Get Sharp: Smarter Decision Making and Critical Thinking for Administrative Professionals October 7, 2009

Tackle today’s business challenges with high-powered decision-making skills for administrative professionals!

This interactive seminar is designed to help you build and expand your decision-making skills, critical-thinking abilities and creative problem-solving skills. You will cover methods of assessing and resolving problems and understanding the role of inferences and assumption. In addition, these decision-making skills for administrative professionals will help you gain confidence in asking the “right questions” and overcoming the stress of making complex decisions.
How You Will Benefit

* Enhance your ability to be more proactive and to act independently
* Become more confident in making sound decisions
* Decrease stress related to making critical decisions and solving workplace problems
* Strengthen your ability to influence and persuade others using decision-making skills for administrative professionals
* Learn how to ask questions that get the answers you need
* Learn how to apply creative problem-solving techniques
* Build greater professional recognition through enhanced skills

What You Will Cover

* Defining terms: critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, creativity and strategic thinking—small group activity
* Understanding accelerated learning and Gardeners 8 Intelligences: identifying how you learn best
* Creating new ways to ask questions: open questions, closed questions, leading questions, assumption challenges
* Critical thinking: enhance your credibility with management
* Applying different problem-solving techniques at work
* Flexing your methods of problem solving
* Enhancing self- and interpersonal awareness

Who Should Attend

Administrative professionals including secretaries, executive secretaries, administrative assistants, office managers, executive assistants and other office support staff who will benefit from better decision-making skills for administrative professionals.
Extended Training Description

Learning Objectives

* Acquire Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills
* Explore Core Competencies in Critical Thinking
* Identify and Use Core Strengths and Challenges in Solving Problems
* Practice Methods of Identifying the Assumptions Underlying Requests
* Recognize and Ask the Right Questions to Facilitate Problem Solving
* Identify and Apply Critical Success Factors to Overcome Stress in Making Decisions in the Workplace
* Formulate and Use Creative Problem-Solving Techniques When Working with and through Others
* Apply Insights to Deliver Clear, Credible Messages
* Exhibit Confidence in Dealing with Complex Problem Solving
* Demonstrate and Build Credibility with Upper Management
* Develop Strategic Approaches to Problem Solving and Decision Making

What Are Our Mind Traps?

* Identify Terms and Concepts Used in Problem Solving and Decision Making
* Explore the Concept of Mind Traps and Identify Your Own
* Practice and Apply Two Problem-Solving Skills

Examining Your Problem-Solving Style

* Assess Individual Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills
* Identify Barriers to Developing New Problem-Solving Skills
* Apply Different Types of Intelligences

Assumption Traps and Escapes

* Identify Assumptions in the Workplace and How They Affect Our Ability to Make Decisions and Solve Problems
* Focus on Listening for Underlying Assumptions
* Practice and Apply New Ways of Asking Questions
* Practice and Apply Two Problem-Solving Skills

Core Concepts of Critical Thinking

* Identify the Core Concepts of Critical Thinking
* Explain Key Points about Critical Thinking and Decision Making
* Observe and Practice Get Sharp Strategies
* Apply New Approaches in Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Applying and Flexing Our Sharp Skills

* Apply Sharp Thinking Skills
* Practice Flexing Methods of Problem Solving
* Use Brainstorming and the Creative Whack Pack, Two Thinking and Problem-Solving Methods

Creating an Individualized Learning Path

* Review Links to Learning from Each Course Module
* Create an Individualized Learning Path

Official Website: http://www.focustraco.com/index.php/tm-training-schedule/details/252-102303