Administrative Assistant's Update - sample

7 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Does your first impression pass BLT test? By Julie Blais Comeau We only have two seconds to make a first impression, writes Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink. The age-old saying "You can't judge a book by its cover" may be wise advice, but whether we like it or not, we are judged by our covers. It may be shallow, biased and even prejudiced, but we do assess people from their outside-in. "Friend or foe?" Our perception is deeply rooted in our survival instincts. Most of my activities begin with an exercise to determine the top elements that contribute to a positive first im - pression. I have conducted this study at least one hundred times, with more than five thousand participants. Drum roll please! The five basics of a positive face-to-face first impression are (1) posture, (2) eye contact, (3) smile, (4) clothing and (5) handshake. During a first encounter, you quickly analyze and are reciprocally evaluated on your BLT. Is that person Believable? Is he/she Likable? And what about Credible? During "Dress for Success" work- shops, eager professionals ask, "Julie, what's the first item that I should buy to build my wardrobe?" "A full-length mirror." Seeing your first impression in action is more valuable than an ex- pensive designer suit. No matter how much you spend on a suit, others will first judge your BLT. As an administrative profes- sional, you need to know and, more importantly, control what you are broadcasting. Stand in front of your mirror. Assess and ask for feedback. Check your posture: head, shoulders and back are straight. Hands hang comfortably by your side. Eye contact gazes in the triangle of mid-nose to hairline. Direct contact occurs 40 to 60 per cent of the time. Smile, sin - cerely, with teeth showing and eyes in harmony. Dress for your clients. Whether they are internal or exter- nal, your attire should be in line with your role and the company's culture. Your handshake should be web-to- web and firm. If you don't have a full-length mir- ror, put it on your shopping list. It is the best Return On Investment that you will ever make to pass the BLT test every time. Create a workbook based on the template With the template you created above, you can now create a new workbook. This section tells you how to do that. TIP: Alternately, you can browse for various online templates in Excel and use them instead. For more information, see Find and apply a template. 1. Click File > New. 2. Click Personal. 3. Personal templates location Double-click the template you just created. Excel creates a new workbook that is based on your template. You just learned how to save yourself a lot of time creating more engaging workbooks by leveraging Excel workbooks. And remember: you can pretty much receive the same benefits by leveraging Microsoft Office Word or Power Point templates as well. So don't reinvent the wheel — lever- age Office tem- plates instead and get up and running faster. Continued from page 6 Learning Tree offers practical, real-world training in today's most in-demand skills, including Microsoft Office, SharePoint, project management, leadership and professional development. Visit www.LearningTree.ca for more information. Arnold Villeneuve Arnold Villeneuve has over 25 years in the computer technology and services industry working with standalone and networked microcomputers, minicomputers, and mainframe systems. He has been an author and Instructor with Learning Tree International since 1993, where he has developed seven courses for instructor-led, computer-based training, and e-learning initiatives. Julie Blais Comeau Julie Blais Comeau is Chief Etiquette Officer at etiquettejulie.com, a firm dedicated to teaching the interpersonal skills necessary to professional success: client service, business etiquette, international protocol and cultural intelligence. She is a professional speaker, author and media collaborator. Julie loves to hear from readers! You have a sticky situation? Write to julie@etiquettejulie.com

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