Administrative and Executive Support Skills Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-OA-036

Before you join: Participants should have at least two years of administrative, secretarial, coordination or executive support experience.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Senior administrative professionals and executive assistants are often expected to protect leaders’ time, coordinate decisions, manage sensitive information and keep complex commitments moving without formal authority. The work demands more than diary management: it requires judgement, clear communication, disciplined follow-up and the ability to anticipate operational risks before they become executive problems.

This advanced course develops the organising and behavioural skills required to provide dependable executive support. Participants learn to diagnose priorities using the Eisenhower Matrix and MoSCoW, build decision-ready briefing packs, run meeting governance, manage action registers, handle confidential records, coordinate travel and events, and communicate appropriately with senior stakeholders. The course also addresses boundary-setting, influencing without authority, escalation, resilience and professional judgement under pressure.

Instruction combines short briefings with realistic executive-office cases, group analysis, communication simulations and individual application planning. Participants work with situations such as a board meeting with incomplete papers, a conflicting executive diary, a confidential personnel matter, a ministerial visit, or an urgent change to international travel. They leave with a reusable executive support operating toolkit containing templates, checklists, communication models and a practical improvement plan for their own role.

The course suits experienced administrators, executive assistants, personal assistants, office managers and team coordinators who support senior leaders or manage high-volume administrative work. It is particularly relevant where accuracy, discretion, stakeholder confidence and timely follow-through affect leadership decisions.

What you will be able to do

  • Prioritise executive commitments using the Eisenhower Matrix, MoSCoW and agreed decision criteria
  • Produce decision-ready briefing packs, agendas, action logs and executive meeting records
  • Manage complex diaries by resolving conflicts, protecting focus time and anticipating dependencies
  • Apply stakeholder mapping and communication planning to influence without formal authority
  • Handle confidential information using classification, access control and ISO 15489 recordkeeping principles
  • Coordinate high-stakes meetings, travel and events through structured plans and contingency controls
  • Use assertive communication techniques to set boundaries, escalate issues and manage difficult requests
  • Create a personal executive support operating plan with measurable service standards

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence handling senior-level requests, competing priorities and difficult conversations
  • A defensible method for deciding what to schedule, defer, delegate or escalate
  • Stronger visibility as a trusted source of accurate information and dependable follow-through
  • Practical language for protecting boundaries while maintaining constructive stakeholder relationships
  • Reusable tools that reduce last-minute rework in diaries, meetings, travel and records

For your organisation

  • Better protected executive time through clearer prioritisation and diary control
  • Fewer missed actions, incomplete meeting papers and unclear decision records
  • More consistent handling of confidential information and business records
  • Reduced disruption from poorly coordinated meetings, travel changes and stakeholder requests
  • Improved leadership support continuity through documented administrative systems and service standards

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define executive support responsibilities, service boundaries and sound judgement criteria.

  • Executive support as information gatekeeper, coordinator, adviser and trusted representative
  • Service expectations agreed through role charters, working preferences and response standards
  • Professional judgement applied to urgency, importance, risk, confidentiality and authority
  • Decision rights clarified between executive, assistant, colleagues and external stakeholders
  • Boundary-setting language for unreasonable requests, incomplete information and conflicting instructions
  • Escalation thresholds based on reputational, financial, legal and operational consequences

Participants can build and maintain a priority-led executive diary that supports strategic work.

  • Eisenhower Matrix distinguishes urgent requests from important executive commitments
  • MoSCoW categories structure decisions when diary capacity becomes constrained
  • Time-blocking protects strategic thinking, preparation, travel and recovery periods
  • Diary triage identifies decision deadlines, dependencies, attendees and preparation requirements
  • Conflict-resolution sequence compares organisational value, sponsor authority and consequences
  • Buffers and contingency slots reduce disruption from overruns and urgent changes

Participants can filter, structure and communicate information for timely executive decisions.

  • Inbox triage rules classify messages by action, decision, delegation and reference
  • BLUF writing places the bottom line before evidence and background
  • Executive correspondence uses purpose, recommendation, action owner and deadline
  • Communication channels selected by urgency, sensitivity, audience and audit requirements
  • Brief status updates distinguish facts, risks, decisions required and next actions
  • Follow-up protocols prevent requests disappearing after delegation or verbal agreement

Participants can prepare concise briefing materials that enable informed executive decisions.

  • Briefing note structure states issue, context, options, recommendation and decision
  • One-page summaries foreground material facts, risks, deadlines and accountability
  • RAG status reporting highlights delivery confidence, blockers and executive interventions
  • Source verification checks figures, names, dates, version control and approvals
  • Decision logs record authority, rationale, conditions and follow-up responsibilities
  • Document quality checks test readability, accuracy, accessibility and presentation consistency

Participants can organise meetings that produce clear decisions, ownership and follow-through.

  • Meeting purpose determines attendance, agenda design, papers and required decisions
  • Agenda sequencing places high-value decisions before updates and routine reporting
  • Pre-read schedules specify owners, submission deadlines, circulation and version control
  • Minute-taking captures decisions, rationale, action owner, deadline and dependencies
  • Action registers separate commitments, milestones, blockers, escalations and completion evidence
  • Post-meeting follow-up confirms actions, distributes records and monitors overdue commitments

Participants can map stakeholders and secure cooperation through purposeful communication.

  • Stakeholder mapping assesses influence, interest, expectations and potential resistance
  • RACI clarifies responsibility, accountability, consultation and information requirements
  • Influence messages connect requests to stakeholder priorities, risks and shared outcomes
  • Assertive communication separates observable facts, impact, request and agreed next steps
  • Difficult conversations address missed deadlines, poor-quality inputs and repeated interruptions
  • Relationship records capture preferences, commitments, sensitivities and communication protocols

Participants can protect sensitive information through disciplined handling and recordkeeping controls.

  • Information classification distinguishes public, internal, confidential and restricted material
  • Need-to-know access limits distribution of personnel, financial and legal information
  • ISO 15489 principles guide capture, retention, retrieval and disposal of records
  • Version control prevents reliance on superseded papers and unapproved amendments
  • Secure meeting practices protect screen sharing, attendance lists and discussion records
  • Confidentiality breaches require containment, notification, evidence preservation and escalation

Participants can coordinate executive travel and events with clear controls and contingencies.

  • Travel itineraries integrate appointments, transfers, contacts, documents and time zones
  • Risk checks cover visas, health requirements, security advice and itinerary dependencies
  • Event run sheets assign timings, owners, equipment, guests and contingency actions
  • Supplier confirmations record scope, cost, cancellation terms and service contacts
  • Contingency planning prepares alternatives for delays, cancellations, absences and technical failures
  • Post-event reviews capture costs, decisions, feedback, incidents and improvement actions

Participants can sustain reliable performance through workload controls and professional self-management.

  • Weekly planning reviews align workload, deadlines, capacity and executive priorities
  • Task batching reduces context switching across routine correspondence and administration
  • Personal Kanban visualises work in progress, waiting items and blocked requests
  • Stress signals identified through workload patterns, errors, irritability and reduced concentration
  • Professional presence combines preparation, discretion, composure and concise communication
  • Delegation requests specify outcome, authority, resources, checkpoints and completion criteria

Participants can create a practical plan to improve executive support quality and reliability.

  • Service standards define response times, document quality and follow-up expectations
  • Process mapping identifies delays, handoffs, duplication and information bottlenecks
  • Root-cause analysis uses Five Whys to investigate recurring administrative failures
  • SMART actions convert improvement priorities into accountable implementation commitments
  • Performance measures track diary conflicts, overdue actions, rework and stakeholder feedback
  • Ninety-day application plan schedules changes, reviews, support needs and success measures

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Executive diary triage template
  2. Decision-ready briefing note template
  3. Meeting agenda and action register
  4. Stakeholder communication plan
  5. Confidential information handling checklist
  6. Ninety-day executive support improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Executive Assistants — need stronger systems for protecting senior leaders’ time and decisions
  • Personal Assistants — manage competing commitments, communications and confidential executive work
  • Senior Administrative Officers — coordinate complex administrative processes and stakeholder requests
  • Office Managers — oversee office operations, service standards and executive-facing administration
  • Team Coordinators — maintain actions, meetings and information flow across busy teams
  • Secretaries to Boards or Committees — require disciplined governance, records and follow-up practices

Skills and tools covered

Executive diary managementMeeting governanceStakeholder communicationConfidential records handlingPriority managementProfessional judgement

Tools and standards

Eisenhower Matrix, MoSCoW, RACI, ISO 15489

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce methods, followed by case work drawn from executive offices, regulated organisations and large corporate teams. Participants analyse diary conflicts, prepare briefing material, assess stakeholder situations and practise concise communication in simulations. Group exercises compare alternative responses to confidentiality, escalation and meeting-governance issues. Facilitated peer review identifies practical standards for quality and judgement. Individual application planning converts the methods into actions, templates and service commitments for participants’ own executive support responsibilities.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of administrative, secretarial, coordination or executive support experience. They should already be comfortable using email, calendars, word processing, spreadsheets and online meeting tools in a professional setting. Familiarity with arranging meetings, maintaining records or preparing routine correspondence is assumed. No prior management qualification, project management certification, shorthand qualification or specialist legal training is required. Participants do not need authority over staff or budgets; the course addresses influence and coordination from a support role.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have at least two years of administrative, secretarial, coordination or executive support experience. The course assumes familiarity with common office systems, but it does not require a management qualification or formal project management training.

Bring a laptop if possible, along with examples of non-confidential diaries, meeting processes or recurring administrative challenges from your role. Do not bring confidential papers, personal data or commercially sensitive documents.

It is designed for experienced executive assistants, personal assistants, senior administrators, office managers and committee secretaries. It also suits coordinators moving into direct support for senior leaders.

Basic administration courses commonly focus on routine office procedures and software use. This course concentrates on executive judgement, priority control, stakeholder influence, meeting governance, confidential information and support for senior-level decisions.

Participants build reusable templates for diary triage, briefing notes, meeting actions, stakeholder communication and information handling. The final module produces a 90-day plan based on a real service improvement need.

The programme runs for five training days from 08:30 to 16:30, providing about 6.5 contact hours each day. Ten modules are delivered in teaching order through briefings, cases, group work, simulations and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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