Live Event! Snapshot of the Concurrent Learning Sessions

Join our Reporter In The Field, Nancy Fraze, as she shares a snapshot of her concurrent session learning at the Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence – a premier learning (and life changing) event for administrative professionals!

Following Joan’s rousing conference kickoff and fantastic first session on the 5 Pillars, we broke for our first grouping of concurrent sessions.

The sessions were well thought out and organized around the 5 Pillars. Today, we had choice of:

• Be a Beacon in Your Own World Joan Burge (Spiritual Pillar) 
• Mind Over Job: Reignite Your Professional Passion by Harnessing Your Most Powerful Asset (Your Mind!) Chrissy Scivicque of Eat Your Career (Career Pillar) 
• Finding Peace of Mind in Your Pocketbook: How to Ditch Debt, Build a Budget and Show Your Money Who’s Boss Christy Wright of Dave Ramsey’s Lampo Group (Financial Pillar)

What I really liked about Office Dynamics International’s concurrent sessions is that they all relate directly to the executive assistant and administrative professional of today. They are implementable the first day back at the desk following conference. They paint a blue-sky big canvas of high-reach excellence. They show us in step by step instructions how to make baby-steps to get there. They inspire greatness and confidence in us, and build us to return as better employees with in our organizations. 

Look at it this way:

Who wouldn’t want their admin to become a better financial manager and understand budgeting better, from a higher level of competency? Knowing how to plan better and eliminate debt could be beneficial for problem solving and personal stress reduction, too.

Who wouldn’t want their admin to become a beacon in their world, to have what it takes to encompass being an ambassador at work, taking on additional responsibility and setting an example of do more, be more competencies? Plus, it might just increase their soft skills –making them more of a people loving person! Admins are the glue that holds the office together, so any time we gain leadership and people skills the office runs more smoothly.

Who wouldn’t want their admin to gain more “mind over job” skills and steps so that as they encounter problems, issues, setbacks, new visions, new CEOs, new platforms, new technologies, advance planning, event planning and all matter of unforeseen and unexpected emergencies, itinerary changes and shortages, they can do so with a reignited sense of passion and purpose?

Some conferences simply throw a ginormous bucket of water out there and call it “concurrent sessions.” They may not even apply to administrators, or there are so many you miss 90% of the material. The trainers aren’t necessarily “the best of the best.”

ODI is different. Truly offering an Event of Distinction. Their concurrent sessions are hand-selected with an eye toward their highly crafted expertise; the trainers are top-notch successes in their own right; they present information and resources that are hot off the press, “just Tweeted” experiential learning that matters and makes sense Step by step they build and show specifics, so you leave knowing just want to do. Cutting edge and sharp, this strategically chosen session have been pre-registered by the attendees in advance, to avoid wasting time or causing confusion.

I chose the financial session by Christy Wright, and I was amazed by her humorous delivery and up tempo style of conversation. She relayed pertinent, on point information in such a clear and direct way! It wasn’t boring or old school. She directed her presentation to women, since everyone present was female. I learned so much!

• We often act out our feelings with our money.

• We need to understand our motivation behind our money.

• Women earn less, save less, invest less, prepare for retirement less, yet live longer. (Go figure!)

• We worry about money more (30% of all women worry about money.)

• Money ($$$) fights are the number 1 cause of divorce in America.

• 7 out of 10 Americans live paycheck to paycheck (without regard to amount earned!)

So what should we do? What’s the initial plan of attack?

1. Don’t buy stuff you can’t afford. 

•  Turn emergencies into inconveniences by establishing an emergency fund. 
• When you increase your power, you decrease your risk.
• Debt enables you to spend more than you make. Over 100 million American’s carry a credit card balance. Debt allows you to look like what you are not. 
• Debt does damage in secret. Debt deceives you and steals your future. 
• Become and stay debt free. 

2. Build a budget. Make your money behave.

•  Budgets are a plan to address your behavior. 
• Look at your vision, your values and your goals. 

3. Work the baby steps.

• Get a quick $1,000 emergency buffer by selling stuff, having a yard sale. 
• Pay down the debt via the snowball method. 

The session was well attended, with many questions. I really got a lot from it and enjoyed her down to earth wisdom and positive “you can do it” encouragement.

Following the session, I heard similar great feedback on Joan’s and Chrissy’s sessions, too. People seemed to like learning in the smaller group gathering with tight scopes and detailed information.

All in all, conference day one was sailing along with flying colors!