Executive Secretarial Skills Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Executive Secretary, 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-030

Before you join: Participants should have at least two years of administrative, secretarial, personal assistant or office coordination 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 executive secretaries and executive assistants operate at the point where leadership priorities, stakeholder expectations and organisational controls meet. Their work involves more than diary management: they protect executive time, prepare decision-ready information, manage confidential communications, coordinate high-stakes meetings and maintain follow-through across complex commitments. Weak office administration can create missed decisions, poorly prepared leaders, exposed information and damaged stakeholder relationships.

This course develops the judgement, systems and communication discipline required to support senior leaders effectively. Participants learn to establish a clear executive support mandate, apply stakeholder analysis, triage competing diary requests, prepare concise briefing notes, run meetings with reliable action tracking and manage records under confidentiality and retention requirements. The programme also addresses project coordination, protocol, cross-cultural communication, influence without formal authority and performance management for the executive office.

Training combines short instructor briefings with realistic cases involving board meetings, ministerial visits, investor communications, travel disruption, sensitive correspondence and competing executive priorities. Participants analyse scenarios, practise executive-office decisions, produce working documents and receive structured feedback. Each participant leaves with an executive support operating plan and a practical toolkit of reusable templates for diary control, meeting management, briefing preparation, stakeholder communication and follow-up.

The course is suited to experienced secretaries, executive assistants, office managers and administrative professionals supporting directors, senior managers, boards or high-profile external stakeholders. It is particularly relevant where confidentiality, protocol, decision speed and stakeholder confidence matter.

What you will be able to do

  • Design executive support operating rhythms using RACI matrices, service levels and escalation routes
  • Manage complex executive diaries through calendar triage, time-blocking and gatekeeping protocols
  • Draft decision-ready briefing notes, executive correspondence and concise stakeholder messages
  • Coordinate meetings using charters, agendas, decision logs, minutes and action registers
  • Apply document lifecycle, information classification and records retention controls
  • Prepare project, travel and event coordination plans using RAID logs and run sheets
  • Handle sensitive stakeholder interactions using influence, SBI feedback and confidentiality protocols
  • Create a 90-day executive office improvement plan with measures and review dates

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence advising executives on diary conflicts, priorities and stakeholder requests
  • Stronger written communication for briefings, correspondence, minutes and action follow-up
  • A repeatable method for protecting confidential information and handling sensitive matters
  • Improved credibility with senior leaders through reliable preparation and disciplined follow-through
  • A documented plan for progressing into senior executive support or office management roles

For your organisation

  • Better protected executive time through consistent diary triage and gatekeeping decisions
  • Higher-quality meetings with clear decisions, accountable actions and dependable follow-up
  • Reduced information-handling risk through classification, version control and retention practices
  • More reliable coordination of executive travel, events, projects and external stakeholder engagements
  • Improved continuity when executive-office responsibilities are transferred or shared

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define an executive support mandate, establish service expectations and organise recurring executive-office workflows.

  • Executive support mandate mapped through authority, priorities, boundaries and service standards
  • Stakeholder map distinguishes decision makers, gatekeepers, advisers and informed parties
  • RACI matrix clarifies ownership for recurring executive-office workflows
  • Service-level agreements define response times, escalation routes and confidentiality expectations
  • Professional judgement separates urgent requests from politically sensitive matters
  • Weekly operating rhythm aligns diaries, briefings, approvals and follow-up

Participants can communicate on behalf of executives with clarity, appropriate tone and reliable follow-through.

  • Stakeholder analysis identifies influence, interest, communication preferences and relationship risks
  • Audience-first messages use purpose, action, deadline and context statements
  • BLUF structure presents decisions, recommendations and required actions before supporting detail
  • Drafting executive correspondence preserves voice, authority, tone and factual accuracy
  • Communication channels selected using sensitivity, urgency, permanence and audience reach
  • Closed-loop communication confirms ownership, deadlines, understanding and completion status

Participants can control complex executive calendars, resolve conflicts and coordinate travel with appropriate contingencies.

  • Calendar triage applies strategic priority, preparation time, travel and recovery buffers
  • Time-blocking protects executive priorities, decision windows and focused working periods
  • Meeting requests assessed against purpose, required attendees, timing and alternatives
  • Diary conflict resolution offers options, consequences and recommended decisions
  • Travel itineraries integrate connections, contingency time, visas and ground arrangements
  • Gatekeeping protocols manage access while preserving relationships and executive availability

Participants can plan and document executive meetings so that decisions and actions are properly controlled.

  • Meeting charters specify purpose, authority, participants, outputs and decision rights
  • Agenda design assigns outcomes, owners, timings and pre-reading requirements
  • Robert's Rules of Order supports orderly deliberation when formal procedure applies
  • Decision logs record resolutions, rationale, owners, deadlines and dependencies
  • Action registers distinguish commitments, follow-up tasks, risks and escalations
  • Minutes use neutral language, attributable decisions and agreed action wording

Participants can apply practical controls for confidential documents, personal data and executive-office records.

  • Document lifecycle controls creation, classification, retention, retrieval and disposal
  • Version control conventions prevent conflicting drafts and unauthorised document changes
  • Naming protocols make records searchable by subject, date, status and owner
  • Information classification separates public, internal, confidential and restricted material
  • Records retention schedules align files with legal, policy and audit requirements
  • GDPR principles guide lawful handling of personal data in correspondence
  • Secure briefing packs control distribution, access permissions and amendment histories

Participants can produce concise, evidence-based briefing material that supports executive decisions.

  • Executive briefing notes state purpose, background, decision required and recommendation
  • PESTLE analysis frames external issues affecting executive decisions
  • SWOT analysis distinguishes internal capabilities from external opportunities and threats
  • One-page summaries prioritise evidence, implications, options and proposed action
  • Source evaluation tests authority, currency, corroboration and possible bias
  • Risk registers capture likelihood, impact, controls, owners and escalation triggers

Participants can coordinate executive projects, events and suppliers using clear plans, controls and accountabilities.

  • Work breakdown structures divide executive initiatives into accountable deliverables
  • RAID logs track risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies
  • Critical path analysis identifies schedule constraints and decision deadlines
  • Event run sheets coordinate speakers, rooms, technology, protocol and contingencies
  • Budget trackers reconcile commitments, actual costs, approvals and variances
  • Supplier briefings set scope, service levels, contacts and acceptance criteria

Participants can influence colleagues, manage difficult interactions and delegate administrative work with authority.

  • Situational leadership adapts support style to competence, confidence and task urgency
  • Influence without authority builds commitment through interests, evidence and reciprocity
  • Difficult conversations use SBI feedback, inquiry and agreed next steps
  • Conflict mapping separates positions, interests, emotions and underlying constraints
  • Delegation briefs define outcomes, authority, resources, checkpoints and acceptance criteria
  • Emotional self-management supports composure during competing demands and executive pressure

Participants can manage protocol, cultural expectations and sensitive incidents in executive-facing settings.

  • Business protocol manages precedence, introductions, seating and diplomatic courtesies
  • Cross-cultural communication identifies directness, hierarchy, time and relationship expectations
  • Accessibility planning accommodates disability requirements, dietary needs and participation barriers
  • Confidentiality protocols govern conversations, visitor access, devices and paper records
  • Gift and hospitality registers support policy compliance and conflict disclosure
  • Incident escalation distinguishes security concerns, reputational threats and operational disruption

Participants can measure executive-office performance and implement targeted improvements over the next 90 days.

  • Weekly reviews reconcile commitments, pending decisions, deadlines and stakeholder promises
  • Priority matrices distinguish importance, urgency, delegation and scheduled focus
  • Personal Kanban visualises workflow limits, bottlenecks and follow-up commitments
  • Service metrics track response times, action closure and meeting effectiveness
  • After-action reviews capture successes, failures, causes and improvement actions
  • 90-day application plan sets priorities, measures, sponsors and review dates

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

What you take back to work

  1. Executive support operating plan
  2. Diary triage and gatekeeping checklist
  3. Executive briefing note template
  4. Meeting charter and action register
  5. Confidential information handling checklist
  6. 90-day executive office improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Executive Secretary — needs stronger systems for managing senior-level priorities and confidential work
  • Executive Assistant — supports directors requiring disciplined diary, meeting and briefing coordination
  • Senior Personal Assistant — manages demanding stakeholder access, travel and executive correspondence
  • Office Manager — coordinates executive-office processes, records and administrative service standards
  • Board Secretary — requires reliable meeting documentation, action tracking and governance support
  • Senior Administrative Officer — prepares to assume broader executive support responsibilities

Skills and tools covered

Executive diary managementStakeholder communicationMeeting governanceBriefing note writingInformation governanceExecutive office coordination

Tools and standards

RACI matrix, PESTLE analysis, SWOT analysis, RAID log

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce methods, followed by cases drawn from executive offices, board support, government liaison and corporate administration. Participants work in groups on diary conflicts, briefing requests, meeting documentation, sensitive communications and project coordination scenarios. Simulations build judgement under time pressure, including executive gatekeeping and difficult stakeholder conversations. Individual application planning helps participants adapt templates and operating routines to their own executive, team structure and organisational policies.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of administrative, secretarial, personal assistant or office coordination experience. They should already be comfortable using email, calendars, word-processing software and spreadsheets for routine office work. Experience supporting a manager, department head or project team is useful because discussions address competing priorities, confidential information and stakeholder expectations. No formal management qualification, legal training, project management certification or previous board-secretariat experience is required. The course does not assume knowledge of a particular software platform.

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

Participants should already have practical experience in administration, secretarial support, personal assistance or office coordination. The course builds from routine office competence to senior executive support responsibilities; it does not require a formal qualification.

Bring a laptop if possible, along with examples of non-confidential diary challenges, meeting processes or recurring executive-office tasks. Do not bring confidential documents, personal data, board papers or commercially sensitive correspondence.

It is designed for experienced executive secretaries, executive assistants, senior personal assistants, office managers and administrative officers. It is most useful for people supporting directors, senior managers, boards or prominent external stakeholders.

General administration courses focus on routine office systems and administrative procedures. This course concentrates on executive judgement, gatekeeping, senior stakeholder communication, briefing support, protocol, confidentiality and high-consequence follow-through.

Participants use the methods to improve diary decisions, briefing preparation, meeting action control, document handling and stakeholder communication. The templates and 90-day plan provide a structured starting point for changes in the executive office.

Training runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, with approximately 6.5 contact hours daily. Time is divided between instructor input, case analysis, group work, simulations, document drafting 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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