The Successful PA

Course overview

Why choose the 'Successful PA' distance learning course?

Your role is changing fast. Are you ready? The role of the PA has grown hugely in recent years. Demands, responsibilities, knowledge required – all have increased. What should you do to ensure that you fulfil the role – and develop it – successfully?

As a professional PA or secretary, you're involved in so many different aspects of the organisation. If you're not taking action yourself, then you're working closely with functional specialists who are. Either way, you need to be sure of your ground and be confident working successfully with executives across the company at all levels. Falconbury's distance learning course for PAs and secretaries has been designed to give you a thorough understanding of the principles of each of the key areas of the organisation.

What this distance learning course offers you:

• Illustrates key financial techniques to increase your knowledge and boost your confidence when discussing financial aspects with colleagues
• Provides the skills to manage conflict and deal with difficult colleagues more effectively
• Confirms the basics of employment law and best practice that you need to know
• Highlights the key marketing and PR techniques and gives you the essential project management skills to complete the task successfully
• Increases your value as a pro-active contributor to the management team
• Expands your awareness of how business works and is conducted
• Enhances your interpersonal and people management skills

Structured to fit into your working day
Ten modules, each requiring between 3 to 4 hours study to be completed as you choose, say across a week each or any other time frame you can manage. It offers the flexibility of studying at work, at home or on the move, whilst having access to confidential help and support from the experts.

Online final assessment
Upon completion of the course there is an OPTIONAL final assessment in the form

Any questions then visit our contact page.

Course modules

Module 1: Time Management

• Develop a sense of personal time
• Identify your long-term goals
• Make mid-term plans
• Plan your day
• Streamline office work
• Meetings that are effective and run to time
• Delegate effectively
• Manage your stress levels and health

Module 2: Communication Skills

• What is communication?
• Listening properly
• Reading and absorbing
• Writing: the art of powerful messages
• Arguing and discussing constructively
• Speaking and presenting with confidence
• One-to-one interviews
• Managing meetings
• Communication within your organisation
• Briefings

Module 3: Conflict Resolution

• Managing conflict
• Dealing with difficult situations
• The techniques of assertiveness
• Motivation:
  • Adair's 8 rules
  • Maslow
  • McGregor
  • Hierzberg
  • Three-circles model

• Getting the best from others

Module 4: Employment Law – Part 1

• Absence
• Appraisals
• Bullying
• Contracts
• Data protection
• Discipline
• First aid

Module 5: Employment Law – Part 2

• Handbook
• Job description
• Leave
• Notice boards
• Recruitment
• Training

Module 6: Finance

• Balance sheet
• Profit and loss
• Cash
• Records
• Concepts
• Interpretation
• Mastering the basics of financial management

Module 7: Marketing and PR

• Developing a strategic focus
• Product life cycle
• The effectiveness and efficiency grid
• The law of supply and demand
• Understanding your customers and their needs
• Building a dialogue with your customers
• What is PR and what can it achieve for you?
• The role of the PR Officer
• Costing PR on a small budget
• New product launches
• Choosing a PR company
• Crisis management

Module 8: Public Speaking

• Preparation
• Delivery
• Tricks of the trade

Module 9: Negotiation Techniques

• First steps and different approaches to negotiation
• Creative bargaining
• Dealing with pressure
• Influence and power
• Dealing with conflict
• Assertive and effective

Module 10: Project Management

• Early stages
• Planning
• Project in progress
• Follow through