012	£ 995		-

This course will be held on the above listed dates in central London. For more information about venue please click here.

Programme Details

A TWO DAY WORKSHOP

Prior to the workshop you will be invited to complete The Orchestrating Team Strengths Questionnaire and Negotiation Style Profile

DEFINING THE ROLE OF THE OFFICE MANAGER

Understanding the core components of the office manager role:
- Functions
- Roles
- Responsibilities
Clarifying expectations
Four dimensions exercise

LOGISTICS – THE ART OF EFFECTIVE PLANNING AND ORGANISING

How to plan – a step by step framework for success
The importance of robust project management skills
Avoiding the common logistical traps
Documentation control – ensuring you have the facts at your fingertips
Organising and structuring processes and procedures
Problem solving and decision making

BUDGETING – UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROLING THE FINANCES

Understanding core financial terminology
How to write and understand a budget
The most effective way to control a budget
Allocating resources in a cost effective way
How to defend your budget from attack

ESSENTIAL NEGOTIATION SKILLS – DOING WIN/WIN DEALS

The critical importance of robust negotiation skills
Understanding your counterpart
Learn your strengths and play to them
Tactics and counter tactics – a best practice approach
Why win/win is the ultimate goal in any negotiation

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION – WRITTEN AND SPOKEN

How to get your message across firmly and fairly
Practical ways to get your voice heard in any scenario
Best practice communication model:
- Email communication
- Meetings
- 1 to 1 scenarios
Effective business writing
Writing instructions and process guides
Getting your hands on the information you need

INFLUENCING ACROSS YOUR ORGANISATION– GETTING THEM TO ACCEPT THE DECISION

The role of influencing within modern organisations
- Influencing upwards
- Influencing across business functions
- Influencing teams
- Influencing individuals

PRIORITISING – HOW TO CRAM 24 HOURS INTO A MORNING

How to prioritise in a way that works for you
Identifying your personal “time stealers”
Best practice time management techniques
How to defend your time from institutional and colleague attack
Practical steps for increasing productivity and efficiency
The importance of effective delegation

MANAGING CHANGE – GAINING COMMITMENT

How to introduce change painlessly
Up-selling change as a positive
Pre-empting and managing potential negative impact
Learn to cope yourself

TAKING CONTROL – STICK TO YOUR GUNS

Understanding and maximising your personal strengths
Harnessing the unique strengths of others
Don’t get panicked by rank into changing your tack

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS – PEOPLE& EMOTIONS

Dealing with the organisational hierarchy
Coping with those who know better
How to handle emotions and feelings in a professional way
Conflict resolution – a best practice approach
Dealing with the human crisis

DEALING WITH PRESSURE AND STRESS

Coping with difficult problems
The importance of keeping things in perspective
Dealing with crisis scenarios
Practical breathing techniques
How to handle your own stress
Coping with others in stress

Course Leader

Jane Allan has run her business giving advice and training to other companies since 1981, when she ceased to be a partner in a firm of chartered accountants in the city. She works with directors, senior management and all levels of staff across a variety of sectors including: telecoms, legal, finance, area health trusts, construction services and government departments. As the first woman to join a firm of accountants in 1969, Jane learned the hard way to make her views heard and accepted. Moving on into the world of financial journalism in the 1970s she acquired the confidence necessary to interview top people on tricky subjects. Jane was also one of the first two women elected to the Council of the ICAEW in 1979. Jane is an expert in her field with over 5 years’ experience delivering a great number of tailored training courses specifically designed for Executive Secretaries, PAs, Management Assistants and office managers.