Administrative Assistant's Update

December 2017

Focuses on the training and development needs of admin professionals and features topics such as hard skills (software competencies, writing, communication, filing) and soft skills (teamwork, time management, leadership).

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DECEMBER 2017 P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T F O R C A N A D A ' S O F F I C E S U P P O R T S T A F F Administrative Assistant's UPDATE UPDATE PM #40065782 INSIDE Inspiring trust � � � � � � � � � � � � 2 It takes a good deal of effort, but it's worth it in the end Writing tips � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3 Usage errors that can distract from your message Depreciating yourself � � � � � � � 5 How women unwittingly put themselves at a disadvantage Excel workbooks � � � � � � � � � � 6 How to make workbooks stronger through collaboration By Helen Latimer You may well be harbouring skills you've never given yourself credit for. Let me tell you why I think so. I recently facilitated a workshop on presentation skills. During the wrap-up, we shared positive feed- back with one another. One of the participants heard how people thought she was a very confident speaker and looked at ease speaking in front of the group. She shared she was extremely surprised by the comments. "I feel so unsure about my public speaking skills, I had no idea I looked confi- dent." Then another participant, who had also received positive feedback, chimed in with "I thought I was the only one who felt like that, it's so good to know I'm not alone." What's going on? Why are two very capable presenters both dealing with feelings of self-doubt, unsure about their public speaking abilities and both hesitant about taking on larger speaking roles at work? Did I mention both these people are women? In her book, Lean In, Sheryl Sand - berg says of women "We consistently underestimate ourselves. Multiple studies in multiple industries show that women often judge their own performance as worse than it actually is, while men judge their own perfor- mance as better than it actually is." There's a place for small talk "I hear lots of reasons from women why they don't want to make small talk. Some women say it's not their personality. Others say if they make small talk with men, the men will think they are flirting. "Think again! Small talk is an important business tool. It breaks the ice with people, estab- lishes common ground, and allows people to get to know one another better. "And you can talk to men without your intentions being misunderstood. Just keep the talk professional and not too personal." Barbara Pachter (www.pachter.com) Continued on page 4 Take time to see the expert in you Credit: marekuliasz (Shutterstock)

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