TRAINING OF THE SECRETARY (O)

BASIC SKILLS

The number of secretaries required by the business environment is increasing, since a

secretary is of vital importance in all development sectors. But just as there are great job offers
for secretaries, a high competitive level is also expected of them, which is achieved with their
professional training.

The basic skills that a secretary should have is to have an extensive general culture, correct
use of written and oral language with fluent and clear expression, since all these skills will
facilitate their development at any level in the business environment.

SPECIFIC SKILLS

The specific skills that a secretary must have are:

Typing.- Mastery of typing is basic for every secretary, since in carrying out her daily tasks she
will have to type various documents neatly, at an adequate speed and without errors or
spelling mistakes.

Office automation.- The rapid advance of computing makes the computer the basic tool in
office work, therefore every secretary must know how to use word processing programs,
spreadsheets, presentation preparation, design. , among others.

Spelling and grammar.- Grammatical knowledge is essential at the writing level; every
secretary is expected to know how to express herself correctly in writing with clarity and
condition. Likewise, you must be trained to write different types of administrative and
commercial documents.

Calligraphy.- Good calligraphy, that is, a legible handwriting when writing words and numbers,
will avoid confusion and errors.

File.- It is also important that the secretary has knowledge about file organization systems, so
that she can store the information properly and thus be able to locate it quickly.

Foreign languages.- Knowledge of English, both written and spoken, is essential, since
international relations increase every day.

Financial mathematics.- Administrative work requires knowledge of financial mathematics,

which consists of the calculation of simple operations such as percentages, interests, rates,
etc.
Accounting.- It is important to know the basic elements of accounting, to be able to interpret
the structure and financial transactions of a business.

Basic Functions of the Secretary

Personally represent your boss or company:

 The secretary is usually the first person to represent a company or the head of a
company. The impression they receive in a first contact will often depend on the
effectiveness with which the secretary expresses herself.

Organization of the boss's work:

 An efficient secretary is one who facilitates the director's work and keeps him
away from all types of obligations that are not the obligations of his position, so
that he can dedicate all his effort to it.
 The secretary must be the true memory of her superior, both of internal and
external commitments: punctually reminding her of the exact time of the
interviews, preparing calls for the people considered necessary and at the right
time, etc.

Administrative functions

 Writing and managing correspondence

 Note-taking and typing jobs
 Preparation of meeting minutes
 Filing of office documents
 Quickly and accurately organize classification, records and files
 Help with the preparation and organization of assemblies, meetings, seminars
and conventions
 Travel planning, which involves planning transportation, purchasing travel
tickets, hotel reservations, dealing with visas, etc.
 Management of incoming and outgoing telephone calls

Secretarial Professional Liaison

 As an internal communication channel, the secretary makes the connection

between her superior and any other person in the company . At the same time, it
plays an important role in the field of communications with the outside world
(customers, suppliers, private and official institutions, etc.)

Communication system

The secretary's communication system is a set of elements that interact with each other,
aiming to broadcast information received.
For effective communication, it must be ascending, descending and lateral.

Benefits of communication
 The problems are better understood
 Collective problem-solving capacity is mobilized
 Promotes personnel identification
 Increase participation
 Policies are established based on consultation and consensus
 Increase productivity
 Participation receives appropriate recognition

Types of communication
 Written
 Verbal
 Bodily

Communication mechanisms
 Words
 Images
 Actions
 Gestures
 Contexts

“communication is everything”

Effective communication
 Simplification and precision in written messages
 Empathic listening skills
 Coherence between message and action

3Q
ü What to communicate

ü Who gives the information

ü To whom it will be communicated

3C
ü When to communicate

ü How to communicate

ü How much to communicate

5 Steps to effective communication

Route map:

 state the central point in the first sentence

 establish where we want to go
 list the points to be discussed

One idea at a time:

 express ourselves at the level and knowledge of the listener

 synthesize and reform
 get feedback

Be specific:

 quantity, what, how, when, how much

 use analogies and examples
 establish the importance of the points we discuss

Word, voice and body:

 synchronize what I am saying, with the tone of voice I use, and the body
language I use

Adjust to the reality of the listener:

 put ourselves in each other's language

Steps for effective communication

ü control

ü do not deal with assumptions

ü attend to the emotions of the other

ü create a climate of trust

ü don't beat around the bush

ü be flexible

ü reinforce and control the message

Recipients of the information

 employees
 relatives
 unions
 markets, media, public organizations, etc.