Office Administration Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Administrative Assistant, Office Administrator 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-031

Before you join: Participants should have some experience of office-based administrative work, such as handling emails, calendars, documents, meeting arrangements or routine records.

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

Office administrators and administrative assistants keep managers, teams and business processes moving. The role requires more than diary management and document production: support staff must judge priorities, protect confidential information, prepare accurate meeting records, coordinate travel and events, control administrative workflows, and communicate clearly with senior stakeholders. Small failures in these areas can create missed decisions, delayed payments, duplicate records, avoidable cost and reputational risk.

This five-day Office Administration Training Course develops the practical systems and judgement needed to run an efficient office support function. Participants learn to prioritise competing demands using the urgent-important matrix and time blocking; write concise emails and briefing notes using BLUF and Plain English principles; prepare agendas, minutes and action registers; manage records under ISO 15489 principles; and coordinate diaries, meetings, travel, suppliers and expenses. The course also covers process mapping, RACI roles, RAID logs, service standards, confidentiality and professional stakeholder management.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with realistic administrative cases, group planning tasks, document reviews, role-played stakeholder conversations and workflow simulations. Participants work with common situations such as supporting a senior leadership meeting, resolving diary conflicts, preparing a board paper pack, controlling purchase-to-pay documentation and improving an overloaded shared inbox. They leave with a reusable Office Administration Toolkit containing practical templates, checklists, trackers and a personal service improvement plan.

The course is suited to administrative assistants, office administrators, executive assistants, team coordinators and support staff who already handle core office duties and need stronger systems, judgement and confidence in a demanding professional environment.

What you will be able to do

  • Organise competing administrative work using time blocking, Kanban boards and escalation logs
  • Prioritise requests using the urgent-important matrix, deadlines, dependencies and service consequences
  • Draft concise emails, briefing notes and status updates using BLUF and Plain English principles
  • Prepare agendas, minutes, action registers and briefing packs for effective meetings
  • Apply ISO 15489 recordkeeping principles to filing, version control, retention and confidentiality
  • Coordinate diaries, travel, events and stakeholder communications using structured planning tools
  • Control routine financial administration through budget trackers, expense checks and approval workflows
  • Improve administrative processes using RACI matrices, process maps, RAID logs and quality reviews

Benefits of attending

For you

  • A practical system for controlling competing requests without losing critical deadlines
  • Stronger confidence preparing meeting papers, minutes and action follow-up
  • Reusable methods for managing senior stakeholder diaries and changing priorities
  • Improved judgement when handling confidential information and escalation decisions
  • Evidence-based examples for performance reviews, promotion discussions and expanded responsibilities

For your organisation

  • Fewer missed actions, diary clashes and incomplete meeting follow-ups
  • More accurate records, controlled document versions and defensible retention practices
  • Faster response times through visible priorities, ownership and escalation routes
  • Reduced administrative errors in expenses, purchase orders, invoices and approvals
  • More consistent support for managers, teams, visitors, suppliers and internal customers

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define their administrative service role, decision boundaries and stakeholder expectations.

  • Administrative operating model: service boundaries, authority levels, escalation routes and standards
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies decision makers, information owners, customers and suppliers
  • Service-level expectations translated into response times, handover rules and priorities
  • Professional judgement distinguishes routine requests, exceptions, risks and confidential matters
  • Working agreements set availability, preferred channels, deadlines and approval points
  • Personal credibility built through reliability, discretion, accuracy and constructive challenge

Participants can plan and control competing administrative work using visible priorities and escalation rules.

  • Urgent-important matrix sorts competing requests, deadlines, interruptions and delegated work
  • Time blocking protects focused work, contingency time and recurring administrative duties
  • Daily priority list uses MITs, due dates, dependencies and consequence
  • Kanban board visualises requested, in-progress, waiting and completed administrative work
  • Batching routine email, filing and data-entry tasks reduces context switching
  • Delegation brief specifies outcome, constraints, deadline, authority and follow-up
  • Escalation log records blockers, owners, decisions required and target dates

Participants can produce clear written communications and manage requests through closed-loop communication.

  • Audience-purpose-message structure produces concise emails, briefs and status updates
  • BLUF writing places the bottom line, decision or request first
  • Subject lines, headings and bullets improve scanability and retrieval
  • Plain English removes ambiguity, jargon, unsupported claims and unnecessary detail
  • Closed-loop communication confirms requests, ownership, deadlines and completion criteria
  • Telephone message protocol captures caller, purpose, action, urgency and callback details
  • Proofreading pass checks names, dates, attachments, tone and formatting

Participants can organise effective meetings and produce accurate records of decisions and actions.

  • Meeting purpose determines whether to inform, decide, solve or coordinate
  • Agenda design assigns outcomes, timings, owners, papers and decision points
  • Pre-read packs separate essential decisions, background information and reference material
  • Minute-taking captures decisions, actions, owners, deadlines and dissent accurately
  • Action registers use unique identifiers, status fields and overdue escalation
  • Chair support includes timekeeping, speaker order, parking-lot items and follow-up
  • Hybrid meeting etiquette manages participation, chat, documents and technical checks

Participants can maintain accurate, accessible and controlled administrative records.

  • ISO 15489 principles distinguish authentic, reliable, usable and complete records
  • File plans classify records by function, activity, case and retention
  • Naming conventions use dates, version numbers, subjects and controlled vocabulary
  • Version control prevents duplicate files, conflicting edits and unauthorised overwrites
  • Retention schedules identify disposal triggers, holds, owners and approval requirements
  • Confidentiality markings govern access, transmission, storage and disposal methods
  • Information request log tracks source, deadline, sensitivity and release approval

Participants can coordinate executive schedules, travel and events with clear contingency arrangements.

  • Calendar triage resolves clashes using priorities, decision deadlines and travel constraints
  • Executive diary rules protect preparation time, focus periods and recovery buffers
  • Travel itinerary coordinates approvals, visas, reservations, contacts and contingency details
  • Event run sheets assign timings, room setups, suppliers and contingency actions
  • RSVP tracking records attendance, dietary needs, access requirements and substitutes
  • Briefing packs compile agenda, participant profiles, logistics, risks and key messages
  • Post-event reconciliation confirms invoices, attendance records, feedback and actions

Participants can support controlled purchasing, expense processing and supplier administration.

  • Purchase-to-pay workflow matches requisitions, approvals, purchase orders and invoices
  • Expense claims checked against policy, receipts, coding and authorisation limits
  • Budget tracker compares committed, actual and forecast spend against allocations
  • Three-way matching identifies quantity, price and receipt discrepancies before payment
  • Petty cash records document custody, vouchers, replenishment and reconciliation
  • Supplier query log records issue, owner, evidence, deadline and resolution
  • Delegated authority matrix prevents unauthorised commitments and incorrect approvals

Participants can document, monitor and improve recurring administrative and project support processes.

  • RACI matrix clarifies responsible, accountable, consulted and informed roles
  • Process maps expose handoffs, delays, rework, controls and ownership gaps
  • Standard operating procedures define trigger, steps, exceptions, evidence and owner
  • RAID log records risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies and response actions
  • Status reports distinguish completed work, next steps, blockers and decisions
  • Change requests document rationale, impact, approval and implementation date
  • Process metrics track turnaround time, error rates, backlog and service levels

Participants can manage stakeholder expectations, set professional boundaries and escalate concerns appropriately.

  • Stakeholder profiles record preferences, influence, communication needs and sensitivities
  • Assertive communication states facts, impact, request and agreed next step
  • DESC script structures difficult conversations around description, effect, specification and consequences
  • Conflict de-escalation separates positions, interests, emotions and practical options
  • Boundary-setting phrases decline inappropriate requests while offering workable alternatives
  • Feedback conversations use SBI: situation, behaviour, impact and requested change
  • Confidential escalation protects people, evidence, due process and organisational reputation

Participants can assess administrative quality and implement targeted improvements in their own role.

  • Quality assurance checklist verifies accuracy, completeness, timeliness, presentation and compliance
  • Root-cause analysis uses five whys to correct recurring administrative errors
  • Personal service dashboard tracks priorities, turnaround, backlog, errors and commitments
  • Weekly review reconciles open actions, diary commitments, records and stakeholder promises
  • Development plan sets SMART targets, evidence sources, review dates and support
  • Application plan selects immediate improvements, owners, measures and first review
  • Peer feedback identifies strengths, blind spots and practical behaviour changes

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

What you take back to work

  1. Administrative service standards template
  2. Priority and escalation log
  3. Meeting agenda, minutes and action register pack
  4. Records classification and document naming checklist
  5. Diary, travel and event coordination planner
  6. Personal administrative improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Administrative Assistant — needs reliable systems for managing requests, records and manager support
  • Office Administrator — coordinates office services, suppliers, documents and shared administrative processes
  • Executive Assistant — supports senior leaders with diaries, meetings, briefing packs and confidential information
  • Team Coordinator — keeps actions, schedules, communications and operational tasks on track
  • Project Administrator — requires structured methods for reporting, records, risks and stakeholder updates
  • Reception and Front Office Supervisor — manages enquiries, visitor processes and professional service standards

Skills and tools covered

Workload prioritisationBusiness communicationMeeting administrationRecords managementDiary coordinationProcess improvement

Tools and standards

Eisenhower Matrix, RACI matrix, ISO 15489, SMART objectives

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings followed by structured case work, group exercises, document reviews and workplace simulations. Participants analyse realistic administrative situations including conflicting diary requests, incomplete meeting papers, sensitive records, supplier queries and delayed approvals. They practise applying named tools to their own work patterns, receive instructor feedback on written outputs and build an application plan for immediate use after the course. Classroom and live online delivery use the same core cases, templates and facilitated discussion.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have some experience of office-based administrative work, such as handling emails, calendars, documents, meeting arrangements or routine records. They should be comfortable using common office software, including email, calendars, word processing and spreadsheets. No formal administration qualification is required, and participants do not need prior experience supporting executives or managing staff. The course assumes familiarity with normal workplace communication and basic business documents, then builds more structured methods for planning, control, confidentiality and stakeholder support.

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 some office-based administrative experience and be comfortable with standard email, calendar, document and spreadsheet tools. No formal qualification, executive assistant experience or people-management responsibility is required.

Bring examples of recurring administrative challenges you face, such as diary conflicts, meeting follow-up issues or document control problems. You do not need to bring confidential documents, internal policies or live financial data.

It is designed for administrative assistants, office administrators, executive assistants, team coordinators and project support staff. It is particularly useful for people moving from reactive task handling to structured coordination and process control.

This course focuses on the professional methods behind effective office administration: priorities, stakeholder service, records, meeting governance, workflow control and process improvement. It does not teach software functions in depth, although participants can apply the methods using their existing office tools.

Participants leave with templates and checklists for immediate use in their role, including action registers, service standards and planning tools. The final module produces a personal improvement plan linked to real administrative issues at work.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours, excluding breaks. The five days progress from role expectations and priorities through communication, meetings, records, coordination, financial processes, stakeholder management and improvement 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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