If you ask anyone what they find most valuable in a secretary, the qualities you’ll often hear reflected back are: organisation, being prepared and communication skills. When you’re an efficient and organised secretary, able to communicate well, you can make everyone’s lives easier and build a strong reputation as an indispensable team player. Below are three ways that you can become an organised secretary who is vital to the team.
Make sure you’re prepared
There are lots of different elements involved in being well-prepared. For example, it’s always going to be important to give yourself plenty of time to complete tasks and arrive on time at the office. Make sure you’re prepared when it comes to mental clarity too - taking regular breaks will be important so that you can stay sharp and manage your stress levels. Be ready to look ahead to your boss’ schedule so that you know what’s coming up and what your role in that is going to be - keep calendars and schedules open so that you can access them to check and make any changes where required. When you’re planning ahead, consider what you’re going to need for each meeting or appointment so that you always have everything with you that you need.
Upgrade your organisational skills
These are some of the simplest ways to get more organised:
○ Make lists and use a planner or a calendar so nothing gets forgotten.
○ Sync your information across every device that you use and find ways to share documents, task lists etc with other employees and secretaries.
○ Use a colour coding system. Many secretaries find this incredibly useful when it comes to keeping all the information about specific projects together and being able to find things quickly.
○ Keep your email inbox organised and clear. An overflowing inbox that is hard to navigate instantly leads to disorganisation with emails getting lost and replies missed. Use folders to effectively file everything that comes in and deal with emails as they arrive to keep your inbox clear.
○ Try to be paperless where possible. It’s not just better for the environment but for you too - the more digital options you use the more support there is for being organised.
○ Set up systems and use them consistently. For example, use the same notepad for phone messages and designate specific folders for specific projects.
Learn how to communicate effectively
Strong communication skills are a vital part of the secretarial role, especially as you will be liaising with people from right across the business - and externally too. There are lots of different elements involved in this, including being able to actively listen and take notes to support ongoing tasks. When it comes to written communication make sure you’re using good grammar and spelling and you know how to write concisely and clearly. Be efficient and friendly in person and keep conversations and voicemails short and to the point.
If you’re keen to improve your performance as a secretary then these three ways to be more organised will help you to do it. Find out more by booking onto our Personal Organisation Skills for Secretaries & PAs training course.