Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 10 January, 2010 Introducing The Administrative Bloopers Blog I started a new blog called The Administrative Bloopers Blog When you have a moment come and visit me over there. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Lets enjoy our day together.© 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

MARCH 13, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 13 March, 2010 Are you prepared? I take the bus to work and I often see people getting on a busy bus and then going through their backpack or purse looking for their bus tickets and holding up the line. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. no tickets.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 28, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 28 December, 2009 Now that is dedication.Executive Assistant donates kidney to her boss My assistant sent me a link to a story about an Executive Assistant in British Columbia, Canada, who gave the gift of life by donating a kidney to her boss. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on.

Time Zones 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 10, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 10 January, 2010 What ever happened to the "us" in Service? Another time I was trying to find a full-serve gas station to fill up, but there was nothing to be found. It was expensive,but when I brought it home I had to do all the work to get it up and running. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 7, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 7 February, 2010 When your voicemail goes awry. A good tip if you flub up your voicemail is to press # and it should give you prompts to get out of it. But, as I learned the hard way it doesn't work on all systems. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

Time Zones 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 31, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 31 May, 2009 Go with your gut feeling! Lesson learned and will now put me on high gut alert. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on. Lets enjoy our day together.© " Warning!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 1, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 1 May, 2009 When taking initiative isnt the best thing. If you are a new hire, take the time to learn and ask questions. The first months on the job are a learning and growing experience. Take advantage of this time to learn as much as you can and ask, ask, ask. 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 13, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 13 February, 2010 Dealing in real time. If I am told that I should have it in the next few weeks, or can expect to receive it in a couple of months, that doesn’t really help me with my follow up as it is not a definite date. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

Time Zones 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 31, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 31 January, 2009 Housecleaning in Word 2007: Customizing your Dictionary Something you should do every once in awhile is to clean up your dictionary in Word. I have the software at home, but havent gotten the gumption up to load it yet. Lets enjoy our day together.© 5, 2010 at 12 p.m. (New

2007 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 28, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 28 February, 2010 We did it Canada! What a blast the last two weeks have been, but I dont think I could have taken any more late nights staying up to watch the Olympics in Eastern Standard Time. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 23, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 23 January, 2010 I gave at the office Years ago when I was a child, I would canvass door to door with my sister for a charity for cancer research. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP AT&T 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

APRIL 22, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 22 April, 2009 Happy Administrative Professionals Day! I am speaking this morning at an administrative event so looking forward to meeting some new assistants. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on.

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Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 15, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 16 January, 2010 Calendar "ah ha" I was participating in a Harvard sponsored webinar with my boss the other day. The topic was on personal branding and they were making recommendations to executives on how to polish up their image. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

Calendars 100

Calendars IAAP Time Zones 2010 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 27, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 27 February, 2009 Different spellings: British, Canadian and American I was proofing a document the other day, but since Ive been reading documents from the United States and Canada, I couldnt remember if behaviorial was the American or the Canadian spelling. .© Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes Google 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 9, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 9 July, 2010 Taking stock Whenever I finish a project I always ask myself, or get together with those who assisted me, and ask the question, "What went well and what could have gone better?" EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 22, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 23 August, 2009 Nice ways to say, "Hurry up!" So how do you word your follow-up e-mail so as not to come across as impatient? Put it in your Outlook Tasks with a reminder to follow up. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. I hate waiting!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 4, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 5 June, 2010 Playing nice in the sandbox When I was younger I had a bicycle with a chain that would skip a link after about ten pedals and then it would fall off. She could have cleaned the whole house in the time it took her to get her room tidied up. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 12, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 12 July, 2010 Admin in the Spotlight: Interview with Lynn Holgate, 2010 Stevie® Award winner Lynn Holgate, an Executive Assistant at High Performance Technologies, Inc. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Lets enjoy our day together.© 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

2010 100

2010 Interviewing Time Zones IAAP 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 9, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 9 May, 2010 Building Relationships one Assistant at a Time Assistants are in contact with other assistants on a daily basis. If I hear from the assistant I know I am going to get answers and the process of setting up a meeting will go smoothly, but should I try to develop a working relationship with them?

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

FEBRUARY 21, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 21 February, 2009 Thats not my job! If a conference comes up and they are looking for someone to do the registration, we can step in and do that or we can organize it from start to finish. Who better than the admins to come up with something that works. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2009 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 16, 2008

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 16 November, 2008 Writing when you don’t know what you’re talking about. I did do research however and read as many articles and books on the subject that I could and then I tackled the article and actually learned something while doing it. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 7, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 7 September, 2009 We live in an Acronym Happy World. Depending on how acronym happy your office is, it can be like learning a new language. I suppose we better get used to it as it seems to be a trend and start to learn the language of acronyms and initialisms. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones ASAP IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

SEPTEMBER 18, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 18 September, 2009 Atlanta, Georgia: The City that Smiles I recently arrived in Atlanta, Georgia to attend OfficeArrow s Lift Summit on Social Media. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Taking Effective Meeting Minutes ► August (3) Pass it on.

Time Zones 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 14, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 14 June, 2009 Meeting preparation. I have an upcoming Board meeting and want to be prepared for everything that is needed to make it run smoothly. To-do lists I have to-do lists for the Board and Committee meetings and a to-do list for the Board Reception and Dinner. Are you plugged in?

Agenda 100

Agenda Time Zones IAAP Calendars 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 4, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 4 October, 2009 Confessions of a Micro-Manager Who would want to work for a micro-manager? And always checking up on you. Ask yourself what things really matter to you and ask questions to bring those things up in the interview. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct.

Management 100

Management Time Zones IAAP International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JULY 5, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 5 July, 2009 Psst! I was at the cottage with a friend and she was cranky and started to get wound up about something to do with her husband. By the end of the call her husband had caught her crankiness and it ended up with them both being angry. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

MAY 16, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 16 May, 2010 Whose meeting is it anyway? Do you ever get a meeting request and an agenda has not been provided, or if it is a teleconference the call-in details have not been given or the boardroom hasnt been booked for an internal meeting? Lets enjoy our day together.©

Agenda 100

Agenda Time Zones International IAAP 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 10, 2008

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 10 November, 2008 We have a winner! EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Join us at the luxurious Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for an amazing end of year get away and your chance to network, learn and advance your skills in style! Congratulations Tammy!

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 9, 2008

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 9 November, 2008 Contest! EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Join us at the luxurious Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for an amazing end of year get away and your chance to network, learn and advance your skills in style! Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Meeting Minutes International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 27, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 27 June, 2009 A funny thing happened on the way to the office. My friend said it didnt seem to faze her and she quickly pulled up her skirt and kept talking like nothing happened. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays Meeting Minutes 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 27, 2008

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 27 November, 2008 Can you afford not to take a vacation? I am busy, busy this week preparing to leave because I dont want to leave any loose ends and I want to cover off on anything that might come up in my absence. It will be a good time to clean up all the e-mails that will be in my Inbox.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP Holidays International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

DECEMBER 19, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 19 December, 2009 Meetings Plus: Taking them offline I organize a lot of meetings in a day, week, month; heck, even into next year. Never underestimate what you can learn from other assistants. Learning from each other is a necessity. Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

JANUARY 31, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 31 January, 2010 Taking the time to acknowledge someone and say thanks. No, its not e-cards (I am not a fan of e-cards as one more e-mail cluttering up my Inbox is not a welcome thing), but these are actual hard copy cards that you can customize and send out with your own special message.

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP 2010 International 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

JUNE 23, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 23 June, 2009 Colour Coding Works. EST Taking Effective Meeting Minutes Join me for a Webinar Oct. Join us at the luxurious Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for an amazing end of year get away and your chance to network, learn and advance your skills in style! 5, 2010 at 12 p.m.

Time Zones 100

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Laughing all the Way to Work

NOVEMBER 21, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 21 November, 2009 The Little Engine That Could. The next time a new challenge or opportunity comes up at work, pay attention to what you tell yourself -- are you being positive or negative? Once you start doubting yourself, it is hard to bring yourself back up. Lets enjoy our day together.©

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Laughing all the Way to Work

AUGUST 13, 2010

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 13 August, 2010 Pass it on. I think Tasks is one of Outlooks best-kept secrets, but it shouldnt be and is a great way to follow up on items. Note: The original email will remain in your Sent items and a copy will open up in your Tasks notes page). Lets enjoy our day together.©

Time Zones 100

Time Zones IAAP PowerPoint Email 100

Laughing all the Way to Work

OCTOBER 6, 2009

© Copyright Patricia Robb 2010 6 October, 2009 When you suspect a co-worker has a substance abuse problem. One day she just up and quit. One of the biggest issues surrounding substance abuse in the workplace are the lies required to keep up the front that everything is ok. Lets enjoy our day together.©

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