SecsintheCity

PA Tips for Planning an Overseas Management Trip

By Seema Shah 

Seema has been PA to the CEO at Sportech PLC for over 12 years. She is also the Office Manager in their London Head Office which consists of 12 employees and manages their Team Secretary.

She is  a Prestige member of The PA Club and various forums including the Institute of Professional Administrators (IPA), the Executive Personal Assistants Society and the Personal Assistant and Office Manager (PAOM). Seema was awarded 2011 PA of the Year by the Executive PA Magazine Awards

Our Senior Management team are currently in Miami on their business away week...How do you organise an event at a location and venue you have not even visited?? Here's how I did it.... 

When my CEO first told me to find an overseas location he just said it needed to be close to an airport and preferably somewhere with good weather. That pretty much ruled out most of Europe this time of the year because it’s very much hit and miss on the weather front. I settled on Miami because of location, weather and personal recommendation. 

Having been to the EIBTM in November last year, put me in a good position to try out some of the people I met in Barcelona. I began by contacting a few of the hotels and asked them to send me their room rates, F&B (food & beverage) options and conference room facilities,  together with spa and other activity details. I put all the details for each of the hotels I contacted into an excel spreadsheet so I had everything to hand on one page. I started with twelve hotels and narrowed this down to five  for my CEO to have a look at. I made my shortlist on the basis of what I found on the hotel website’s photo gallery, friendliness and efficiency of the staff I was dealing with, facilities and cost. 

There are nine executives attending so when I finally got the shortlist down to two hotels, it was quite easy to play them off each other depending on who wanted the business more. Good negotiating skills come in handy at this point. Then comes attention to the finer details of what AV equipment you need in the meeting room, stationary such as flip charts and pens, and of course internet access. Sorting out the F&B requirement was quite mouth-watering.  It’s good to have a schedule of times for breakfast, am breaks, lunch and pm breaks with all the menus you have selected so when you’re checking the invoice, you know if it’s all correct or not.

With the hotel sorted, I moved onto the flights. I have a great travel agent who always gets me the best deals. So as long as the flights were available, we were good to go. Next, it’s the airport transfers. The last thing you want is for a team of executives to be travelling to another country and then waiting in a queue for a taxi to take them to their hotel. Make sure you’ve booked their return transfers – they’ll thank you for this! Most hotels will offer this service at a cost and some even complimentary. 

What’s next? Evening dinner/entertainment. If your executives have been stuck in a meeting room for most of the day with a few breaks here and there to enjoy the sunshine you need to give them a change of scenery for the evening. This is very difficult if you haven’t visited the location/venue which is where DMS (Destination Management Services) companies are useful. They can help you with a list of things but on this occasion I only used them to recommend restaurants.

Be careful because they do charge a service percentage fee and if you’re only booking restaurants, you can do this yourself. I had a list of about 20 restaurants from downtown to the beach. I knew what most people liked in terms of cuisine so I narrowed this down to Fish, Italian and Steak restaurants. I then went onto each restaurant's website to check them out. If a restaurant didn’t have a website, it was struck off the list immediately. They’ve been to two out of the three restaurants booked so far and have been raving about them – so job well done on that front. 

I finally sent all the executives an itinerary of everyone’s flights (as some where travelling from the UK and US), transfer details and restaurant bookings. They’re all back this weekend and apart from a few grey clouds, it has been a very successful trip. My job is done, roll on the next trip. 

Enjoy planning your company’s management away week!

 

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The Secret PA: Day 461

BFFs, Scarecrow and Facebook’s new Timeline. And a side order of mixed feelings.

Change. I’m not talking about Taylor Swift but the reality that can make or break a PA – If you think I’m being melodramatic, blame it on the caffeine unsubstantiated morning I’m having: it’s 6am and the milk’s gone sour. Gnah!.You can love it, loathe it or objectively accept that you are destined to befriend it.

Pepper said I needed to work with the PR team to get our key clients Facebook Timeline’s sorted before the end of the month. They have a designer and a social media manager but I need to work with them to make sure we get a cover page image the clients are happy with. I also need to give them all the information for milestones in the client’s history, being the one who’s been managing the relationship with them over the last….1 year and almost 5 months.

While it’s all quite cool, it is different and that’s always the challenge, getting to grips with technological change. Just when you get used to something, they go ahead and change it.

 

I think there are mixed feelings about the new facebook timeline….

 

…..there are also mixed feelings on other fronts…..

 

I am reverting to my previous stance on City Boys and back to wondering why I'm a magnet for the type who never call. In short, the dinner with Banker Guy was fun. I thought Valentine’s Day was awesome for once (I mean, there were red roses, cheesy as it sounds, it can do wonders for the #hapless romantic). But I haven’t heard from him since. He was going away for a 2 month business trip to New York but we are friends on facebook. Hello? Should I delete him?

As for the Curly Scarecrow, he gave me a small heart shaped box of strawberry truffles on International women’s day. Of course when he gave it to me I had no idea I was one of many (including Scarlet, Sal, Emilie, Whiz Girl, Raggie and even Clawly!) who were recipients of the same trophy. And I didn’t realise I had gone pink in the face until Whiz Girl said I looked like I was on Cloud nine.

Then, to make matters worse, the new marketing assistant, Ernie, who arrived at the precise moment of my pink flush, to inquire about a new client’s marketing proposal which was waiting for sign off from Scarlet, asked if I fancied the Curly Scarecrow which sent Whiz Girl into a fit of giggles. I denied it of course. (Are people out of their mind? I am so over the Curly Scarecrow. Or am I?)

On another note, I have less in-house competition, Clawly is now engaged.(I know, shocking!) and she’s expecting (double shock!). And she’s still here. She says she wants ‘stability’ for now. Her fiancé I hear is a fitness instructor. Oh and guess who has become her new best friend? Raggie. BFFs are so sixteen. Or are they? Not for some people. It also turns out that Raggie is secretly dating one of the IT guys. He joined a few weeks ago. He has a tattoo and an earring.

Moving on to more fun holiday type things, we’re doing a 2 day Easter festival over the Friday and Saturday of the bank holiday weekend, (which means I get two days off the following weekend. I’m thinking of going to Vienna – any tips on where to stay?).

We’ll be staying overnight, not too far from a  beach. Quite *excited*. Scarlet, Pepper, Curly Scarecrow, the PR team and I are going. Whiz Girl, Raggie and Clawly are not. Just saying. The only thing left to do is brief PR on our social media messages for the event, buy a new dress and….sample Easter eggs to finalise which ones are going in the goody bags for the event. No mixed feelings there. I love chocolate and every now and then it helps remind me why I love my job ;)

 

Chocolatier, here I come.

 

Toodles x  

 

 

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A story with a PA by the Author's PA - Briefs Encountered

By Merryl Futerman

Merryl has been a freelance celebrity PA for the last 15 years. Clients have included Julian Clary, Anne Robinson and Jonathan Ross. In the past year she has been expanding into training and hopes to do more if this in the future.  

Like a mother hen, I am always proud of Julian’s achievements, but most particularly of his writing. Maybe because it's something he started while I have been with him, or maybe because I see the effort he puts into it, perhaps just because I think writing a novel is such an amazing feat.

He is always secretive with his fiction, I have had to guard duplicate copies of manuscripts under the promise of not looking at them, so I wasn’t surprised not to have seen any content for his latest book – Briefs Encountered. I knew it was inspired by Noel Coward, of whom Julian is a fan, but particularly by Coward’s house in Kent which Julian bought about six years ago. I knew there had been a bit of wrangling over the book jacket, and a wonderful quote from Stephen Fry, but not much else, so I was delighted to be given an advance copy when I last went to the Old Manor to be on hand during a ‘Hello’ photo shoot.

I had a peep on the train back from Aldington, and there was a Dramatis Personae – which included a character called Julian Clary – how post modern! Also a handsome, gay leading man and…his PA! She was listed third, so clearly a main character. I couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

The first 50 pages flew by. Of course I delighted in how much I recognized as true – the Old Manor really is one of the key characters, and the state of disrepair it was in, and the amount of work Julian had to do all rang true. The character of ‘Julian Clary’ I can absolutely confirm is not the Julian Clary I know, but other people certainly rang bells, and details like Albert the dog and a green spotted tea pot are not just figments of  his imagination. The description of a summer birthday party in the garden brought back memories…

But coming back to me me me, or rather Jess, the super efficient PA. Her situation didn’t echo mine, but I admired her devotion and of course, super efficiency. I sent Julian a jaunty text to say I was enjoying the book, making some comment about this character, and should have been warned by the text I got back, assuring me that Jess was in no way based on me.

Well, once the book got a grip I couldn’t put it down, it is funny and clever and also quite dark. I would never give the plot away, as I highly recommend a read of it, but let’s just say that Jess is not the PA she appears to be, and will certainly not be my nomination for ‘ PA of the year’.

Even after congratulating Julian on what I think may the best of his novels so far, and having a chuckle at the name checks for his friends, I do have a little nagging doubt though. You see, I used to work in publishing, with authors, and more than one of them told me how funny it is that people never recognise themselves as characters…

Briefs Encountered is published by Ebury Press in Hardcover on March 29^th.

Got a question for Merryl about her job as a PA to a celebrity? Feel free to share your questions and comments below. 

You can also follow Merryl on Twitter  @its_merryl  

To find a new PA opportunity, search and apply for your ideal role on SecsintheCity.

Project Management for PAs - Emma Lambden's Top Tips

By Emma Lambden

Emma Lambden, is 'Executive PA magazine - PA of the Year' runner up with over 10 years experience as a PA. She currently works at the University of Reading.

As the role of a PA has grown over the years, the work a PA now undertakes has changed from predominantly administrative to management tasks, and it is now not uncommon for a PA to manage large projects.

Last year I completed the PRINCE2 Project Management qualification, and whilst this was an intense week long course that caters for managing a range of projects, there are some elements that I thought would be particularly helpful to PAs, whether running a large office move, organising an event or even small projects to co-ordinate your boss’ week long business trip to Canada.

Here are my top five tips for project management. 

1.       It’s all about the planning

Break your project down into small stages, or work packets, and allocate yourself time to spend on each work packet.  For example, if planning a manager’s trip away, you may decide to spend two weeks arranging the meetings. That would be one stage. After that, you may decide to look at the most efficient means of travel, and allocate one week for booking travel. The following week may be spent booking accommodation, and the following week preparing briefing notes etc..  Once a stage is completed, you can ‘sign it off’ as such and know that that part of the work is complete before moving on to another.

2.       Know your limits

You may have agreed on a budget with your manager for his trip/the event etc.. or he/she may have given you a set period of time he/she would like to spend meeting certain people, how much time he/she would like to spend on his trip attending events etc… At the beginning of your project, or at the beginning of each stage, ensure you know your limitations. How much can you spend before you have to get permission to spend more, how many days does your boss want to be away for. This way you know where your authority ends and you need to refer upwards to your manager (for more budget, additional time etc).

3.       Be prepared for change

As all PAs know all to well nothing ever really runs to plan, and change always happens, whether instigated or received by us. Be prepared for change, and discuss with your manager at the start of the project what would be acceptable forms of change. For example, a dinner meeting could acceptably be a lunch meeting, but a meeting in a different town is not appropriate. Knowing this allows you to make more decisions independently and to complete each stage of your project more seamlessly. 

 4.       Think about the risks

Think about the risks that could occur and affect your project. Could flights be cancelled, could too many people turn up for an event with limited availability? Think about what could potentially go wrong, make a list of these and then think about what you would do if they did go wrong. Re-book a flight?  Do you need additional staff to deal with overcrowding? This will then allow you to decide whether you need to plan for these risks. 

 5.       Get right down to the little details

Creating a stage of work isn’t just about the overall aims, but it’s about thinking about the details and individual actions you need to do to meet those aims. For example, if a stage of work is to send out invitations to an event, what needs to be done to achieve that: designing the invitation, drawing up a guest list, buying envelopes etc.. then what needs to be done to do those tasks e.g. drawing up a guest list requires meetings with managers to ask for their invitees, collating addresses. This may seem like a lot of detail but in a big project breaking down tasks like this ensures nothing gets missed, and makes it easier to judge how much time is required for each stage.

This is by no means a full guide to project management, but should hopefully give a good guide for PAs to help them in any projects they are working on. 

 

Got a question for Emma about how to manage a particular aspect of a project you're struggling with?

Want to know more about the projects that Emma has managed recently so you can pull a few pages out of her book?

Or perhaps you'd like to share your thoughts on project management? Feel free to leave your comments and questions below. 

 

To find a new PA opportunity, search and apply for your ideal role on SecsintheCity.

Restaurant Review: Balls Brothers Minister Exchange, London

By Louise Reid

Louise Reid has been working at Carat, a global media agency, for close to four years, where she is PA to the deputy MD, two other board directors and a team of 40. When not at work, you may find her busy baking competitively for her work Cake Club. 

In November I was lucky enough to win a competition on Twitter that Secsinthecity had arranged with Balls Brothers Minster Exchange. The prize was a free lunch there for two. They’ve recently had a complete makeover and it was the perfect excuse to go and check the venue out whilst enjoying a lovely free lunch.

My first impression of the bar area was that is looked very stylish and smart but not too corporate. We were shown round the three function rooms downstairs which are a great size with lovely brand new equipment, perfect for meetings and presentations. They also have been decorated beautifully, I’d never been to the venue before but apparently it’s quite a transformation! The space downstairs is really perfect for away days, parties or any event really.

    

The rooms can be booked separately or opened up and used as one large room which is great to have such flexibility. It's also completely separate from the rest of the bar/restaurant with your own cloakroom and toilets so really feels like your own area complete separate from the rest of the bar. I also took a peek at the private dining rooms upstairs. They have two, both of which are lovely and intimate, with some absolutely gorgeous furniture and decor.

After our guided tour we settled down for some lovely lunch in the restaurant. Their menu is very varied which is always great, definitely something for everyone, even the pickiest of people! We really enjoyed our food and even managed to scoff down a desert which was divine.  

So if you're looking for a venue for away days, parties or corporate events I'd definitely recommend it. I found all of the staff working there really very helpful and polite which is always important when you’re going through the stress of organising an event.

If you want to check it out yourself they're throwing a party to show off their new facilities - more details at Secsinthecity so definitely go and check it out.

 

Planning an event and would you like have someone show you around the venue? Feel free to leave your comments below.

Plan events often? Lets us know what you look for in a venue in the comments section below.

Escape from the office with Avery Rewards

Do you often work late and right through your lunch break? Do you check your emails before you're even awake in the morning and last thing before going to bed at night? Ever feel like you just cannot detach from your work? If the answer is yes, well you’re not alone. New research carried out by Avery Office & Consumer Products has revealed that the UK is a nation of workaholics, with nearly half of us worrying about work in our spare time and almost two thirds working at times when we feel we shouldn’t have to.

The research, which was commissioned to support the launch of the Avery Rewards promotion, found that the average UK worker spends 1 hour 13 minutes working outside of their contracted hours every single day – that’s more than half a day a week, or 24 extra days a year! Indeed, more than a tenth of UK office workers feel they have to be constantly available to their boss and 18% say work is often their first waking thought, while a fifth claim to check their emails before they even get out of bed. It seems that respite isn’t easily gained away from the office either with nearly half of us finding it hard not to think about work during our free time, and over a quarter of us making work to-do lists or presentations while at home. 

Such staggering statistics reveal  that most of us need to take time out to treat ourselves and escape from the office, luckily Avery Rewards is here to help busy office workers do just that. Throughout 2012 Avery will be rewarding workers with instantly redeemable vouchers for some of the nation’s best loved brands. All you have to do is simply purchase Avery products in the usual way, find your unique code inside the pack and log on to www.averyrewards.co.uk  to start treating yourself. You can even store your codes up and splash out on something special.

Whether you choose to escape with a Red Letter experience, a new outfit from New Look, the latest music and film releases from HMV or a treat from Boots or Marks & Spencer, Avery Rewards is designed to remind hard working office staff that they deserve a little treat. Alternatively office workers can choose to use their codes to make donations to one of Avery’s chosen charities. 

And that’s not all! By registering your codes on www.averyrewards.co.uk you will automatically be entered into Avery’s exciting quarterly prize draw. This quarter you could win a designer handbag and shoes worth over £1,500.

If it’s time you treated yourself to a little escapism, log on to www.averyrewards.co.uk for more details. 

 

 

To find a new PA, EA or Secretarial opportunity, search and apply on SecsintheCity

The Secret PA – Day 452

PAs on the town and Banker Guy. 

I am so over the Curly Scarecrow and an evening out with my PA friends in the City did lead to a sudden turn of events in my life. Needless to say, banker guy was involved… 

On the way to my desk I bump into the Curly Scarecrow. I feel nothing. My phone rings. It’s Scarlet. What a coincidence.   

I reach my desk to find Whiz Girl pounding away at her keyboard. I’ve given her a piece of research to work on. Really it’s just typing out segments from books, magazines and press releases but it keeps her busy and she says, she’s learning something by typing it out. She’s also managed to decipher my scrawls. I’m not as bad Pepper but you know what it’s like when you’re writing in a hurry. 

It was an average day. Nothing exciting happened….until the evening.

A lot of my PA friends work in the City, unlike me, with my ‘cool’ job in the West End. I hadn’t been out socially with the girls in a while and Scarlet and Pepper were in Liverpool the next day so I had taken the morning off.

I hadn’t had a day off since forever. I’m not complaining though, how can you when you work in the music business. I don’t admit it to my girls but I think my job – mad as it can get sometimes – is way more fun than a lot of theirs.

Still, looking at the sort of salaries that PAs in finance are offered on SecsintheCity, and how much my best friend gets paid, sometimes I wonder whether I should consider moving. Then again, would I really enjoy it? It’s true that there seem to be a lot more opportunities for PAs in the City and legal PAs too but I don’t really want to move anytime soon, given that I’ve just got a PA and I now get to do project management.

Anyway, we decided to meet up at a posh bar in the City. So had a lot of bankers. Coincidently one of the girls bumped into someone from work, who had stopped by with one with one of his mates. I somehow got talking to the friend who much to my surprise had more to talk about than the stock market, such as wine, cricket and music. We didn’t exchange phone numbers. (He did connect with me on LinkedIn a few days later though, saying he had tickets to a friend’s gig.)

Still, would I move to the City to become an even more generous benefactor of my shopping fund? Hmmmm…

 

Do any of you work in legal or finance? How long have you been there? What’'s it like? 

 

Hope to hear from you soon  ;)   x x 

 

 

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PA Top Tips for finding the right venue

By Marion Lowrence

Marion Lowrence is an award winning PA winning both ‘Yorkshire PA of the Year’ and runner up ‘PA of the Year’ for Executive PA Magazine in 2011. Marion has worked in administration and management for 26 years. She worked with the Civil Service and the NHS among others, before joining her current role as a senior PA in the higher education sector in Yorkshire. Marion is secretariat to the Yorkshire Universities Board, the Executive Management Group and the Finance Sub-committee. She is PA to the CEO and is also the Office Manager managing HR, estates and overseeing the smooth running of the company. Marion loves to network and has a mission to promote the PA profession.

Choosing a venue can be daunting and the specifications will vary depending on type of meeting or event you're organising. I'd recommend the following tips for getting the right place to hold your event at the best price:

• As far as possible ensure that you see the venue before you book it. A picture on a website can be very different to the actual room and seeing it for real. This also gives you the chance to meet the events staff and you can usually tell what service you will receive by how well they sell and promote their venue. If they seem disinterested or they cannot wait to get you out of there think about how they might be if you were holding your event there.

• Do not be afraid to be cheeky - never accept the first quote. Be prepared to bargain but be realistic. If you're planning an evening event and you're using their catering and/or bar services you can often get the room hire included at no additional fee.  

• If you're planning an event with food ask for a sample lunch before you book to ensure that the qulaity of the catering service meets your needs. Ask who the chef is, how long he/she has worked there and if he/she has catered for this type of event before. It's also a good idea to ask where they source their products from: a lot of venues now use local sources to help the local economy for many companies (mine toO), this is important.

• Check that they cater for all dietary requirements and that they can provide vegetarian, wheat/gluten/nut/shellfish free, halal or other options if necessary.

• Check if there is disability access and all the facilities provided at your event are accessible.

• If you're doing a 24 hour delegate rate for an event make sure you check the bedrooms to ensure that they meet your requirements in terms of quality and are are what you are looking for. A venue room/hall can be fantastic but the bedrooms can often be disappointing which can tarnish your event overall.

• Look at more than one venue and weigh up the benfits and provisions of each one, and then compare quotes. Remember, the cheapest is not always the best  – look at quality and service too.

• Check out local venue searching companies. There are many free services that will do everything for you. They can check out prices and see if the venue is available on the date you need which saves your precious time. When you get the list of venues with quotes you can then visit the ones you're interested in or if you have not got time the venue searching company are very good at matching your needs and giving advice. They will have lots of useful information and some will barter the price for you as well.   

• Do not accept a quote straight away – think about it and say you will ring back once you have looked at all the possibilities. A venue may even drop the price a little more or offer an incentive for you to go with them such as 1 in every 10 delegates goes free or the organiser stays free. There are a lot of venues out there so you can be fussy about what you require.

• Once you've decided which venue matches your requirements make sure you read the contract carefully. Ensure that you check what costs you are liable for if the event was cancelled for some reason. This is usually on a timescale slide so if you cancel, the cost to you will increase the nearer the event is BUT some venues charge the full price once you have signed the dotted line so be careful.

• Try to go on a familiarisation visit with a venue finding service if you do a lot of events. They show you around various event spaces and this will give you an insight to what space is available in the city you have most of your meetings in. I have found out about venues I did not know existed by doing this.

• Remember it is not only hotels who hire out events space. There are lots of varied venues throughout each city. You can also book manor houses, art galleries, museums, universities, theatres (for eg. The Domion Theatre in London) and purpose built events spaces (For eg. etc.venues in London)  if you look around. If you need bedrooms you can still book these separately at a local hotel to the venue.

• Take time out to visit events and hospitality shows as this gives you the chance to meet venue providers in person and arrange to visit their venue for a show round or just to have their information on file if you do need to contact them at a later date. There are plenty of shows that I find useful as a PA but I particularly recommend:
  • Confex
  • Conference and Hospitality Show  
  • Office*

• All of the above will give you the chance to meet venue, training services and office suppliers but also give you the option of some excellent dedicated PA training, seminars and excellent networking possibilities.

 

Good luck. 

 

Are you planning an event and need venue suggestions? Feel free to leave your questions and comments below or click here

For a chance to explore high end venues in London, keep an eye on our blog for venue showcases with the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) PA Club. 

 

To find a new PA opportunity, search and apply for the latest jobs near you on SecsintheCity

 

Top Tips for being a PA to a celebrity

By Donna Coulling 

Donna Coulling has been a PA for over ten years and her clients include Helena Bonham Carter, Rachel Weisz, Sir Derek Jacobi, Samuel West and Bella Freud. 

She is known as an expert in her field; runs seminars, has spoken and presented at many events and has made numerous TV appearances as a Celebrity PA on shows for Channel 4, Living TV and regularly presents on the shopping channel QVC. 

I’ve often been asked for tips on being a PA to a celebrity and the first thing I think you need to learn when you get the job is that you are the Personal Assistant to the client – you are NOT a new friend or someone for them to go to events with – it may sound obvious but there are a lot of ‘wannabee’s’ out there who think the job they do will in turn make them a ‘celebrity’ also. This is completely UNTRUE and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

You need to learn very quickly how to be discreet – people will ask you all kinds of seemingly innocent questions to try and glean information from you. Because you may work for someone in the public eye, people will be often be more than happy to give you their opinion on what they think your client should or shouldn’t do. In such cases, just be polite, smile and walk away. They will soon give up asking when they realise you are a ‘closed book’ and they are going to get nothing from you.

A thick skin is extremely useful – don’t take things personally. Try to remember that the person you work for is also human like you: they too have bad days, grumpy days, distracted days, sick days, etc. Days when they want to just be silent and focus on the job in hand and not listen to you waffle on about what you did last night, who you met or where you went. They would just like some quiet time and if you’re not being as aware as you could be they may have to ask you to respect that. Don’t make a deal out of it, just do it – more often than not you will be working in their home space and not in an office where you can disappear to the other side of the building for ten minutes so you need to be doubly sensitive to what is going on around you.

Have a sense of humour – come to work with a smile (not your baggage), create a cheerful environment around you, give everything a go and be enthusiastic – enthusiasm is infectious!

 

Have you ever wanted to be a PA to a celebrity? Got a question for Donna? Would you find it difficult to be a PA to a celebrity? Feel free to share your thoughts and questions below. 

 

Enjoy the weekend and if you're looking for a new PA role, search and apply here

Join us at the launch of the ‘Global PA Meeting Place’

 

 

The Global PA Network invites you to the launch of the ‘Global PA Meeting Place’ 

The Global PA Network in partnership with The Office Group now have a regular meeting place at The Office Group, Warnford Court, 29 Throgmorton Street, London EC2N 2AT, where they will be holding regular Evening Talks.

Their first event is an evening on Social Media where with The Social Media Bureau and Secsinthecity's Online Editor will be sharing their expertise on how to maximise the opportunities of social media. The event includes:

 

Social Media - Your Window to the World 

By Beverly Ames-Rooks

Beverley is a successful social media consultant and a partner of the Social Media Bureau. Her work has been featured not just in the press but has achieved nationwide- and indeed international – notice after her appearance on the BBC’s ‘Inside Facebook’ programme about Mark Zuckerberg.

What you will learn:

• An overview of the 3 main platforms – LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and how to optimise your presence on these sites
• Understand the benefits of using social media for business
• Social media etiquette – top tips on how to keep your network engaged and how to avoid mistakes

 

Optimising Social Media for your PA Career

By SecsintheCity

Overview:

• Online Reputation Management
• Kred-ibility
• Enhancing your online brand
• Finding the right job opportunity for you
• Interview preparation 
• Social Networking Tips 

 

Benefits of attending:

* Learn from the experts on how to use social media to maximise your own personal brand

* Discover the Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media

* The event will offer your increased knowledge and understanding of social media for the workplace

* Opportunity to network and make new friends

 

Event Details:

Date: Tuesday 27^th March

Time: (registration at 17.45) 18.00 - 1930

 

Sponsorship:  This Social Media Evening Seminar is sponsored by The Office Group, Global PA Network and SecsintheCity.

 

To book: email enquiries@globalpanetwork.com Places limited so book early.

 

This is a Complimentary Event

 

Coaching skills for PAs

By Emma Lambden

Emma Lambden, is 'Executive PA magazine - PA of the Year' runner up with over 10 years experience as a PA. She currently works at the University of Reading.

I doubt there is a PA out there who hasn’t at some point had to deal with someone who is upset, stressed, anxious, angry or frustrated.  After all, we are the ones that pick up the phone or meet visitors first.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of getting involved and offering advice and opinions where this might not be necessary, which where coaching comes into the PAshere. 

Coaching is an ideal model to help with these sorts of situations. It’s not counselling, mentoring or teaching but is a method of support that encourages the other person to make their own decisions, come to their own conclusions and guide them to an answer that works for them.

It works around a framework of four principles – establishing rapport, active listening, effective questioning and giving constructive feedback:

Imagine this situation: You are at your desk and a colleague comes in to talk to your boss but he’s out and they end up venting to you. They're stressed with the amount of work they have to do.

A coaching approach would be an ideal way to help this colleague, without becoming personally involved or giving advice.

 

1. Establishing a rapport

This is about putting the person at ease, showing openness and respect. Act non-judgementally and understanding about what they say. The idea is to enable your colleague to feel they can trust you and that you are sympathetic, if not empathetic to their problem. This will encourage a more open and honest line of communication between the two of you.

An example for this scenario might be, ‘that does sound like a really stressful situation, how long has this been going on?’

 

2. Active listening

The main aim of active listening is to help put the other person at ease, tune into to their feelings and motivations and allow them to feel as though they have your full attention. The key to effective active listening is to clarify what has been said to aid your understanding. Make sure you give the colleague your full attention, maintain eye contact, avoid distractions, monitor non-verbal behaviour and summarise what you have heard to check understanding.

An example for this scenario might be to put your phone onto voicemail, close your office door.

 

3. Effective questioning

Effective questioning is about choosing the right type of question to enhance the communication flow. 

There are two types of questions; open questions such as:

‘Why do you think….'

'What would happen if…..'

'How did you feel about …’

and closed questions: which require a yes or no answer. 

Closed questions should only really be used to focus a response, confirm or check what the other person has said. Open questions are much better to learn about your colleague’s perspective, invite them to share ideas and feelings and explore new lines of thinking.

An example in this scenario might be:

‘Have you thought about ways you might be able to reduce your workload?'

'Where do you think most of this extra work is coming from?'  

'What do you think your team mates would say if you asked them for help?’

 

4. Giving constructive feedback

Feedback should be positive, realistic and non-judgemental. You should avoid emotional words and focus on helping the other person find their own answers. It can involve describing behaviour, exploring what outcome is desired, ways it can be achieved, identify obstacles or what can help. 

An example in this scenario might be:

‘Working extra hours sounds like a good solution in the short term, but have you considered how you would be able to sustain this over a long period of time.'

'You already seem quite tired now; do you think you would be able to continue working long hours for several weeks?'

Whilst these are in no means a full instruction guide on coaching, I’ve found these concepts particularly helpful, for both supporting my boss and colleagues and hopefully you will find them a useful tool for your PA skills kit.

 

Have you ever found yourself in one of these situations? How did you deal with it? Did you find these tips helpful? Got a question for Emma? Feel free to share your questions and comments below. 

 

To find a new PA opportunity, search and apply for your ideal role on SecsintheCity.

Fancy doing something Sense-ible this July?

Courtesy of GAB Consultancy

Secs in The City PA’s love networking and meeting new friends and the team at Sense invite you to do just that! Get your best gal pals or work buddies together for the Sense Wild West Weekend and raise funds for this deserving charity. 

Taking place on 13^th-15^th July in the Peak District, this is the perfect group exercise with 100 teams taking part in 15 challenges over the weekend. The Saturday night climax is the Wild West Ho Down (cowboy boots at the ready). 

Groups will complete outdoor pursuits challenges over the weekend but you will also individually challenge yourself, meet new people and give yourself a really good work out! 

 

Cost: £300 for a team of 4 to register which includes your accommodation and meals for the weekend. There’s a fundraising target of £1300. (Discounts available for group bookings)

Click here to book  

 

Do let us know if you're taking part. 

The Secret PA: Day 447

The Post Valentine’s Day run down. It’s just another day. Really. Really?

13th February 

Walked past miscellaneous Valentine’s day graffiti of sorts and think: If I see the V word one more time I’m going to be ill. I’m not the Anti-Valentine, just a hapless romantic (still). And a very ambitious (will I really have time in my over stuffed day for a ‘relationship’?) but single (still) PA.

Yup, the only thing’s that’s changed in the past year is my feelings about the Scarecrow.

A while ago, I have to admit (*mortified* don’t tell anyone) I did almost get cajoled into going for this so called dating coach’s workshop with my slightly older cousin (like me, very ambitious and very single). I got cold feet - in the shape of ‘an urgent thing at work’- at the last minute.

Now I’m wondering if I should have gone after all?

14th February

So what did it bring? Well….this is sort of how it went… (Sorry, I’ve been a bit secretive about it. Things have been a bit mad around here so didn’t get round to writing this)

 

7.05am 

Alarm rings. Snooze it.

 

7.55am 

Leave home hoping that I don’t bump into any roses from my housemate’s boyfriend on the way out. Think to myself: I am wearing the anti valentine shield. I am immune to all pokes at my single status and PDAs on public transport.

 

8.15am

3 stops before my stop: banker looking guy gets on train with girlfriend (I presume) in pink stilettos. He opens he laptop backpack when she’s not looking and takes out a red rose and a wrapped box. Looks suspiciously like tiffany’s – or that could just be my imagination.

 

8.38am 

Sipping Chai Latte to treat myself after being attacked by the proliferation of Valentine’s Day pocket emptying displays along the way. Anti-Valentine shield intact. 

 

8.42am 

A big bouquet arrives. It lands on Whiz Girl’s desk. I cheekily check card when no one is looking. It says ‘Love Me’. Hmmm.

 

8.54am 

Whiz Girl walks in looking chirpy. See’s bouquet and goes ‘awwww’. Blushes and smiles. (Young love – sigh).

 

9.10am 

Phone rings, it’s the printers. They’re checking if I am working today to check on some final designs for a flyer. (It’s Valentine’s Day! FYI – It’s not a bank holiday). 

 

10.59am 

Look at my facebook page. I post ‘To laugh or not to laugh’. I’m still in disbelief that the printers thought we might be on holiday, and the fact that Whiz Girl looks a bit like a teenager in love. 

 

11.30am 

Realise that I didn’t even get flowers from Mum this year. She and Dad have gone to Venice for a ‘short escape’. 

 

12.20pm 

Receive email from one of the girls in marketing asking if I want to come to lunch at this Sushi place. I say yes.

 

2.00pm 

Return from lunch with office gossip. Curly Scarecrow is ‘supposedly in love’ with his ‘high school sweetheart. New web designer Tall has a crush on a new sales girl. She is ‘attached’, he is crushed when we tell him. 

I get back to work. Focus. Focus. Focus (I’m chanting in my head). I get a lot done. I have a meeting with Scarlet and Pepper, they want to know how Whiz Girl is getting on. Meet with venue manager for an upcoming event to finalise the set up and the menu. 

 

4.45pm 

Design for flyers for a new artist’s gig are approved. I let the printer know and tell them Whiz Girl will collect the flyers tomorrow. Then I get a refill of my Chai Latte. 

 

4.50pm 

Return to my desk to see flowers on my desk. Feigning nonchalance I sit down at my desk as my phone beeps. Whiz Girl is looking curiously at me but I don’t make eye contact. I have a text message. OMG. It’s from banker guy (will fill you in later). He want to know if I have plans for dinner. I think of the 3 day rule. He connected with me on LinkedIn, I have my phone number on my profile. That’s where he must have got it from. Hmmm.

 

5.01pm

Scarlet walks past and looks at the flowers. She’s smirking. She wants to know when the flyers will be ready. I say that Whiz Girl will pick them up first thing tomorrow morning. She asks me to let the spa know she will be ten minutes late for her appointment (aka botox fix this evening).

 

5.03pm

I look at the card, it’s signed MK. The flowers are beautiful. M.K. is an old flame from College. He’s an entertainment lawyer. Bumped into him a while back at a networking event, following which he took me out to dinner.  #platonic. 

 

5.37pm 

I text banker guy saying my dinner meeting is cancelled because Pepper thinks he’s coming down with the flu. We agree to meet at 8.00pm. 

 

5.53pm 

I practically run to the station. I’ve been over Scarecrow for a while now. Maybe today will turn out ok after all, for a change? 

 

Will let you know how it goes  ;) 

 

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LCCI Life Expo - See you there?

 Looking for a new business or leisure travel agent? 

Need to find the best venues, hotels and restaurants?

Looking for a new shopping experience?

Need to pamper yourself?

If the answer is YES, then the LCCI Life Expo is for you. 

LCCI Life Expo is a brand new event from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and a one stop do for all of your venue, hotel, travel and retail needs.....and much much more.

The event will take place on Monday 2 April at a brand new state of the art conference centre: etc Venues, St Pauls, London from 6.00pm - 9.00pm,

 

LCCI Life Expo will showcase 70 different suppliers from venues, hotels, restaurants, corporate entertainment, high-end retailers and travel agents. You will also have the opportunity to pamper yourself courtesy of Clarins and there will be a special goody bag for each attendee jam-packed with offers and discounts.

 All guests will also have the opportunity to enter the competition to WIN a trip to Canada, courtesy of Travelpack.

 

Attendance is completely FREE click here 

For further information email lccilife@londonchamber.co.uk

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