Office Administration 1a: Introduction
Businesses worldwide and across every industry are always on the lookout for highly skilled administrative professionals to help their business be successful and thrive. Explore what it means to have effective verbal and written communication, speaking, and listening skills to work with diverse people and teams. Then dive into learning how to leverage various technology and software businesses use to stay connected and productive.
Units at a Glance
Unit 1: Starting Out
The possibilities for your future have no limits, only those you set for yourself. Businesses across the globe need well-prepared individuals who are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and experience to help businesses be successful and thrive. That’s why millions of people today are choosing to work as administrative professionals, and you can too. Why not choose a career that’s rich in history and allows you the opportunity to give your time and attention to work that is important and really makes a difference?
What will you learn in this unit?
- Explain the role of the administrative professional.
- Identify common roles for administrative professionals.
- Compare different industry and business structures.
- Describe ways to present yourself professionally in the workplace.
Unit 2: Developing Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills are the skills you use every day to interact and connect with others. Give your interpersonal skills a boost by raising your awareness of ethics, diverse cultures, office politics, and working with your manager. Administrative professionals who are more keenly aware of who they are communicating with will have greater success for effective communication in the workplace and everyday life. Let’s get started!
What will you learn in this unit?
- Describe ethical terms related to business.
- Recognize individual differences in the workplace.
- Define office politics.
- Identify ways to build an effective partnership with your manager.
Unit 3: Speaking and Listening
The ability to communicate effectively plays an important role in our daily lives. What you say and how you say it makes an impression on people. You cannot simply press an undo or delete button when you say something, whether intentionally or unintentionally inappropriate. With more businesses expanding across the globe, your success in the workplace will depend on your ability to listen to and understand others.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Describe the importance of effective communication in the workplace.
- Define and describe active listening skills.
- Discuss the importance of body language when communicating.
- Identify ways to speak with confidence.
Unit 4: Working the Frontline
Working the frontline as an administrative professional will be one of the most impactful positions you will hold within a business or company. This highly desired career choice for millions across the globe offers the opportunity throughout the workday to interact with others, perform a variety of administrative tasks, and be a brand ambassador for the company and the executives and managers you support. If you enjoy delivering exceptional customer service with a smile, consider a position on the frontline. Companies need you to make a positive lasting impression on their visitors and customers.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Discover ways to handle and greet visitors and customers
- Explain strategies for effective telephone communication
- Describe appointment management
- Identify ways to handle inbound and outbound mail
Unit 5: Writing in Business
Writing skills are one of the many must-have skills of an administrative professional. How would you rate your writing skills? In any given workday, administrative professionals create, edit, and format a number of important types of written correspondence, such as letters, emails, reports, memos, and many others. So, let’s take a peek into what’s needed for writing in business.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Describe the different ways to research and gather information
- Discover the importance for using good Business English
- Prepare effective written business correspondence
- Identify additional details for finalizing written correspondence
Unit 6: Technology Basics
As the technology landscape continues to evolve and change, businesses and organizations can expect to incorporate new technologies regularly. While there is no crystal ball to look into the future of work, administrative professionals can expect that many of their daily activities will remain connected to a variety of technologies. It’s an exciting time to be an administrative professional because you’ll have a chance to incorporate and test the latest technology for your workplace. Let’s get a glimpse of how administrative professionals interact with technology in their day-to-day work.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Explore how administrative professionals use technology
- Identify the basic functions and uses for computers and digital devices
- Differentiate between pieces of office equipment
- Explain the different tools available for remote work
Unit 7: Software Applications
Are you looking for a way to increase your productivity and marketability as an administrative professional? Become proficient in utilizing a variety of software applications to get the work done. Administrative professionals who are technology savvy will be more valuable to employers and better positioned to ask for higher salaries—and who doesn’t want to get paid more? Discover how administrative professionals use email, word processing, PDF readers, and spreadsheet software to move daily business forward.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Identify best practices for managing email
- Understand how word processing software is used in the workplace
- Discover how administrative professionals use PDF readers
- Describe how spreadsheet software is used in the workplace
Unit 8: Getting the Job
The possibilities and opportunities for employment available to you today are exciting and endless. What are you aiming for? Make the job search process work for you! This unit will share insights to help you search online for a job, prepare a cover letter, write a résumé, and prepare for a job interview. So, be informed, invest the time, and be patient. Your future is bright, so you might want to grab those shades.
What will you learn in this unit?
- Identify sources to gather job information
- Prepare a cover letter
- Create and revise a résumé
- Develop job interview skills
Required Materials
Physical
- Video recording device
Software
- Word processing software
- Presentation software
- Electronic calendar management software
- Spreadsheet software
- Microsoft Excel
Other
- A friend to deliver a presentation to
Optional
- Design software
- Google Sheets
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