Administrative Assistant's Update - sample

November 2018

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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NOVEMBER 2018 2 Don't let shyness inhibit your advancement Are shyness and introversion the same? No, they're not. In this month's AAU, Helen Latimer shares her perspective on what it's like to be an introvert in a world more attuned to extroverts. Though Helen has, through recognizing and dealing head-on with her introversion, achieved success in the business world, she will always be an introvert. She's fine with that and lives her life accordingly, adjusting her outlook and behaviour to make the most of her situation. Shyness, on the other hand, can be overcome. Whereas an introvert "enjoys time alone and gets emotionally drained after spending a lot of time with others," says Carol Bainbridge on verywellfamily.com, "a shy person doesn't necessarily want to be alone but is afraid to interact with others." Shyness, if not confronted, can pull one into a vicious cycle of withdrawal from social situations followed by feelings of shame and self-blame, according to Jennice Vilhauer, writing in psychologytoday.com. Vilhauer, a clinical faculty member in the School of Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, suggests four ways to develop our social skills: (1) Plan for it to go well� Don't focus on what might go wrong in a social situation. Rather accentuate the positive by thinking of some questions "that would help you generate some interesting topics: What are some current events I could bring up? What's going on in my life that I feel comfortable sharing? What do I have in common with the other people who will be there?" (2) Be curious about others� People love to talk about themselves, so give them that opportunity. Be a good listener. (3) Give yourself a role� Whereas we are usually comfortable talking about our work and what we do there, we may feel adrift in situations "where our role isn't defined by our job," Vilhauer says. "I ask my clients to give themselves the role of making other people feel the way they would like to feel." An example: "It is my job to help people feel interesting or liked." (4) Soften your inner dialogue� Notice the good things about you; "learn to 'talk back' to your inner critic." Thus social situations will have less power over you. Every exposure to a social situation provides a "workout" in social skills and pushes your shyness to the background. "The more you do it, the better you get," says Vilhauer. E D I TO R ' S N OT E George Pearson Administrative Assistant's Update is published once a month by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Director, Media Solutions, Canada: Karen Lorimer Publisher: Todd Humber Editor: George Pearson george@adminupdate.ca Associate Editor: Jennifer Lewington jennifer@adminupdate.ca EDITORIAL OFFICE (519) 271-6000 Administrative Assistant's Update Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 1 Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE (416) 609-3800 (800) 387-5164 FAX (416) 298-5082 (877) 750-9041 customersupport.legaltaxcanada @tr.com Contents copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Contents may not be reproduced without written permission. Brief extracts may be made with due acknowledgement. Annual subscription: $195. Publications Mail Registration No. 40065782 GST# 897176350 UPDATE Administrative Assistant's If only I were a stronger writer . . . By George Pearson AAU editor Can you discern the difference between reality and unreality? It's not always simple. However, you can in your writing distinguish between the two simply by your use of was v. were. If I was to blame, I am truly sorry. This sentence captures a real situa - tion, and the verb was is correct usage. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. This sentence describes a wish, a make-believe situation. So here were is the verb of choice. Naomi said that if she were in my shoes, she would ask for a pay in- crease. Another fantasy situation. She's not in your shoes, so were is the verb choice. Was is widely used when the verb should be were. It's one of the most common usage errors in business – and other – writing when one is at- tempting to express a wish or describe a situation that is not a reality.

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