Meetings for Assistants Arboreus eBook

8/8/2019 Meetings for Assistants Arboreus eBook

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MEETINGS

ONLINE EU TRAININGTHE EUROPEAN UNION ON YOUR DESKTOP

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Meetings
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EPSO AST Pre-Selection Secretarial Skills: Meetings

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Arborues is an innovative e-learning company offering professional online training on European Union

policies and EU careers.

Our services include test preparation and live online webinar trainings on European Personnel Selection

Office (EPSO) EU civil service recruitment exams, study materials and online courses on European Affairs.


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EPSO AST Pre-Selection Secretarial Skills: Meetings

This Online EU Training study material is intended as preparation help for the European

Personnel Selection Offices (EPSO) Assistant competitions:

AST1 (EPSO/AST/111/10) these are secretarial positions where anyone with the

right qualification can apply from any of the EU's 27 Member States as long as their

main language is one of the following: Danish, German, English, Spanish , French,

Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish or Maltese;

AST3 (EPSO/AST/112/10) these are secretarial positions where anyone with some

relevant work experience can apply from any of the EU's 27 Member States regardless

of what is your main language! Positions will be available in the following fields:

o Statisticso Finance / Accounting

o Human Resources

o Communication / Information Technology

In the pre-selection or admission phase of the these competitions, candidates are required

to take a Secretarial Skills test intended to measure the skills needed to perform the

following duties:

organising and coordinating meetings, including compiling files and working documents,

answering, filtering and transferring telephone calls, handling correspondence,

managing email boxes and functional mailboxes, managing timetables, supervising the schedule and ensuring that deadlines are complied

with,

providing general administrative support, in particular for document management,

preparing and managing missions; managing absences,

presenting and checking documents (page layout, formatting and tables),

drafting (secretarial level) draft notes, letters and reports,

in translation departments: receiving, managing and processing translation requests, in

particular preparing, processing and finalising documents, mainly using translation

software.

The exam also includes the following test types:

-Accuracy Test

- Organising and Prioritising Test

- Verbal Reasoning

- Numerical Reasoning

- Abstract Reasoning

Practice tests are available for all the test types featured in EPSO AST competitions on

Online EU Training check our online test packages today:

http://www.eutraining.eu/eutest_packages


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MEETINGS


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Meetings

Anatomy of a Meeting

meetings are a regular and time-consuming part of business life because meetings require:

o planningo coordinationo documentation

they are a major job responsibility for most administrative assistants

the assistants job includes:o sending invitations to in-house meetingso finding time in the schedules of meeting attendeeso

selecting meeting times and locations note that a thoughtful assistant is careful to avoid scheduling meetings for early Monday morning or late Friday

afternoon

some executive meetings are scheduled weekly despite their being routine, the assistant must still schedule themeetings, send invitations, and send reminders

work on routine meetings also involves creating meeting agendas that include:o the names of everyone attending the meetingo the date, time, and meeting locationo any advanced preparation required of the attendees

Scheduling Meetings

one of the most common tasks for administrative assistants today, with computer technology and groupware software such as Microsoft Outlook or IBM Lotus Notes, the task of

scheduling a meeting requires only a few mouse clicks

despite the advances of technology, scheduling a meeting is not as easy as it looks there is a lot of judgementinvolved

e.g.: you have to consider pecking order some members of the group are more important, so others

must change their schedules to accommodate

decisions about where a meeting is held can be important Is the meeting room large enough

and supplied with the right equipment? Can it be reserved for the entire meeting?

Common Problems When Scheduling a Meeting

The meeting is scheduled and after everyone has been invited, you discover that some important participants cantattend. Another date has to be found. This can lead to a cycle of invitations and revisions.

You ask the participants about their availability for a meeting, but the available dates and times are so limited thatno common date and time can be found.

A meeting location is specified, and then it is later changed in a subsequent meeting notice. Some of the attendeesfollow the original meeting notice and end up in the wrong room.

Repeated meeting notices and revisions are sent out, so that everyone is confused about meeting.


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You use an Internet-based meeting scheduling tool, but outside participants dont have the same software. A work team uses an Internet system to schedule meetings, but eventually the team members get lazy about

updating their schedules and begin to miss meetings.

A meeting is scheduled and confirmed, but the location is already booked. No one sends a meeting reminder, and several attendees forget about the meeting. People are invited to a meeting but the meeting organiser did not say what it is about, so they show up

unprepared.

For support material and more information visit:http://www.effectivemeetings.com/

Scheduling meetings Using Microsoft Outlooks Calendar

Microsoft Outlook is a desktop information management programme it allows you to

o send and receive e-mailso manage a list of contactso organise your calendar and schedulingo maintain a journalo and also to manage files and folders

you may use it to schedule your time: you can schedule appointments that do not involve other people or meetingrooms, and you can assign time blocks

How it works:

when you are viewing your calendar in Outlook, if you click NEW on the toolbar, the New Appointment Windowopens on this window you can enter a

o subjecto locationo start and end times for the appointmento make the appointment an all-day event

if the appointment conflicts with something else in your schedule, a message appears informing you of the conflict you can also set reminders that can automatically alert you in advance of the upcoming appointment by an amount of

time you choose

1. New Appointment Window
http://www.effectivemeetings.com/http://www.effectivemeetings.com/http://www.effectivemeetings.com/http://www.effectivemeetings.com/


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you can also access and view other peoples calendars and allow them to access and view yours this option allowsyou to see when other team members have time available for meetings

you can schedule meetings with Outlook very similarly to the way you schedule appointments the main difference isthat a meeting is an appointment to which you invite other people and resources

resources: things you typically need for a meeting, such aso conference roomo overhead projectoro whiteboard, etc

although in many cases not everyone or all resources will be available for a meeting, Outlook allows you to view theavailability of the meeting attendees and resources in order to determine a time that best fits everyones schedule

to schedule a meeting in Outlook, use the Meeting Planner to create and send meeting invitations and to reserveresources

The Meeting Planner allows you to:o invite attendeeso view their availabilityo select a meeting location resourceo pick a time

you can enter the names of the people and resources directly into the All Attendees list or you can use the INVITEOTHERS button

you can select individuals and resources from your Address Book to add to the All Attendees list you can choose whether each person or resource is required or optional

2. New Appointment Window


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the All Attendees list displays each person and resource that will be present at the meeting when you view the availability of your attendees and resources, the Meeting Planner shows you a time schedule with

blue bars designating times when the person or resource is already scheduled for something else

if the time slot is blank, the attendee or resource is available if you right-click any attendees or resources busy time slot in the planner, you can see more details to avoid scheduling conflicts you can use the AutoPick tool to automatically locate the first time slot available for allspecified attendees and resources after you send the meeting notice, meeting responses are delivered to your Inbox and can be tracked in the

Appointment window

as other users schedule meetings, you receive meeting invitations in your Inbox you have to option of accepting, declining, or submitting a tentative response when you click on one of the acceptance buttons, Outlook opens a message box in which you have the option of

sending a response

as soon as the meeting invitation is delivered and accepted, it is automatically added to your scheduleMeeting Agendas

the meeting agenda is like a roadmap for the meeting it tells the participants what the plan is for the meeting, providing a sense of direction and purpose a meeting agenda should include:

o meeting start timeo meeting end timeo meeting locationo topic headingso topic detail for each headingo how much time each discussion is expected to lasto which meeting participants will facilitate the discussion of a particular topic

if you use word-processing software such as Microsoft Word, you can use the Agenda Wizard:o click on the File menu then click NEWo on the NEW dialogue, click the OTHER DOCUMENTS tabo then click the Agenda Wizard, followed by the OK button


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the Agenda Wizard asks you specific questions about the meeting, and when you are finished, it creates an agendadocument

you can send the agenda as an attachment to a meeting invitation or print copies and bring them to the meeting

Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes are a record of what took place during a meeting the minutes allow the meeting attendees to review the meeting later, to look for outstanding issues and action

items

while attending a meeting, you can:o make handwritten noteso type on a computer if the sound of the typing does not distract the meeting attendeeso use a recording device and transcribe the meeting later

regardless of which method you use, make sure that all of the essential elements of the meeting are noted:o type of meetingo name of institution or companyo date and timeo facilitatoro main topicso time of adjournment

make a list of the expected attendees, or review the meeting agenda as each person enters the room, you can check him or her off the list optionally, you can pass around an attendance sheet for everyone to sign as the meeting begins if necessary, map out a seating arrangement for the meeting and be prepared to introduce any unfamiliar people if you prepare an outline in advance based on the agenda, you already have the main topics written down and you can

keep your notes organised


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when you transcribe the minutes, you should write them up in formal language according to the following outline:o name of organizationo name of body conducting meetingo date, hour, and location of meetingo list of those present and those absento reading of previous minutes and their approval or amendmento unfinished businesso new businesso date of next meetingo time of adjournmento signature of recorder

avoid the mistake of recording every single comment, instead concentrate on getting the essence of the discussionby taking enough notes to summarise it later

remember, minutes are a record of what happened at a meeting, not a record of everything that was said always prepare ahead for meetings where you will take minutes it is important that you understand the discussion without asking a lot of questions following the meeting, do not wait too long to write up the minutes always have a draft of the minutes approved by the meeting organiser or facilitator before distributing them to the

attendees


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Sample meeting agenda Sample minutes of a typical meeting

Resolutions

- formal resolutions may be made in one of these forms: WHEREAS it is necessary to ... ; and WHEREAS conditions are such that ... ; and Therefore be it RESOLVED, That ... ; and be it RESOLVED further, That ...

- in formal resolutions, the facts are stated simply: ... and the following resolution was unanimously adopted: RESOLVED, That ...Office Meetings

- your supervisor may ask you to record into written form a meeting of various office personnel, perhapsdepartment heads

- elaborate minutes are not required as long as the group is not special importance, such as the board of Director-generals

Conferences

sometimes an administrative assistant is asked to assist in the planning and coordinating of conferences for the office this involves preparing for the event, carrying out your responsibilities during the conference, and follow-up activities

after it is over

Outsourcing Project

Meeting Agenda

Meeting Called By Session # DateStarting

Time

Walter

Schwarzenbrunner28/01/2009 9:30 a.m.

LocationDress Code

(optional)Ending Time

Berlaymont building 12:00 a.m.Conference room

11a

Meeting Objective and Scope

Lisbon Strategy and Policies The Big Picture

Time Topic Discussion Leader

9:30 9:35Weelcome and

review agenda

Walter

Schwarzenbrunner

9:35 11:55Basic data flow for

enrollmentsDarlene Price

11:55 12:00 Wrap-upWalter

Schwarzenbrunner

Facilitator Time Keeper Scribe

Darlene Price Susanna Kohl

Attendees

Anne Fried Mark Rivers Mike Harper Susan Binns

Tanya Bhm Erick Erling Johann Tor Lionel Scott

Derek Miller Rita ElekGabrielle

SanchezMario Moll


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Planning for the Conference

it involves consideration of items related to the conference facilities and the speakers as you plan for a conference, keep in mind the following:

o booking the conference siteo booking reservations for hotel rooms, selection of room sizes, and price rangeo confirming auditorium sizes and breakout roomso scheduling catering and beverage serviceo confirming smoking locationso inspecting facilities you have not seen beforeo sending letters of invitations to speakerso following up with confirmation letters to the speakers of and conference siteo obtaining background information, photos, and resumes of the speakers

Preparing Conference Materials

as the conference time approaches, you need to confirm all necessary supporting materials:o table and chair rentalso reportso financial statementso advertisementso meeting agendaso itinerarieso executive travel folders

if it is your responsibility, you need to make arrangements for printing packets, maps, tickets, and awards you may also need to make arrangements for local tours and special outside events to entertain the speakers,

attendees, and their spouses

many times family members accompany spouses who are attending a conference, and any thoughtful conferenceorganiser has made arrangements for

o shopping tripso outside restaurant gatheringso tickets to sporting eventso museum tourso and other local attractions

you also need to coordinate with the conference site to plan meals, refreshments, coffee breaks, and banquets this should involve evaluating menus in advance and planning what will be served


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you may also be involve in preregistration and registration:o this requires organising a filing system for those attendees who preregister and having badges madeo during the registration on the first day of the conference, you may be involved in staffing the registration

desk

o you should organise registration materials alphabeticallyo all conference materials should be assembled in packets with

programmes brochures reports name tags meal tickets, etc.

confirm with the conference site any audiovisual equipment or meeting supplies you may need breakout rooms need

o chalkboards or whiteboardso easels with large pads or papero and maker pens or chalk

conference rooms may needo lecternso microphoneso overhead projectorso video playerso video projectorso projection screenso television monitorso public address system

usually this involves filling out a reservation request form with the conference facility you may also need to make arrangements for a translation service two weeks before the conference, you should mail all pre-workto attendees you should also ship any supplies and conference materials to the conference site around two weeks in advance if it is appropriate, you may need to arrange for press coverage by contacting media outlets, arranging for a

photographer to take photos during the conference, and sending out press releases

you need to coordinate any security concerns with the conference location or security service you may also need to coordinate any parking with the conference locations parking attendants

During the Conference

while the conference is underway, your duties may include checking meeting rooms and making sure all necessarymaterials are available

confirm thato lighting and heating are functioningo refreshments are availableo audiovisual equipment is available and functioningo

the room is clean


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as conference guests arrive, you should greet and welcome them to the conference be a host and introduce people escort people who need directions be helpful where you can

After the Conference

each day after the conference, remove any surplus literature and conference packets from the meeting rooms inform the conference site staff regarding any catering items left in the meeting rooms make sure any audiovisual equipment is properly secured move and secure any other rental equipment when you return to the office, you may need to complete follow-up reports or other conference-related mailings you may need to send thank you letters to speakers or distribute meeting minutes you need to calculate expenses and fill out expense records as a last step, update the meeting file with your notes:

o with everything fresh in your mind, write down what went well and what challenges you faced

Conference Notes

- if your supervisor asks you to report on all that is said in a conference, make place cards for the members of thegroup who are expected to meet

- as they enter the room, direct them to sit where they have been assigned- in front of your own seat, arrange tabs showing the names of the members in the same order they are seated

around the table so that you know who is speaking at each given moment

- this enables you to take your notes in the form of a dramatic dialogue


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Time Management

Overview of Time Management

time management is an essential skill for an administrative assistant people who use time management techniques are usually the highest achievers in life and in business is you learn time management techniques, youll be able to work effectively, even under pressure the key aspect of time management involves a change in focus you must concentrate on the end result, not just on

staying busy

many people find themselves very busy throughout the day, but they do not achieve much because they are notfocusing on the right things

the famous Pareto Principle sometimes called the 80:20 Rule sums it up nicely:o 80 % of the unfocused effort generates 20 % of the results

Controlling Procrastination

one of the fist keys to effective time management is to not let procrastination stop you from achieving in your career

the key to controlling your urge to procrastinate is to recognise when you are doing it and to take action to bettermanage your time and effort

people procrastinate wheno they put off something they should be doing in order to do something else that is more enjoyable

sometime this comes from not being able to prioritise tasks effectively

o if you spend the day being bombarded with one thing after the another, you might focus in the mostrecent task, considering it to be the most urgent

o feeling overwhelmed by an assignment is another cause of procrastinationo you cannot figure out how to get started or doubt you have the skills to complete the jobo you wait for the right mood to take on an important task, being afraid of failure, being too much of a

perfectionist, or not having good decision-making skills

you must be honest with yourself and take action helpful tips:

o make sure you understand the priorities of your assignmentso communicate with your supervisor or the individual making the assignment and find out when it is dueo when there is a conflict between two projects, get help to determine which is more important

Maintaining an Activity List

to get a better idea of how you are spending your time and what you are actually accomplishing, make a list of yourdaily activities

after youve recorded several days of activity, analyse the list to see how much time youve spent doing low-prioritytasks

as you examine the list, start by eliminating tasks that are not your responsibility try to reduce the number of times you switch between tasks use your activity list to help prioritise your To-Do list schedule the most challenging task for the time of the day when your energy is the highest


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Creating Action Plans

whenever you find yourself facing a large project that seems overwhelming, it is time to create an action plan an action plan is a list of all the tasks you need to accomplish in order to complete an entire project it is different from your To-Do list because it focuses on a single goal

1. list all the tasks that need to be accomplished to achieve the goal and put them in order they need to becompleted

2. as you put tasks on the list, try to break each one into smaller subtasks

after youve completed the project, go back and review the final version of your action plano Could you have done anything differently?o Were you missing some steps?o Would a different order of tasks been better?

use your action plan as a learning experience to make improvements in the action plans you create in the future

Keeping a To-Do List

if you feel overwhelmed by looming deadlines or sometimes forget to do something important, you badly need to startkeeping a To-Do list:

o a prioritised list of all the tasks you need to accomplish many people who become effective at time management say that keeping a To-Do list is one of the main reasons they

are successful

if you review the list each morning and reprioritise it, you can easily tell what needs immediate action with a To-Do list, you are organised and more responsible

1. start by writing down all the tasks you need to accomplish2. larger projects should be divided into smaller tasks, similar to an action plan3. keep subdividing larger tasks until each item on your To-Do list will take no more than one to two hours to

complete

4. once you have written everything down, you can prioritise your list by assigning letters or numbersScheduling

so far, we have focused on organising your daily tasks scheduling is where your tasks become reality:

o the process where you examine the amount of time you have available each day and plan how you willuse it to accomplish the tasks you have identified

by scheduling time to work on each task, you will understand what you can realistically accomplish you will be able to make the best use of the time you have available, designating time for those must-o items scheduling is best if you do it regularly, such as at the beginning of each week or month if you use calendar software or Microsoft Outlooks calendar feature, you can schedule work time in your calendar to

keep other people from scheduling meetings for you during these periods

Note: make sure you make time available for the unexpected and schedule contingency time

You may find more on this topic at:http://www.time-management-guide.com/
http://www.time-management-guide.com/http://www.time-management-guide.com/http://www.time-management-guide.com/http://www.time-management-guide.com/


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