Courses available (click on the link for more course details and dates):

Minutes and notetaking >>
Developing management skills in PA's and administrators >>
The executive assistant: Maximising your Impact >>
The effective PA : Increasing your value >>
How to be a first class receptionist>>

Take a look at our course leaders >>

• Interested in taking some of these courses in-house>>
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LONDON
Wednesday 24 - Thursday 25 March 2010
Thursday 6 - Friday 7 May 2010
Monday 19 - Tuesday 20 July 2010


BIRMINGHAM
Wednesday 21 - Thursday 22 April 2010

A GateHouse masterclass in minute-taking - one of our most popular courses
A confidence building experience for anyone who takes notes and produces minutes. This programme will equip participants to improve their notetaking skills in a positive, supportive and practical way.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
• To equip learners to take notes effectively in meetings
• To build confidence and raise awareness about the importance of minutes and notetaking
• To overcome fear and the mystery of notetaking
• To enhance credibility and improve results arising from minutes
• To review styles of minutes
• To contribute to improving the service given to patients, clients and the community

COURSE CONTENT
• Tips and techniques for successful notetaking
• Practical notetaking exercises
• Active listening, concentration and recall
• Identifying key points.
• Impact writing skills
• Alternatives to ‘said’
• Writing up accurate and concise minutes
• Structure and presentation of minutes

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
All staff who are responsible for minute/note-taking and agenda setting.

FEEDBACK
“Made the subject interesting and informative. Gave me confidence” Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust, November 2005
“Excellent Made it interesting and enjoyable” Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospital, October 2006

LONDON
Monday 10 - Tuesday 11 May 2010
Wednesday 7 - Thursday 8 July 2010

BIRMINGHAM
Monday 12 - Tuesday 13 April 2010

Develop your management skills with this newly remastered course
Do only managers manage? The answer is no. The changing face of organisational structures introduces new levels of responsibility to the roles of individuals. Administration staff are no exception. In many cases the secretary or administrator gradually assumes the responsibility for other members of staff. This often happens by natural progression rather than as part of a planned development programme.

COURSE CONTENT
• Management skills including leadership, motivation, delegation, communication
• Team building – how to create a successful team to support your role
• Motivation – engaging your team to deliver results
• Dealing with difficult behaviour – techniques and tools
• The basics of project management
• The art of persuasion

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Secretarial and administrative staff who would benefit from the development of personal and people management skills.

Rapidly becoming a career standard for PAs working with senior public sector executives
The role of the executive secretary or senior personal assistant cannot be underestimated.
It is demanding, intensive and influential. In any one day you will be expected to act as organiser, consultant, first line of defence and herald of good or bad news, while coping with an ever increasing workload.
This two-day course will highlight the importance of this role and will provide an opportunity for you to take a step back, reassess your personal development and analyse the crucial skills necessary for the job.

COURSE CONTENT
• What does it take to be a successful executive secretary or personal assistant?
• How does your role connect to the organisational objectives?
• The influence of power in relationships – where does it come from and how can you maximise its effectiveness?
• Recognising different communication styles and how and when to use them
• Tools and techniques for handling difficult situations
• Understanding and balancing priorities
• Managing time – your own and your manager’s
• Delegating up and down
• Creating efficient work systems
• Project management skills
• Staying one step ahead – thinking outside the box
• The psychology of persuasion – learning how to influence effectively.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
All secretaries and personal assistants who are involved in high level communications and organisational tasks, including diary management for one or several senior level people.

Practical help to improve your productivity
The relationship between a manager and his/her secretary or assistant can be unnecessarily difficult or problematic when the assistant lacks confidence in recognising ways in which he or she can make things work and run smoothly for both parties.
This highly interactive personal development course will give you an opportunity to explore the different ways managers and secretaries or assistants work together and choose what works best for your situation.

COURSE CONTENT:
• Your role as a secretary or assistant – how does it fit within the organisation and
how can you increase your value?
• Creating professional relationships that work
• Recognising different communication styles and how and when to use them
• Tools for handling difficult situations
• Boosting your self confidence and your professional image
• Prioritising, planning and managing tasks
• Creative thinking and problem solving – learning to be one step ahead
• Persuading and influencing – effective techniques

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Secretarial and other support staff who want to increase their value to their managers.

How to be a first class receptionist
(Course formerly known as People Skills for Front-of-House Staff )

This course will give you the confidence to present the right image, handle tricky situations comfortably and provide a service to delight your customers so that they remember you favourably.

COURSE CONTENT
• Presenting a positive, confidence image to customers and clients alike
• Communication and listening skills
• Handling difficult situations sensitively and responsibly
• Managing complaints
• Telephone etiquette.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
The techniques work for anyone. However the course is designed with front-of-house staff, switchboard operators and administrative staff in mind.

Gill Francis has been involved in management and organisational training for the past decade. Her experience spans a wide variety of industries including the health service, manufacturing, service and retail. Gill's flexible approach enables her to deliver bespoke training courses in a range of areas from management development to customer service.

Nick Oliver, Frontfire’s director who worked as a training professional in the private and not-for-profit sectors for over 11 years during which time he has delivered organisational wide development initiatives including competency management and leadership development programmes. Nick is a graduate of Lancaster University and is a registered user of a number of psychometric tools. He specialises in management development and team dynamics, using a range of self-assessment and 360-degree feedback tools. Nick’s delivery style is highly participative and engaging, drawing on practical examples and exercises to make learning come to life.

Andy Overton is an experienced and effective training professional. He has presented training programmes throughout the UK for 26 years – 20 years in the health service. Delegates describe his training as “confidence building, practical and easy to listen to”.