Secretarial and Office Management Course
The role of the secretary and office manager has changed fundamentally in GCC, African and Asian organisations. Today's administrative professional manages complex information flows, coordinates senior executives, handles sensitive communications, represents organisations to external stakeholders, and maintains the operational systems that allow everyone else to do their work. In GCC organisations, where administrative professionals often bridge between Arabic and English, between local and expatriate staff, and between senior leadership and external parties, the skills required are significant and the consequences of doing the job poorly are real. This course builds those skills comprehensively, for the actual demands of professional administrative roles across the Gulf, Africa and Asia.
The administrative challenges this course addresses:
- You are managing your executive's diary, correspondence and priorities reactively rather than proactively, always catching up, never ahead
- Your written communication, emails, letters, reports, does not yet reflect the professional standard required for your role
- You are managing sensitive information without a clear protocol for confidentiality, and you are not always sure what should and should not be shared
- Meetings you organise are not running efficiently, late starts, no clear agenda, no action follow-up
- Your filing and records management system is a source of chaos rather than efficiency
- You interact regularly with senior external stakeholders and are not always confident that your manner and approach reflects well on your organisation
This course builds the professional administrative skills to address every one of these challenges, adapted for GCC, African and Asian administrative contexts.
Who Should Attend
Secretaries and Executive Assistants
Administrative professionals providing direct support to senior executives in GCC, African and Asian organisations.
Office Managers
Office managers responsible for the operational systems, facilities and administrative functions of their organisation.
New Administrative Professionals
People entering administrative roles for the first time who want a strong professional foundation.
Experienced Administrators Upgrading Skills
Administrative professionals who have been working in the role for some time and want to systematise and extend their skills.
Government Administrative Staff
Administrative professionals in government ministries and public bodies across the Gulf, Africa and Asia.
NGO and International Organisation Admin Staff
Administrative professionals in NGOs, UN agencies and international organisations wanting professional development.
What You Will Leave With
A complete professional administrative skills toolkit.
Programme Outline
Why this module matters: Administrative professionals who understand their role strategically, as operational leaders, not just task-doers, perform at a fundamentally different level. Module 1 reframes the role and builds the executive support skills that distinguish excellent administrators from average ones.
- The modern administrative role: what it is now versus what it was ten years ago
- Proactive executive support: anticipating needs rather than waiting for instructions
- Diary and calendar management: prioritising, protecting the executive's time, managing competing demands
- Correspondence management: filtering, prioritising, drafting, following up
- Managing confidentiality: what information should and should not be shared, and how to handle sensitive material professionally
- The administrative professional as organisational representative: how your manner and communication reflect your organisation
Why this module matters: Written communication is how administrative professionals are most visible, and most judged. Module 2 builds the specific writing skills for every format an administrative professional uses regularly.
- Professional email: structure, subject lines, tone, length, what to copy people on and what not to
- Business letters in GCC and African professional contexts: format, language, protocol
- Minutes of meetings: what to capture, what level of detail, how to make them actionable
- Reports and briefing notes: structure, language level, executive summary
- Writing across Arabic and English: managing professional communication in bilingual environments
- Workshop: participants rewrite real examples of poor administrative writing
Why this module matters: Poorly managed meetings waste senior leadership time. Dysfunctional records systems produce risk and inefficiency. Module 3 builds the systems for both.
- Meeting organisation: agenda design, logistics, technology, participant management
- Facilitating productive meetings: keeping meetings to time and on topic
- Minutes and action tracking: capturing decisions and following up on actions
- Records management: physical and digital filing systems that are logical, consistent and retrievable
- Digital records in GCC organisations: SharePoint, Google Drive, document naming conventions
- Information security: what good digital hygiene looks like for administrative professionals
Why this module matters: Administrative professionals interact with senior external stakeholders on behalf of their organisations. The quality of that interaction reflects directly on the organisation. Module 4 builds the communication skills and professional presence for these interactions.
- Telephone communication: answering professionally, taking messages accurately, managing difficult callers
- Reception and visitor management: greeting, protocol, cultural considerations in GCC and African contexts
- Managing senior stakeholder relationships: communication protocol with high-profile visitors and callers
- Professional appearance and conduct: the standard expected in GCC corporate environments
- Cross-cultural communication for administrative professionals: navigating nationality differences in GCC workplaces
Why this module matters: Event and travel management are high-visibility, high-stakes administrative functions. Doing them well builds professional reputation; doing them badly damages it. Module 5 covers both and closes with each participant's professional development plan.
- Event planning and management: from brief to execution, checklist, suppliers, logistics, contingency
- Travel coordination: booking, visa, itinerary, accommodation, the details that matter
- Managing travel for senior executives across GCC and African markets: specific protocol and practical considerations
- Budget management for administrative functions
- Personal professional development plan: the specific skills each participant commits to developing in the 60 days after this course
Common Questions
Is this relevant for both new and experienced administrative professionals?
Yes. New administrative professionals build a comprehensive foundation. Experienced administrators systematise skills they have developed through experience, fill specific gaps, and update their approach for the modern administrative role. The self-assessment on day one helps each participant identify where to focus.
Related Courses
Administrative Excellence Is Operational Leadership. Build It.
Join administrative professionals from across the Gulf, Africa and Asia who have built the skills to perform at the highest level of their profession.
📅 Upcoming Schedules
View all dates for this course →We run this course as a private programme for organisations. Bespoke dates, tailored content, group pricing.
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