Getting Approved for Training

We recently received a request for Joan to write an assistant with some tips on persuading her executive to invest in her attendance at the 2016 Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence. We found that many of you may actually want to access these tips as well as we’re often asked for tips on getting approved for training. We’re posting Joan’s message here for that purpose.

Thank you for your interest in our conference. We have an excellent theme for 2016, The Revolutionary Assistant.

You were asking about what you could share with your executive to talk about cost associated with conference.

My first word of advice is to not use the word “cost.” Immediately that can send a negative to an executive. Instead you want to use the word “investment” because that is what your company is doing. They are investing in education for you that they will get back from your learning and executing the good ideas you learn at our conference.

When you approach you executive, you should first talk about the benefits of attending the conference and what you will learn. Then talk about Office Dynamics’ 25 year history in training and development and 22 years’ experience hosting conferences. The last item you discuss is the investment for this great opportunity.

Your benefits should include the list of topics below which is “what you will learn.” Tell your executive that you will be able to network with 350 other high-level individuals from more than 85 organizations in various industries. Thus gaining the value of different views, ideas and perspectives. You will learn best practices from other attendees and techniques you can take back to your role and company.

The Revolutionary Assistant Topics Will Include:

• An introduction to Compression Planning—a thinking model to move ideas into action; includes being able to take skills and build them into your role and crate opportunities that might not otherwise rise up.
• Becoming a productivity Ninja with technology tools.
• Take intelligent risks, instead of fearing uncertainty.
• Challenge the comfort zone, instead of being complacent.
• Engage in courageous communication, instead of hiding from difficult conversations.
• Advocate for change and improvement, instead of resisting it. Or merely adapting to it.
• Seek innovative solutions, instead of dwelling in problems.
• Leverage emerging technology, instead of ignoring or fighting it.
• Step up to obstacles, instead of hesitating or running away.
• Create opportunities, instead of waiting for them to appear.

While our conference is administrative focused, many of the skills and competencies we will address at the 2016, can be utilized by anyone in the workplace. Even if you are not a secretary you will benefit greatly from the concept of being “revolutionary” and all the presentations.

You will have exposure to at least 10 subject matter experts. We are still working on enlisting our speakers. If you divide $1395.00 by 10 that equals only $139.50 per speaker. That is extremely reasonable. If you hired each subject matter expert for an hour as a coach, it would cost $250.00/hr. or more.

The Office Dynamics conference is comparable to other large conferences for assistants when it comes to registration fee, however the value ratio is much higher than other administrative events.

Also follow the advice on getting approval at this link. http://officedynamicsconference.com/about/getting-approval-to-attend-an-administrative-assistant-conference/

I hope this helps and good luck.

Joan

What are your best practices for getting approved for training? Have you found it difficult to gain approval?