My Mum's life She was born in October 1927 and was brought up in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. She later worked there and in Leeds. She married my Dad in 1950 and worked with him in special schools in Yorkshire and Shropshire. In 1960 they moved to Cheadle, Greater...

The PA/EA ‘job description’ “Does that role still exist?” I was asked when I explained what I do. “I thought nobody needed PAs anymore…”. After I’d metaphorically picked myself up from the floor, I said “yes, very much so”. Technological innovations and changes in...

We all communicate naturally; most of us find it impossible NOT to communicate… but we don’t always communicate effectively First of all, let’s analyse communications. We pick up messages from each other in three ways; from body language, tone of voice and the words...

We’ve all done it — dreamed of a top job, an exotic holiday or a catwalk figure — yet, how often do these things come to fruition? “When we’ve got a bit of money, we’ll go on a really nice holiday.”“I’ve always fancied working abroad.”“I’d love a job like that.”“I...

Whoops! Shouldn't've clicked on send. There can be so many opportunities for error in writing. The speed of email encourages us to click on send without proofreading what we have written. Tight deadlines mean we don’t always take enough care over our reports. Not only...

The PA and the manager spend a great deal of time together They have the same objectives and carry out different tasks to achieve those objectives. Communication is vital; it would be impossible to work together successfully without excellent communication. Your team...

Do people groan when they have to attend a meeting? Maybe it's boredom … why not do things differently? In a different room or locationOutside instead of inside (weather permitting)Standing upWalkingInclude group workHave an objective as the meeting titleMake the...

Sadly, people can have negative perceptions of those in PA/admin roles What we mustn't do is reinforce those negative perceptions with our behaviour. "So, I like told him that it was like really difficult to like to do that task."...

10 insider insights from Heather. As an inexperienced secretary, I hated taking notes and writing minutes — I’d rather have thrown myself downstairs! However, as I progressed to more senior roles, I eventually got the hang of it and have,since 2000, been helping other...

Not only do minute takers need training, so do Managers and those chairing the meetings. Here are some initial tips to help: Make time for a pre-meeting with the minute taker and/or include the minute taker in any pre-meetings; Give everyone as much notice as possible...