The Administrative Professionals Blog @office-dynamics-international - Tumblr Blog

Word Choice: When to Use “Like” vs. “Such As”

“I’m not expecting Shakespeare.”

Your boss or colleague has probably said something along these lines after asking for a memo or briefing on a tight timeline.

Business communication should be quick, precise, and easily digestible. Deadlines aren’t negotiable and accuracy is vital.

But that doesn’t mean you should throw out grammar norms or ignore subtlety in word choice. In fact,…

View On WordPress

Top 4 Timeless Skills for Assistants In an ever-changing world consumed by apps, devices, and software, most administrative assistants think that their experience can be measured by their technical savvy.

5 Grammar Miscues that Undermine Good Writing

Did you know that bad grammar can ruin a good message?

You could be missing opportunities to get your point across because your readers have to wade through awkward sentences that set their teeth on edge.

Common grammar mistakes can be avoided if you take the time to learn the rules and then apply them. Pay special attention to the five that follow.

5 Common Grammar Mistakes to Fix

He…

View On WordPress

Common Grammar Mistakes that Undermine Your Credibility

Now more than ever, clarity in communication is important.

We’re all adapting to more virtual meetings and a great deal more email communication. Documents that were discussed around a meeting table and then edited by a single person now make their way to multiple colleagues via email.

We’ve become accustomed to common abbreviations in text messages, such as, “C U @ 8pm @ Rogers, bring…

View On WordPress

Embrace a Warrior Mindset - The Ultimate Guide for Assistants

Embrace a Warrior Mindset – The Ultimate Guide for Assistants

In life and our professions, we are going to experience chaos. Whether as a result of organizational restructuring, economic downturns, family hardship or otherwise. Feelings of overwhelm, high workload demands, time constraints and communication barriers with family and colleagues can feel especially turbulent during times of stress.

In this Warrior Mindset blog,we are going to cover the 5…

View On WordPress

Whacking Word Clutter in Your Writing

In The Elements of Style, iconic authors William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White called word clutter “the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood out of words.”

Yes, the same E.B. White who gave us beloved children’s stories like Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan and Charlotte’s Web also gave us that visceral description.

What is word clutter?

Word clutter refers to…

View On WordPress

Time Management Skills for Executive and Administrative Assistants

One of the biggest struggles executive assistants report to me is mastering effective time management. Let’s face it: your days are chaotic. You’re pulled in a million different directions, and many of you have multiple leaders to support. Deadlines press down on you, distractions steal valuable time, and there never seems to be quite enough hours in the day to get it all done! I know…

View On WordPress

11 Effective Ways for Assistants to Work From Home

Rare and unusual times have presented themselves as a result of the onset of Coronavirus COVID-19. As an office, we learned just how many Assistants across the nation and world have become impacted. While we anticipated learning of non-essential business closures leading to working from home, we did not anticipate the high number of Assistants around the world struggling with the…

View On WordPress

Continuing to Navigate and Remaining Calm Through Difficult Times

The world around us is in a state of pandemonium. The threat of Coronavirus has highlighted our greatest fears and worst nightmares. Its tentacles have a firm chokehold on the economy, and basic infrastructures are grinding to a halt. Times like these remind us of an old concept developed during the Cold War era, VUCA. VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. It’s an…

View On WordPress

How Assistants Can Have Staying Power

It’s easy to forget that the foundation of every administrative professional should be built on timeless skills. Failing to develop these critical cornerstones for administrative assistants often means failure to thrive and succeed. Continue reading...

With all the buzz technology and workplace trends generate, it’s easy to forget that the foundation of every administrative professional should be built on timeless skills. Failing to develop these critical cornerstones for administrative assistants often means failure to thrive and succeed. There’s a reason some skills are needed decade after decade. Skills like:

Resilience. Shining through…

View On WordPress

International Women's Day 2020 - A Message From Julie Reed

International Women’s Day 2020 – A Message From Julie Reed

Sunday, March 8

In a recent interview, I was asked, “What motivates you to be an Administrative Professional Trainer and Coach”? I made it clear: I am passionate about my career of choice. More importantly, I am driven by the concept of igniting the power of you, the opportunity to gain control over your outcomes, and to value your value. I am an advocate for those who feel undervalued, those…

View On WordPress

What Are Some Measurable KPIs for Executive Assistants? - Ask an Admin

What Are Some Measurable KPIs for Executive Assistants? - Ask an Admin. Let's help this EA out!

Ask an Admin was created by Office Dynamics to help administrative professionals with their problems through the help of their peers. We don’t always have an answer to each individual’s problem but we know some of you might. Please read the question and comment below.

Marje M asks:

My boss is making me write my own Key Performance Indicators. What do you suggest for measurable ones for an…

View On WordPress

2020 Training Opportunities for Administrative Assistants

2020 Training Opportunities for Administrative Assistants - Office Dynamics wants you to grow and become highly efficient in your role. We offer a variety of live learning events, opportunities, and resources to increase your effectiveness.

There’s a saying that success is 5% strategy and 95% mindset. When you set your mind to improving your job skills, you take control of your life to reach your full potential. It results in you performing at your optimum level. That leads to opportunities for your career advancement.

We at Office Dynamics want you to grow and become highly efficient in your role. We offer a variety of live…

View On WordPress

Finding my Niche by Mary Jo Wiseman

Not all people who plan meetings are “meeting planners,” nor do all meeting planners start out their careers as meeting planners. I for one, started out on a clerical/administrative path with absolutely no knowledge at the time that a career in meeting planning even existed (and at the time it probably didn’t).

Truth be told, I had no intention when I first returned to the workforce after…

View On WordPress

How Can I Retrieve Corrupt Documents/Drawers? - Ask an Admin

A fellow EA asks: What procedures do you have in place to ensure you can retrieve corrupt documents/drawers? Let's help her out!

Ask an Admin was created by Office Dynamics to help administrative professionals with their problems through the help of their peers. We don’t always have an answer to each individual’s problem but we know some of you might. Please read the question and comment below.

Rose asks:

The accounting firm I work for converted to digital document management ten years ago. For the most part, things…

View On WordPress

A Career Portfolio Brings Value To Administrative Assistants

A stellar career portfoliocaptures your progressing skill levels, professional recognition, career enhancements, development activities, and impressive accomplishments. However, a common mistake many assistants make is believing that a career portfolio is only needed once in order to obtain employment or is compiled haphazardly once a year as a corporate requirement. To be very clear, a career…

View On WordPress

5 Ways Better Writing Can Boost Your Credibility at Work

Because your writing reflects your credibility, you want to craft your messages as effectively as possible. You can immediately improve it by applying these five points.

1. Make your opening sentence compelling.

It starts with knowing your reader—a boss, a coworker, a customer. Rambling thoughts about the weather won’t interest them. Stick to directly addressing issues your recipients…

View On WordPress

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

The Administrative Professionals Blog