Study Administration Support Online Course and get the skills to provide office support to executives, managers, and other professionals

The Administrative Support Online Course gives you the administrative support skills needed in today’s work environment. Being organized, punctual, and effective in your communication skills, both written and verbal are crucial if you want to achieve your goals in any endeavor you pursue.  Our Administration Support Online Course will help you get there.

The current business environment is filled with many sources of information and you have to take that information and analyze it, prioritize it, and process it to the extent where value is achieved for the organization. Good administrative skills reduce the risk of “things falling through the cracks.” Great administrative skills create exponential results that spot potential problems, overcome obstacles, and leverage resources effectively.

With our Administration Support Online course, you will learn the core skills that will help you use your resources efficiently, manage your time wisely, communicate effectively, and collaborate with others skillfully.

The practices presented in this Administration Support Online Short Course will take time to root into your daily work routine. However, making the commitment to apply the concepts every day consistently is the key to changing and adopting new behaviors in a short amount of time.

What you will learn with our Administration Support Online Course

• Get Yourself Organized
• Manage your time more effectively
• Prioritize your time and get things done
• Complete Special Tasks
• Improve your Communication Skills
• Improve your Non-Verbal Communication Skills
• Empower Yourself
• Deal with your managers more effectively
• Take Care of Yourself

Administration Support Course - Requirements

The Administrative Support Online Certificate Course is delivered 100 percent online 24/7 and only takes 6 to 8 hours of study to complete. 

To successfully complete this course, a student must:

• Have access to the internet and the necessary technical skills to navigate the online learning resources
• Have access to any mobile device with internet connectivity (laptop, desktop, tablet)
• Be a self-directed learner
• Possess sound language and literacy skills

Quick Course Facts

1. Course content is structured for easy comprehension
2. Approximately 6 to 8 hours of study is needed to complete the course
3. Registered students gain unrestricted lifetime access to the Administrative Support course
4. All course material is available online 24/7 and can be accessed using any device
5. Study online from anywhere in your own time at your own pace
6. All students who complete the course will be awarded with a certificate of completion

Administration Support Online Course - Outline

Module One: Getting Started

Module Two: Getting Organized (I)

In this module, we will discuss the various entry points of information, which include emails, voice mails, and interoffice mail that require processing and organization.

Dealing with Email

Part of an administrative assistant's role is to take charge of the manager's inbox. This is no easy feat since managers are expected to have twice as much email compared to regular employees.

Managing Electronic Files

Storing electronic files over time can lead to a large number of outdated and unorganized documents. This is often not possible since even memory space on computers has its limits. It can also lead to system slow down. This is why creating a system for managing and storing files by naming documents and folders for easy retrieval is the best strategy. When developing a strategy for organizing and managing electronic files below are a few of the tips we will be discussing:

• Make it consistent
• Use your computer’s file search function
• Make it time-sensitive
• Place your archive material on an external medium

Keeping Track of the Paper Trail

Emails, electronic documents have mostly taken over paper documents. But this does not eliminate the need for managing the various paper documents that are sent from various sources in and outside the company. Creating a filing system using a traditional filing cabinet and document folders is a great way to keep everything organized.

Making the Most of Voice Mail

In this part of the course, we will discuss how voice mail can be a valuable communication tool for business. We will take a look at how this has been misused and the different steps you can take to ensure you are making the most of your voice mail.

Module Three: Getting Organized (II)

After discussing the basics of getting organized, you will learn how to organize your environment to be more efficient. Here we will take a look at how to organize your workspace, tasks, and the people you work with on projects.

Keeping Your Workspace Organized

Your workspace is a good reflection of your organization skills. Organizing your workspace improves efficiency and sends a message to others that you are organized.

Using a To-Do Book

A to-do book or planner is a useful tool for keeping track of your tasks. It can also be done using your computer but bringing your computer all the time is just not possible. A planner gives you the convenience of having all this important information anywhere you go.

Module Four: Managing Time

In this part of the Administration Support Online Certificate course, we will discuss another important skill, time management. 

Time is a limited resource and should be managed properly if you are to complete all your tasks within a given deadline. Good time management requires discipline and a conscientious effort to stick within a given timeframe. 

Keeping Others on Track

Tasks that require coordination among different people can be considered a project. There are times when you might be asked to lead a project. Keeping people on track with their tasks presents both logical and political challenges. To get a better grasp of the situation, you should be able to get all the information related to the project. Here are a few questions you may ask to get this done:

• Are there any tasks this deliverable is depended on?
• Is the person assigned the only one working on this task?

Maintaining Schedules

Keeping everything within schedule is a constant challenge. This is because of the different unknown variables that can happen within the workday. Examples of this include meetings that go beyond schedule or poorly organized tasks that takes too much time to complete.

Module Five: Getting It All Done On Time

Delivering everything on time is something expected from a well-organized person. In this module, you will learn how to prioritize your work, stay on track, and create accurate goals to deliver projects on time.

Prioritizing

When dealing with several tasks, you must prioritize your work. To help rank your tasks, you can answer these simple questions:

• When is it due?
• For whom is it for?
• Is it related to a specific project?
• Can this be done later?
• Is another task dependent on this one to be finished before it can move on?

The Secret to Staying on Track

While sticking to a schedule is critical, you must also learn to develop behaviors that help you enjoy your work. Boredom and frustration can be barriers that can cause you to lose sight of your objectives. Below are some of the things that we will be discussing to keep you on track:

• Your work and home life should be separated as much as possible
• Schedule your creative work in the morning
• Track progress by checking off things that you have accomplished and celebrating completed tasks help boost your morale.

Goal Setting

DART goal setting is a great way of keeping you motivated when working to reach your goal. This requires you to determine the goal, announce the goal, adjust it, and time lock it. Document what you want to accomplish and review it. If goals appear vague, write it down again until it becomes specific.

Module Six: Special Tasks

This module gives you the basics of handling several special tasks when working as an administrative supporter. This will give you the skills to handle special and unique tasks that require precise organization and execution.

Planning Small Meetings

Small meetings could either be productive or a total waste of time. Because of its nature, people tend to place less importance on this type of meeting coming unprepared to share or participate. To keep things productive, below are some things to keep in mind:

• Purpose defined
• Objective of the meeting determined
• People to attend identified
• Checklist of supplies created
• Organize the resources
• Reserve a place or room
• Notify the attendees

Planning Large Meetings

Large meetings offer a different challenge to that of small meetings. This includes external factors such as vendors or other outside entities that require a different level of planning. To help you plan for large meetings, we will be taking a look at the FAST strategy.

• Form: in this phase, you will form your meeting project team.
• Acquire: in this phase, you will acquire the necessary information to begin solidifying your plan.
• Secure: in this phase, you will confirm the needed resources for your large meeting
• Take: in this phase, take the time to arrive early and verify all is set up according to your plan.

Organizing Travel

Familiarizing yourself will all the modern and online traveling tools will make the task of organizing travel arrangements quicker and easier. Events like training, conventions, sales meetings, and offsite management travel require special planning.

Module Seven: Verbal Communication Skills

In this module, we will discuss one of the essential skills of administrative support, effective communication. As administrative support, your role includes speaking with all members of the organization. This includes those in the management position in the workforce.

Listening and Hearing: They Aren’t the Same

Listening and hearing are different. Hearing can be done without thinking and is almost passive. Listening, on the other hand, requires an effort to understand the message the other party is trying to convey. To listen better, here are a few tips:

• Disengage from whatever you are doing and face the person
• Do not answer the phone when it rings, unless this one you were waiting for and ask the person if you could answer the phone
• Use a note pad to jot important things down
• Summarize the conversation

Asking Questions

Asking the right questions can help us gather information. The type of question you are going to ask should be based on the answer you require. It is a good idea to have a list of possible questions ready.

Communicating with Power

As an administrative assistant, you may find yourself in the front of the meeting room, relaying information, or leading a discussion. Communicating with power requires several key behaviors. The first two minutes of your speaking will give your listeners a quick assessment of your communication skills.

Module Eight: Non-Verbal Communication Skills

Our body language gives an accurate account of what we are feeling inside. In this module, you will learn how to monitor your body language and those around you.

Body Language

Our body language plays a role in how we communicate. Body language makes 55 percent of what we are saying. It is difficult to hide, and we must control our feeling when we are in a conversation. Below are some of the signals that we might not be aware of when communicating with others.

Negative signals:

• Keeping distance
• Folding arms tightly
• Leaning or turning away
• Using only fleeting eye contact
• Small pupils
• Tapping foot or drumming fingers

It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It

Often, our tone can be difficult to detect. This can be caused by the environment or when we are not in the right mindset. To fix this, you could follow the SMILE technique:

• Smile first
• Make eye contact
• Initiate the conversation
• Lighten up
• Energize the conversation

Module Nine: Empowering Yourself

In this module, we will discuss the different ways you could empower yourself. This is to help build confidence when making decisions or acting independently. You will learn how to empower yourself through assertiveness, consensus building, conflict resolution, and decision making.

Being Assertive

As administrative support, you may find yourself in times when you must be assertive. These are situations when you must push back and be clear on what needs to be done. Here are some tips on how you can be assertive:

• Be involved in the conversation
• Be brief
• Be positive with your body language
• Be direct
• Be calm in conflict

Resolving Conflict

Conflicts can be the result of people who are genuinely passionate about their beliefs. Administrative support may be required to resolve conflicts.

Building Consensus

Consensus is finding a middle ground between conflicting parties. It takes negotiating and problem-solving. Below is the PEACE technique of building consensus:

• Problem defined
• Everyone vents thoughts respectfully
• Alternative solutions explored
• Choice is made
• Everyone agrees to support the solution

Making Decisions

Paralysis by analysis is a result of poor decision making. People tend to spend so much time determining the right decision that they are unable to resolve the problem.

Module Ten: The Team of Two

A good working relationship with your manager is critical in keeping the lines of communication open and building rapport. In this module, we will discuss the basics of building a good relationship with your manager.

• Working with Your Manager
• Influencing Skills
• What to Do in Sticky Situations

Module Eleven: Taking Care of Yourself

In this part of the course, we will discuss on how you can keep yourself healthy both mentally and physically.

• Ergonomics
• Stress Management
• Dealing with a Heavy Workload

Module Twelve: Wrapping Up

Recognition and Accreditation

The courses offered by Courses For Success are unique as they are taught in a step by step process enabling students to complete them quickly and easily, so that you can obtain your qualification sooner. All students who complete the course receive a certificate of completion. Courses For Success is committed to high completion rates and therefore 100% student satisfaction.

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