The OPSA Professional Designation Online Programme is for administrative/office professionals who wish to achieve a professional designation with OPSA.
The programme is run over 8 weeks and each week an assignment/s is submitted towards building a Portfolio of Evidence. At the end of the 8 weeks, the Portfolio will have been completed, the assignments assessed and if all the assignments are found to be ‘competent’, the administrative professional will receive a professional designation.
The programme will refresh/update your communication skills, organisational skills, creativity, problem solving and decision making skills and much more. You will be up to date with what is happening in the industry. If you need help in disciplining yourself to complete your Portfolio of Evidence or need a refresher, then this programme is for you.
Join me for an 8 week journey to professional certification!
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MODULE 1: WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
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The Future of Work
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The elevator speech: The foundation of your personal brand
- Introduction
- What is an elevator speech (pitch)?
- When and how to use an elevator speech
- What to say in an elevator speech
- What not to say and do during your elevator speech
- Creating your elevator speech: Step 1 – Know yourself
- Creating your elevator speech: Step 2 – Craft your pitch
- Creating your elevator speech: Step 3 – body language
- Creating your elevator speech: Step 4 – practice, practice, practice
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Skills, qualities and attributes
- Introduction to video
- Video: Melba Duncan from the Duncan Institute
- Skills, qualities and attributes of an office professional
- Technical skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Communication skills
- Teamwork and collaboration skills
- Customer focus
- Problem solving and critical thinking skills
- Professionalism (a professional attitude)
- Productivity
- A strong work ethic
- Employer/employee responsibilities
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Assignment
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MODULE 2: COMMUNICATION
- Welcome to Module 2
- Module 2 outcomes
- What is communication
- Introduction to communication
- The communication process
- How is communication made up?
- Gestures and other nonverbal behaviours
- Communication barriers: Introduction
- Internal communication barriers
- External communication barriers
- Overcoming communication barriers
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Listening skills
- Introduction to listening skills
- Causal listening
- Active listening
- Critical listening
- Listening effectively
- Steps for effective listening
- Level 1 listening: Listen to speak
- Level 2 listening: Listen to hear
- Level 3 listening: Listen to understand
- Tips for effective listening
- Questionnaire: How good a listener are you?
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Questioning skills
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Verbal communication skills
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Non-verbal communication skills
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Advanced communication
- Advanced Communication – Part 1
- Advanced Communication – Part 2
- Introduction: Advanced communication
- Communication starts with input
- Mental filters
- Sources of mental filters: Values
- Sources of mental filters: Beliefs
- Sources of mental filters: Past experiences
- Sources of mental filters: Prejudices
- Source of mental filters: Feelings
- Source of mental filters: Environment
- The internal map
- Our behaviour or response
- Four misunderstandings in communication
- Language as a representational system
- VAK – Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic
- How to determine a persons preferred sensory channel for input
- Examples of language as a representational system – Part 1
- Examples of language as a representational system – Part 2
- Exercise: Preference test
- Characteristics of the visual representational system
- Characteristics for the auditory representational system
- Characteristics for the kinaesthetic representational system
- Characteristics of the auditory digital representational system
- Eye movements
- Rapport
- Non-verbal rapport building
- Helpful rapport building behaviours
- Reframing
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Intercultural communications
- Introduction: Intercultural communication
- High culture vs low culture
- Values beliefs and practices
- Non-verbal communication – introduction
- Non-verbal communication – body language
- Non-verbal communication: Eye contact
- Non-verbal communication: Gestures
- Non-verbal communication: Space
- Non-verbal communication: Touch
- Other non-verbal symbols
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Emotional Intelligence
- Introduction: Emotional Intelligence
- Benefits of being emotionally intellligent
- There is no correlation between IQ and EI
- Emotional hijack
- Trust changes reality
- Elements of emotional intelligence
- Self-awareness
- Self-confidence
- Self-regulation or self-management
- Motivation
- Introduction: Social or interpersonal skills or competence
- Empathy
- Social skills
- Social skill: Persuasion and influencing
- Social skill: Communication
- Social skill: Assertiveness
- Questionnaire: Assertion self-analysis
- Social skill: Collaboration and cooperation / team-working
- Social skill: Building Rapport
- Questionnaire: Emotional Intelligence
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Conflict Management
- Introduction: Conflict Management
- Communicating in difficult situations
- What is conflict?
- Types of conflict
- Resolving conflict
- Strategies for dealing with conflict
- Essential skills for handling conflict
- Tips for handling arguments and confrontations
- Dealing with difficult conversations
- The story of two donkeys
- Questionnaire: What is your conflict style?
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Mediation skills
- Introduction: Mediation skills
- Characteristics of mediation
- The Mediation Process: Step 1 – Preparation
- The Mediation Process: Step 2- Reconstructing and understanding the conflict
- The Mediation Process: Step 3 – Defining points of agreement and dispute
- The Mediation Process: Step 4 – Creating options for agreement
- The Mediation Process: Step 5 – Developing an agreement
- Skill mediators need
- Questionnaire: What is your conflict handling style?
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Review questions and assignment
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MODULE 3: COMMUNICATION (continued)
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BUSINESS WRITING
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Characteristics of effective correspondence
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Organisational skills
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Planning and writing guidelines
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INTERPERSONAL STYLES
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The four behavioural styles
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Identifying the styles
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Relationship with stress
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If you are ...
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Making teams work
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Providing service with style
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Summary
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Review questions and assignments
Instructor
R4,500.00