Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 6, 2017

I am giving a minute-taking webinar on June 14 and invite you to join in. Along with the more traditional minute-taking role, I will be talking about 'live' minute taking. It can seem very intimidating when all eyes are on you as you type, but there is a way to make even this less stressful. I will also talk about those times when your boss calls you into a meeting at the last minute to take notes and you weren't expecting it.

Stress 100

Stress 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 24, 2017

An easy way to remember when to use who or whom: If you can replace the word with “he” or “she,” use who. If you can replace it with “him” or “her,” use whom.

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100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 25, 2017

I attended an event today on minute taking. Our organization set it up for Admin Professionals' Week. Unfortunately, my first impression of the speaker was not very good because she was dressed down and looked rather frumpy. I don't believe in judging a book by its cover, but I was amazed at how easily my mind went there and how I equated how she looked to what she had to say.

Clothes 100

Clothes Administrative Professionals Interviewing UPS 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 23, 2017

It is very useful to use an annotated agenda. For those who have never used one, it is simply an agenda with notes on it. For the agenda that I send to the meeting participants, I annotate it to let them know why an item is on the agenda or if there are any attachments. In my example below you will see that I put brackets around the notes and italicize them.

Agenda 100

Agenda 2016 Finance 2017 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 21, 2016

I have always had trouble knowing when to use the words 'then' or 'than'. Sometimes it is easy to figure out, but other times I struggle to figure it out. Well, today I came across a sentence where the person used 'then' and I was pretty sure it should have been 'than', but wasn't positive. Rhymes like '30 days have September', 'i' before 'e' except after 'c' (but there are exceptions), or what a school teacher I worked with taught me about when to use 'I' or 'me' in a sentence (if you can chang

Google 100

Google 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 23, 2016

After a wonderful experience at the AdminPro Conference in Orlando, Florida on June 14-17, 2016, I feel invigorated and ready to go. We can learn so much from each other and learn with did. Especially at the roundtable event where participants had 25 minutes to sit at the various speaker tables and ask questions. The questions asked really helped me to focus my webinar on the areas that were most needed.

2016 100

2016 Learning 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 15, 2016

Being an Executive Assistant is more than just a title. When you get to this level it is expected you will take on leadership responsibilities. I am in an Administrative Assistant role again and am really enjoying it, but having just finished my career as an Executive Assistant, I am appreciating the work that they do, but am glad to leave it for someone else.

Learning 100

Learning Management UPS 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 15, 2016

In preparation for the AdminPro Forum on June 15-17, 2016 in Orlando, Florida, here is an article with some Question and Answers about Minute taking. For more information on AdminPro Forum 2016, please click on the website and if you are able to join us, please register at this link. I hope to see you there!

2016 100

2016 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 30, 2016

When learning something new it is usually the little things that can seem overwhelming. I just learnt a new program to search patient names for information and medical records. I recall the person telling us how to use the program and it seemed complicated. Log in, enter your password, press F1 if you want to do this, F2 if you want to do that. When you get to this screen, look on the right hand side and press F11.

Medical 100

Medical Learning 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 13, 2016

This summer I will be presenting at the AdminPro Forum 2016 in Florida and am really looking forward to it. Keynote speakers include Joan Burge, Lucy Brazier, Julie Perrine and Laura Stack. I have enjoyed the teachings of most of these ladies over the years and am thrilled to be participating with them and look forward to learning from them too. Recently on Facebook on the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) page they had a question on what would be the ideal gift fr

2016 100

2016 IAAP Administrative Professionals Gifts 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 30, 2015

It's funny how as I have moved through my career from office to office the way I organize myself has changed. When I was at the law firm, I used tasks extensively and had a wait bin where I put things I was waiting on. I had a lot of trigger dates I needed to remember such as when to file a statement of defence after receiving a statement of claim, or putting in a reminder when the mandatory mediation kicked in.

Filing 100

Filing Travel Time Zones International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 28, 2015

During the holidays it is important to have people in the office to keep things going. I like working during this time because you can get so much done that you normally don't have time to do. Here are some of the things I will be doing: Cleaning out my desk drawers - I just started this job a little over a month ago. The girl who was there before me was there for 9 years and before they hired me there were two temporary people sitting at my desk so you can imagine the desk drawers were very dis

Staples 100

Staples Holidays Agenda Filing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 19, 2015

Dolly Parton's Nine to Five no longer applies to me. I've become an early bird. For those who know me that will seem almost impossible, but I've done it. At least during the work week and it's proving to be very interesting. I was always a 9 to 5 person, but would typically arrive a few minutes late. I always felt guilty about it and would sometimes get looks from the other girls or they would make a joke about me being late again, but I was a late night person and always worked well past 5, but

Stress 100

Stress UPS 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 17, 2015

Starting a new job is more than just changing where you work. You have to learn a whole new way of doing things, from how to log onto the computer to filling out a purchase order form. There is a new work culture to adapt to and a new language of acronyms to try and sort out. Even though they can seem like small things, at the beginning you are trying to do your best to impress and can feel a bit helpless when the phone rings and you realize you don't know how to answer it.

Agenda 100

Agenda Sprint 2015 Medical 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 5, 2015

In 2008 I took a job as an Executive Assistant and Corporate Secretary to a non-profit corporation. My daughter had just left home and I was a empty nester so I had time to try something different and put some time and effort into a new position. This position was certainly different than anything I had ever done. When I took the job, I had never taken minutes before and I had a Board of Directors' meeting in two months that I had to prepare for.

Retirement 100

Retirement Travel Negotiating Agenda 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

'Travel Planning for Administrative Professionals Hi everyone, I will be presenting a new webinar on travel planning. Please join me on Jan. 3 from 1 to 2:15 p.m. For more information and to register, please click on the following link : Or if the link does not work, please cut and paste this link and put it in your browser: [link] I am excited to do this new webinar so I can share everything I''ve learnt over the years about arranging travel.

Administrative Professionals 100

Administrative Professionals Travel 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 27, 2013

'I share the CEO''s Outlook calendar with my assistant. Since we both book meetings for him, it is important if we have proposed dates for a meeting that we secure them in his calendar so one of us doesn''t use it for another meeting. We do this by putting a hold on the date and time with a brief note with what the meeting is about, for example ''HOLD Strategy mtg w/DCEO''.

Calendars 100

Calendars Management 2013 AT&T 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 27, 2013

'I found this great site with basic filing rules for names. I found it very useful so I thought I''d share: [link] I''ve also added it to my sidebar under Filing for your future reference.

Filing 100

Filing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 15, 2013

'Minute taking can seem scary at first but once you know what you need to record, you will get better at it over time. My next minute-taking webinar will be on May 31 at 1 p.m. EST and I will go over the basics of minute taking as well as the actual process so you will feel more confident in this role. This webinar is well suited for those who have never taken minutes but want to learn, beginners or those at an intermediate level.

Confidence 100

Confidence Learning Management UPS 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 14, 2013

If anyone missed my February minute-taking webinar, there is another one coming up on March 8th. If you are interested, please register here. In this session I want to provide tips and ideas on what to do before, during and after the meeting. I find there are three important things you need in order to take good minutes: You need to learn how to take the minutes and have a clear idea on what you need to record; You should have guidelines and checklists to ensure quality and so you won’t forget a

Confidence 100

Confidence Learning UPS 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 22, 2013

Please join me on February 7, 2013 at 1 p.m. EST for another minute-taking webinar. I enjoy giving these webinars and wish I could have had something like this when I first started. I have tried to put everything that I would have liked to know into the webinar. As many of you have found out, there is more to taking minutes than just taking the minutes.

2013 100

2013 Stress 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 13, 2012

I have mentioned it a few times that when my desk is cluttered then I feel cluttered. I like to put everything in its place so I will find it easily. Is it any wonder if my Outlook is messy and cluttered that I feel the same way? I was at a recent IAAP Chapter meeting and we were discussing best practices for organizing our Inboxes and there were a lot of good ideas.

IAAP 100

IAAP Filing Email UPS 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 4, 2012

I once worked with someone who had body language that you could read like a book. Stern looks, sad demeanor, very angry looking at times, sighing, interrupting while you were talking, especially when they were not in agreement, by harrumphing, sighing and rolling the eyes. It was disconcerting, but they didn't appear to be aware they were doing it. When I pointed it out, they said, "I can't help the way I look".

Cubicle 100

Cubicle Phones Calendars Skills 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 14, 2012

I have been involved in conducting a few interviews for admin jobs and here are two of the main things I have noticed about those who are unsuccessful: resumes are out of date and not relevant to the job applied for and the person was not prepared for the interview. When you go for an interview you have to keep in mind that they really do want to hire someone, but you have to make it worth their while to hire you.

Temping 100

Temping Mentoring Resume Interviewing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 8, 2012

The admin role is a service-oriented position. Basically we are there to serve management - whether that be one executive or multiple managers and staff members. Managing our time can become more challenging when serving more than one person. Not that the volume is greater, because as someone who serves the CEO of our organization, I know that is not the case, but because it is coming from multiple sources it can seem overwhelming.

Management 100

Management Goals Email UPS 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 15, 2012

As in every aspect of life, relationships are two-way. Both parties have a responsibility and work to do to make it work. In the admin/boss working relationship however you do have an edge since it is you who schedules your executive’s calendar. Schedule yourself in for one-on-one meetings with your boss on a regular basis. Each situation will be different, but either short daily meetings or longer meetings once a week will work.

Confidence 100

Confidence Calendars Goals Learning 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

As women working in an office with men who are more than likely in authority, this is something we undoubtedly will come across at some time in our careers. I think men probably experience it as well, but it is not reported as often. I recall as a young woman working for a large mostly male organization in the late 70s, it was just an expected thing that you would get your bum pinched while walking by someone's desk or have sexual remarks made about you.

2002 100

2002 Filing Environment Management 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was giving a webinar on minute-taking yesterday. There were a few questions that as I pondered last night, I wanted to give a more fulsome answer to today. Since some of you are on my blog, I thought this would be a good way to answer those questions. Do you need to record in the minutes when someone abstains from a vote?

Agenda 100

Agenda Finance Etiquette Legal 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

The first time my boss asked me to take minutes I gulped and the fear took over. I'm sure many of you can relate and know exactly what I mean. As I was walking to the boardroom I chattered nervously to him that I hadn't taken minutes since high school. It ended up being a ploy to get me to the boardroom for a baby shower - Surprise!!! Whew, I had dodged a bullet, but I knew this, I never wanted to take a job that required minute taking.

Confidence 100

Confidence Mentoring Learning Interviewing 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 31, 2012

I use the Ctrl keys so frequently that I almost forgot a few good ones. To open a new blank document in Word, press Ctrl n. To open a document, press Ctrl o. Ctrl F4 will close the document, Alt F4 will close the document and the program. If you haven't saved the document, it will prompt you to Save, Don't Save or Cancel. Or you can press Ctrl s before you close it.

PowerPoint 100

PowerPoint 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 29, 2012

Someone at work was trying to paste something by right clicking and using the paste option. There were three options to choose from with a symbol for a paint brush, an arrow and the letter 'A'. She tried one and it wasn't the paste she wanted so she said in frustration, "I never know which one to choose." Each of the paste options do have a purpose, but for what we were trying to do I told her to just press Ctrl v and that would do it.

Keyboards 100

Keyboards Administrative Professionals 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 5, 2012

We spend most of our time at work so it stands to reason that the relationships we have at work are very important and worth spending time making them better. As an admin we work very closely with our bosses, but also with other admins. I'm sure everyone has experienced a day when they feel that their boss just doesn't understand them or another assistant is being nasty, but can our reaction make a difference?

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100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 26, 2011

I am not a lawyer and this is not considered legal advice in any way, but we recently had a lawyer come to speak to us about workplace harassment and bullying and it really cleared up a few things for me. As a supervisor I was especially interested because I don't want to cross the line, but because I am a supervisor I do have times where I need to speak to staff about various matters.

Assertiveness 100

Assertiveness Legal Social Media Policies 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 30, 2011

Have you ever worked for someone and they under-utilized you or just didn't seem to know how to work with an assistant? I once worked for a young boss and you could tell he wasn't quite sure what he could give me or what I was capable of doing. I had enough experience that I just started doing some of the things and when he saw I was ready, willing and able to do it, he gladly passed it on to me.

IAAP 100

IAAP Administrative Professionals 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 10, 2011

Office talk, or water cooler conversations, can be just that: what did you do on the weekend, what activities are your children participating in, what great new restaurant you tried, etc. etc., but what about when the conversation turns to gossip? Gossip can be vicious and in some cases even lead to disciplinary action or getting fired if you are the one doing it.

Gossip 100

Gossip Restaurants Forms Administrative Professionals 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 3, 2011

I work with a boss who is very self sufficient (in other words he could live without me, but chooses not to) and a friend of mine works with someone who wouldn't know what to do without her help. Which would you prefer? My job is unique in that I do my own work apart from my boss. He does his thing and I do mine. My work is generated by what he does, but I pretty well carry on with my duties on my own.

Confidence 100

Confidence Interviewing Learning Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

Sorry for the delay in getting the correct link to you with details about this webinar , but I have it now and you will find it on the side bar on the right.

2011 100

2011 Meeting Minutes 100