Administrative Management and Microsoft Office Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Administrative Assistant, Executive Assistant 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-038

Before you join: Participants should have at least six months of administrative, secretarial, office coordination or team-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

Administrative professionals are often the control point for calendars, meetings, correspondence, documents, reports and office information. The role requires more than efficient task completion: it requires sound judgement about priorities, clear communication with senior stakeholders, reliable document control and confident use of Microsoft Office tools. Small weaknesses in these areas can create missed deadlines, incomplete meeting records, conflicting document versions and avoidable pressure on managers and teams.

This five-day course develops the administrative management practices and Microsoft Office skills expected of an experienced administrative assistant, executive assistant or office coordinator. Participants learn to prioritise competing work using the Eisenhower Matrix and urgency-impact assessment, manage executive calendars, prepare meeting packs, write professional correspondence, coordinate projects and maintain secure records. The course also builds practical proficiency in Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams for recurring administrative work, reporting and stakeholder communication.

Instruction combines short technical briefings with realistic administrative cases, including executive diary conflicts, board meeting preparation, travel changes, action-log follow-up and monthly reporting. Participants work with Microsoft Office files, apply templates and receive structured feedback on document quality, workflow choices and communication standards. They leave with an administrative operating plan, reusable templates and checklists that can be adapted to their role immediately.

The course is suited to administrative professionals who already perform office support duties and now need stronger systems, greater confidence with Microsoft Office and a more proactive contribution to management teams. It is also relevant to staff moving into executive support, office management or project coordination responsibilities.

What you will be able to do

  • Prioritise competing administrative requests using urgency-impact assessment and the Eisenhower Matrix
  • Manage executive calendars, meeting logistics and travel arrangements through structured coordination systems
  • Produce controlled business documents using Microsoft Word styles, templates and review features
  • Analyse and present administrative data using Excel formulas, tables, charts and conditional formatting
  • Prepare concise management presentations using PowerPoint slide-master and visual hierarchy techniques
  • Coordinate meetings using agendas, action logs, decision records and follow-up protocols
  • Apply professional email, records-management and confidentiality standards to office communications
  • Create a personal administrative operating plan with service standards and workflow controls

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence handling executive priorities, diary conflicts and confidential communications
  • Faster production of polished documents, reports and presentation materials
  • A repeatable method for organising workload and protecting critical deadlines
  • Stronger credibility when coordinating senior meetings and following up decisions
  • Reusable Microsoft Office techniques for daily administrative work

For your organisation

  • More reliable executive support, calendar control and meeting preparation
  • Fewer document-version errors and clearer records of decisions and actions
  • Improved reporting quality through consistent Excel analysis and presentation standards
  • Faster response to administrative requests through prioritised workflow management
  • Better continuity when shared templates, checklists and office procedures are adopted

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define their administrative responsibilities, service standards and professional boundaries.

  • Administrative service standards defined through accuracy, timeliness, discretion and follow-through
  • Role boundaries clarified between administrative support, management decisions and specialist advice
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies decision-makers, information needs, preferences and communication channels
  • Professional judgement applied when requests conflict with agreed priorities
  • Confidentiality classifications distinguish public, internal, restricted and personal information
  • Service-level expectations recorded for routine requests, urgent work and escalation

Participants can organise competing demands using visible priorities, schedules and escalation rules.

  • Eisenhower Matrix separates urgent work from important planned commitments
  • Urgency-impact assessment ranks incoming requests against deadlines and organisational consequences
  • Daily task lists converted into prioritised actions, appointments and delegated follow-ups
  • Time blocking protects preparation time, focused work and contingency capacity
  • Escalation criteria identify requests requiring manager decisions or deadline renegotiation
  • Weekly review routines reconcile commitments, outstanding actions and upcoming deadlines

Participants can coordinate executive calendars, travel and visitors while managing conflicts professionally.

  • Calendar triage assesses meeting purpose, attendee authority and scheduling constraints
  • Outlook scheduling assistant identifies availability, time-zone differences and meeting conflicts
  • Diary rules protect preparation periods, travel time and strategic commitments
  • Travel itineraries combine bookings, contacts, contingency details and approval references
  • Visitor arrangements confirm access requirements, hosts, room bookings and hospitality needs
  • Conflict-resolution messages offer alternatives without disclosing confidential diary information

Participants can prepare, support and close meetings with clear records and accountabilities.

  • Meeting purpose statements distinguish information sharing, consultation, decisions and problem-solving
  • Agendas sequence decisions, discussion items, papers, timings and named presenters
  • Meeting packs use document-control conventions, version numbers and distribution lists
  • Chair briefing notes identify objectives, risks, attendees and required decisions
  • Action logs assign owners, deadlines, status categories and evidence of completion
  • Decision records capture approvals, rationale, conditions and delegated authority

Participants can write concise, professional communications for internal and external stakeholders.

  • Plain English principles improve clarity, structure, tone and reader action
  • BLUF writing places the bottom line up front
  • Email subject lines identify purpose, action required and relevant deadline
  • Professional tone adjusted for seniority, sensitivity, formality and relationship context
  • Difficult messages present facts, options, consequences and respectful next steps
  • Proofreading checks names, dates, attachments, figures, formatting and recipient lists

Participants can use Outlook and Teams features to coordinate communications, tasks and meetings.

  • Outlook rules route routine messages into folders and defined categories
  • Quick Steps standardise common replies, forwarding actions and filing routines
  • Flagged emails converted into tracked tasks with deadlines and reminders
  • Shared mailboxes managed through permissions, naming conventions and response ownership
  • Teams channels separate project discussions, announcements, files and meeting records
  • Meeting invitations include objectives, joining details, agenda links and preparation instructions

Participants can create consistent, reviewable business documents using advanced Word features.

  • Word styles create consistent headings, body text, tables and captions
  • Document templates standardise branding, approval fields and recurring content
  • Navigation Pane reorganises long documents through heading-based structure
  • Track Changes records revisions, comments, reviewer decisions and final approvals
  • Section breaks control page orientation, headers, footers and numbering
  • Mail Merge produces personalised letters, labels and email communications efficiently

Participants can build accurate administrative trackers and concise reports from operational data.

  • Excel Tables structure registers, trackers and recurring administrative datasets
  • Relative and absolute references support accurate formula copying and calculations
  • SUMIFS and COUNTIFS summarise activity by owner, status and period
  • Data validation controls entry formats, approved values and required fields
  • Conditional formatting highlights overdue actions, exceptions and threshold breaches
  • PivotTables summarise meeting actions, expenses, requests and workload data

Participants can prepare clear management presentations from administrative and operational information.

  • Slide Master controls consistent fonts, layouts, logos and placeholders
  • Message titles state conclusions rather than generic topic labels
  • Visual hierarchy directs attention through size, position, contrast and whitespace
  • Excel charts selected according to comparison, trend, composition and distribution purpose
  • Executive summaries present key facts, decisions required, risks and next actions
  • Presentation quality checks verify figures, sources, spelling, links and slide order

Participants can establish controlled administrative procedures and a practical improvement plan.

  • File naming conventions identify subject, date, version and document status
  • Retention schedules distinguish active records, archived files and authorised disposal
  • Access controls restrict confidential files according to role and legitimate need
  • Standard operating procedures document triggers, steps, responsibilities and quality checks
  • RACI matrices clarify responsibility, accountability, consultation and information requirements
  • Personal administration plans set workflow improvements, milestones and review measures

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

What you take back to work

  1. Administrative service standards template
  2. Executive diary management checklist
  3. Meeting agenda and action-log pack
  4. Professional correspondence quality checklist
  5. Microsoft Office document-control template
  6. Personal administration improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Administrative Assistant — needs stronger systems for supporting managers and coordinating office work
  • Executive Assistant — requires advanced calendar, meeting and senior stakeholder support skills
  • Office Manager — oversees administrative workflows, records and shared office services
  • Personal Assistant — manages confidential correspondence, travel and executive priorities
  • Project Coordinator — supports schedules, action tracking and project communications
  • Team Administrator — prepares documents, reports and meetings for operational teams

Skills and tools covered

Executive diary managementMicrosoft Office productivityMeeting coordinationBusiness document controlAdministrative reportingStakeholder communication

Tools and standards

Microsoft 365, Eisenhower Matrix, RACI matrix, Plain English principles

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings, Microsoft Office demonstrations and guided application of administrative methods. Participants work through realistic cases involving diary conflicts, executive meetings, travel changes, document revision and reporting requests. Group exercises examine priorities, stakeholder expectations and communication choices, while simulations develop meeting coordination and action follow-up. Trainers provide feedback against practical quality criteria. Each participant completes an application plan identifying improvements to their own workflow, templates and service standards.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least six months of administrative, secretarial, office coordination or team-support experience. They should be familiar with routine email, document creation, spreadsheets and calendar scheduling in Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365. The course assumes participants can create a basic Word document, enter data into Excel and send Outlook emails. Advanced formulas, macros, data analysis, formal project management qualifications and prior executive-assistant experience are not required. Participants should be willing to work with realistic workplace documents and administrative scenarios.

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 basic experience supporting an office, manager or team and be comfortable with routine Microsoft Office tasks. The course does not require advanced Excel skills, formal management training or previous executive-assistant experience.

Bring examples of recurring administrative challenges, such as meeting coordination, reporting, document control or prioritisation. If your employer permits it, you may also bring non-confidential examples of templates or procedures you want to improve.

It is designed for administrative assistants, executive assistants, personal assistants, office managers and team administrators with established support responsibilities. Project coordinators who organise meetings, documents and action tracking will also benefit.

Basic software courses focus mainly on individual application features. This course applies Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams to administrative management tasks such as executive support, meeting control, reporting and professional communication.

Participants leave with templates, checklists and an improvement plan for their own administrative workflow. The methods can be used for diary management, meeting preparation, document review, action tracking and recurring reports from the first week back at work.

The programme contains ten modules taught in sequence across five training days, with approximately 6.5 contact hours each day. Time is divided between administrative management methods, Microsoft Office demonstrations, realistic cases, group work and individual 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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