Administrative Organisation and Communication Training Course

Participants can document and improve recurring office processes using clear workflow and control tools.

• Process maps using SIPOC to define suppliers, inputs, activities, outputs and customers
• Standard operating procedures written with trigger, owner, steps, controls and records
• Checklists that prevent omissions in recurring office administration tasks
• Exception paths distinguishing routine decisions from manager-approved escalations
• Version control rules for shared templates, forms and reference documents
• Service handover notes preserving status, commitments, risks and outstanding actions
• Continuous improvement log capturing recurring delays, errors and root causes

Participants can prioritise requests and plan administrative work against deadlines, impact and available capacity.

• Eisenhower Matrix separating urgent requests from important planned work
• Time blocking around fixed commitments, focused work and contingency capacity
• Daily triage using impact, deadline, effort and stakeholder consequences
• Weekly review consolidating calendars, task lists, deadlines and waiting items
• Pareto analysis identifying small causes behind repeated administrative disruption
• Buffer rules for travel changes, late papers and executive requests
• Delegation briefs specifying outcome, authority, deadline, constraints and reporting points

Participants can establish practical rules for calendars, files, task lists and access permissions.

• Shared calendar protocols covering availability, holds, invitations and meeting ownership
• File naming conventions combining date, subject, version and approval status
• Folder taxonomies separating working drafts, final records, confidential material and archives
• Task trackers using owners, due dates, dependencies, status and escalation flags
• Email rules and categories organising action, waiting, reference and archive messages
• Dashboard fields reporting workload, deadlines, ageing actions and service volumes
• Access permissions aligned with role, sensitivity and need-to-know principles

Participants can produce clear, concise and action-oriented written communications for different stakeholders.

• BLUF structure placing the decision, request or key message first
• Plain-language editing removes ambiguity, jargon, duplication and unsupported assumptions
• Email subject lines stating action, topic, deadline and intended audience
• Message maps matching purpose, audience needs, evidence and required response
• Minutes distinguishing decisions, actions, discussion points, owners and deadlines
• Proofreading sequence checking names, dates, attachments, links and distribution lists
• Tone choices for refusals, reminders, corrections and sensitive updates

Participants can communicate assertively, listen accurately and brief stakeholders with appropriate judgement.

• Active listening techniques: paraphrasing, clarifying questions, summarising and confirmation
• Assertive communication using DESC statements for requests and boundary setting
• Telephone call control through opening, purpose, questioning, agreement and closure
• Briefing senior managers with headline, implications, options and recommendation
• Cross-cultural communication checks avoiding assumptions about language, hierarchy and silence
• Non-verbal signals aligned with message, setting and professional intent
• Difficult conversations prepared through facts, impact, request and follow-up

Participants can organise meetings and office events that produce clear decisions and completed actions.

• Meeting purpose tests distinguishing information sharing, decision making and problem solving
• Agenda design allocating outcomes, timings, presenters, pre-reading and decisions
• Invitations confirming attendees, location, access needs, technology and preparation
• Chair support through timekeeping, speaker queues, decision capture and action logging
• Action registers recording deliverable, owner, due date and completion evidence
• Hybrid meeting protocols managing remote participation, chat, audio and document access
• Event run sheets coordinating suppliers, room setup, arrivals, contingencies and contacts

Participants can respond professionally to difficult interactions while maintaining boundaries and escalation discipline.

• Complaint handling sequence: acknowledge, clarify, investigate, resolve and document
• De-escalation language separating emotion, facts, options and agreed next steps
• Interest-based negotiation identifying positions, underlying needs, trade-offs and agreements
• Conflict styles assessed with the Thomas-Kilmann model and response choices
• Escalation criteria for safeguarding, legal risk, security incidents and executive complaints
• Boundary-setting scripts for unreasonable requests, interruptions and inappropriate behaviour
• Follow-up messages confirming resolution, ownership, timescales and feedback routes

Participants can apply practical controls to protect records, confidential information and continuity of service.

• Records retention schedules linking document classes, retention periods and disposal actions
• Data minimisation principles limiting collection, copying, access and distribution
• Confidential document handling for printing, transport, storage and secure destruction
• Audit trails recording approvals, changes, access decisions and final versions
• Business continuity arrangements for absent staff, system outages and urgent correspondence
• Risk registers scoring likelihood, impact, controls, owners and review dates
• Incident reporting routes for misdirected emails, lost records and access breaches

Participants can create a measurable improvement plan for their administrative systems and communication practices.

• Self-assessment against service, organisation, communication and records-management behaviours
• Personal workflow audit identifying bottlenecks, rework, interruptions and missed handovers
• 90-day action plan with priorities, measures, support and review dates
• SMART objectives connecting administrative improvements to team service requirements
• Stakeholder feedback questions testing clarity, responsiveness, reliability and professionalism
• Progress measures tracking turnaround time, overdue actions, errors and satisfaction
• Peer accountability arrangements sustaining agreed workflow and communication changes

You should have practical experience supporting an office, manager, department or project team. The course does not require formal administrative qualifications, advanced software skills or prior management training.

Bring a laptop if available, together with examples of recurring tasks, communication challenges or workflow problems that you can discuss without sharing confidential information. Course materials and templates are provided.

It is designed for administrative assistants, executive assistants, office managers, personal assistants, team coordinators and project administrators. It is most useful for professionals who already handle routine responsibilities and need more structured methods.

The course focuses on communication within administrative work: managing requests, supporting meetings, protecting confidential information, coordinating diaries and maintaining action follow-through. It also teaches workflow, prioritisation and records controls that general communication courses usually do not cover.

Participants leave with templates and a 90-day improvement plan that can be adapted to their office procedures. Typical applications include clearer email rules, improved handovers, action registers, shared calendar protocols and better request triage.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides approximately 6.5 contact hours. The five days progress from service standards and workflow organisation through communication, meetings, difficult interactions, records controls and personal application planning.