Differentiate yourself! There are 4 million administrative professionals in the U.S. Discuss how to lead the way as support staff positions evolve and grow in scope. Gain practical knowledge in problem solving and how to be better organized. Practice techniques for responding to other people's needs without giving up your own. A mix of video, role-play and group exercises makes this class fun and lively. You will hate to see this two-day workshop end, but will leave with an enhanced self-image, ready to take on authority and more interesting responsibilities.

Someone must lead, why not you? We are needed now more than ever! As a follow-up to ALS I, the ALS II class continues to clarify how administrative leadership will take our company to even higher levels of success. Day one: The quality of our business and personal relationships depends largely on our ability to communicate effectively. Learn how to be more assertive, handle conflict and negotiate like a pro. Day two: Support staff are more involved with project work than ever before. Learn project management skills you never imagined you could master.

Speed limits are for others! Put your foot on the gas and feel the power of ALS III: Communicating for Results. Why let stressful interpersonal situations slow you down and limit your potential? Learn how to read others' behavior, identify listening blocks, disarm conflict and assertively get what you want and need. Challenging practice drills assure that you leave the program equipped with new and immediately useful communication skills.

It's your project! These words can bring delight and fear to our hearts! Most of us are not born with the ability to successfully manage a project. There are rules and tools, methods and procedures that must be followed. Follow them and you will succeed. Join your colleagues in this two-day program to learn how to plan the project, match people with tasks, monitor their progress, and finish on time and within budget. In addition you can earn 14 Professional Development Units (PDUs).

You chose the learning environment! Log in from work, home, a park or Starbucks, and learn to write better. Learn to write emails that say what you mean without needing to add smiley face "emoticons." Master those tough grammatical areas that have always stumped you. Learn to select the appropriate tone and style. Practice writing clearly and get personal, private feedback from your online coach. Chill out in the Cyberspace Café and "blog" with your classmates. Spend only a few hours a week, at the time and place of your choosing, during the 6-week program. Mastering university-style online learning is an added benefit.

Write right! Learn to write and edit clear, concise, effective business correspondence. Explore ways to enhance your professional image on the page or computer screen. Practice techniques to make writing tasks easier, quicker and more effective. Receive constructive critiques after each writing practice and discover your unique writing strengths and trouble spots. Topics covered in the program include: Getting Organized, Avoiding Common Errors, Critiquing and Editing, and Grammar and Usage Refresher.

Whom do you support? Who supports you? Very few of us deal directly with external customers. However, we all have internal customers. Internal customers are often the toughest to please! Colleagues as Customers takes an analytical approach to serving our colleagues and answers the question: why do they never seem satisfied?! The Customer Service Spectrum helps identify what others' expect, and how to meet or exceed those expectations. The Service Delivery Chain concept reveals how external customers ultimately feel the effect of poor internal collaboration.

Speed limits are for others! Put your foot on the gas and feel the power of Communicating for Results. Why let stressful interpersonal situations slow you down and limit your potential? Learn how to read others’ behavior, identify listening blocks, disarm conflict and assertively get what you want and need. Challenging practice drills assure that you leave the program equipped with new and immediately useful communication skills.

You are the center of the wheel! You probably know more about what’s going on in your work group than anyone else. Pfizer Administrative Professionals serve as a communication hub and are expected to communicate effectively in all directions: certainly upward to your manager and other senior management; across to colleagues in the department as well as across divisional lines; and, outside to vendors, suppliers, and customers. Learn to see yourself in the center and gain new communication skills that will give you confidence to live up to these expectations.

Viewed as a stand-alone program or as a follow up to ALS, this class challenges participants to search assertively for leadership opportunities. The program focuses on communication skills, the key ingredient in the leadership recipe. Experiential exercises increase awareness and build skills around active listening, body language, assertiveness and understanding "client" needs through questioning. This class employs the use of video, many small group exercises and role-play. The introduction to negotiating skills is usually a first for many participants and enjoyed thoroughly.

You think you've got problems? Sure you do! You face and solve problems every day. Today, ALL business professionals, regardless of organizational level, are expected to work "smart" or efficiently and effectively. This means solving problems and identifying and leveraging opportunities. Learn how to identify and analyze problems and use your natural creative talents to find original solutions. Fun exercises and team activities are built in throughout the day to teach critical analysis as well as spark "outside the box" thinking.

He's impossible!! Most of the relationships we have with others in the workplace are professional and productive. Some of these relationships can be described as energizing, rewarding and even fun. However, dealing with difficult people is unavoidable. The difficult individuals may be customers, our colleagues, vendors, suppliers or even our manager. These relationships frustrate us and consume an enormous amount of time and energy. This program will help you clearly identify behaviors that you find difficult and provide new, liberating choices for dealing with them.

Would you like to feel more confident about your grammar usage? Join your fellow Administrative Professionals and an expert instructor in six weekly online sessions. You will spend less than two hours a week, and can participate from your computer at work or home. Complete weekly assignments at a time during the week that's convenient for you. Enjoy private, personalized feedback from the instructor. An added benefit is mastering online learning, which can prepare you for a lifetime of continued study and growth.

First impressions are everything! Changing jobs within your company can broaden your experience and provide new challenges. But if you don't interview well, you may never get the opportunity. A good interview benefits both you and helps the hiring manager get to know you. Take this class for an "insiders view" to interviewing. Learn the same techniques taught to interviewers and be better equipped to respond appropriately, answer questions competently and come across in the best light. Role-plays, practice drills and analysis of video examples, will prepare you to interview confidently.

Why teamwork? Besides the fact that it's more fun to work in a team environment and usually more productive, teamwork offers increased opportunities for networking, idea sharing, problem solving, innovation, and learning. Join others who are interested in starting support staff teams. Discuss the benefits of support staff teams, the challenges involved in starting a team, and how to "sell" the idea to management. Guest speakers will share real support staff team case studies. Topics include: Ideas for the Kick-off Meeting, How to Facilitate Team Meetings, Tips for Generating Ideas, and Group Problem Solving Techniques.

Better than a Broadway play! The finale negotiation simulation in this program draws rave reviews from participants. In this spirited activity, representatives from both sides of an issue negotiate an agreement. Using negotiation styles and tactics presented early in the session, the negotiators try for a win-win agreement that preserves the relationship, rather than fuels a heated debate. The "audience" is allowed to give advice by passing notes to the representatives. The skills and knowledge acquired in this fast one-day program will help you in daily transactions as well as important negotiations.

Ever wish you were included in more departmental meetings? Once others know you have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take relevant meeting notes and present them as useful minutes, you will rarely be excluded! Learn how to: outline the purpose of each section of a meeting; recognize pertinent information to record; take accurate notes; present information in logical order; quickly create a draft; and, distribute finished minutes that meet the needs and expectations of attendees.

May I help? Administrative Professionals work side-by-side. You are expected to support each other, give directions, train each other, and offer helpful suggestions. All of these behaviors qualify as "coaching." In this highly interactive program you will learn how to: gauge a colleague's readiness and willingness to be coached; coach on an adult-to-adult level; understand the difference between coaching and feedback; and, deliver descriptive feedback that helps rather than hurts or offends. (This class is very effective delivered in-house to an intact team of secretaries or other Administrative Professionals.)

Do you dread your performance appraisal? If so, you are not alone. Join your colleagues to learn how to leave your annual performance appraisal feeling that you have been heard and that you have been fairly appraised. You will learn that the appraisal process starts 365 days before the discussion, and how to make midcourse corrections and positively influence the results. You will also learn how to clarify the connection between your job description and performance evaluation. Practice in class will prepare you to deliver your "best performance" in your performance discussion.

Some meetings fizzle and some sizzle! Join other Administrative Professionals to learn the latest techniques in planning, managing, and executing polished and memorable special events and meetings. A professional meeting planner will share the key points to successful event planning, and identify creative and unique event options. Practice negotiation techniques for use with hotels, caterers and other vendors. Day two takes you on an "insider" visit to one of the city's most popular venues for corporate events.

Want to re-discover reading? Wish you read more "helpful" books? Join your colleagues and the Reading Room leader to read and discuss books that may deepen your thinking, boost your performance and advance your career. Chat and add well-thought out or wacky ideas to threaded discussions. Each book club session lasts 3 weeks. You will spend approximately 2 - 3 hours per week reading and discussing online. The book (or audio media) will be mailed to you. You can sign up for any or all sessions. Book selection is subject to change, please see website for details.

All the world is a stage. The ability to speak effectively in public, whether to one person or 100, has become one of the top success factors in the business world today. Learn to speak up at a meeting; express confidence when stating an opinion; deliver a status report succinctly; and give a memorable toast at your best friend's wedding! This program is designed to help you lay the foundation for successful public speaking. Through instruction, discussions, practice and critiques, your confidence will grow and your skills will improve.

Do you sometimes feel fried and frazzled? Living and working in this fast-paced era seems to be taking its toll. Job stress is believed by many authorities to be one of the leading adult health problems in the United States today. Join your Administrative Professional colleagues to learn the harmful effects of stress and identify techniques to counteract these effects. Topics covered in this program include: exploring the causes of stress, identifying life events that contribute to stress, assessing Type A versus Type B behavior, getting control of our lives, and, ways to elicit the relaxation response.

Peer or boss? Do new Administrative Professionals look to you for guidance? Are you expected to supervise temporary staff, interns or co-op students? Are you more knowledgeable in certain areas than others on your team? Are you managing vendors? Do others come to you for advice? As an experienced Administrative Professional, you are probably often informally delegating work, giving feedback, and training others. In this class you will learn valuable supervisory skills and how to use them effectively, regardless of the amount of authority you hold.