Welcome IAAP members!
PODCAST OF THE WEEK
IAAP has teamed up with The Office Professional newsletter to offer its members weekly podcasts tailored for you, the consummate administrative professional.
These instructional podcasts will focus on a host of topics including career management, workplace relationships, professional development, stress management, productivity, teamwork, and much more.
To listen to a podcast, just click on the title. If you want to save the podcast and listen to it later, just right-click the title and choose the 'save' option.
THIS WEEK'S PODCAST
Week of August 30, 2010
PRODUCTIVITY: Nine ways to conserve office supplies
When using office supplies that we haven’t paid for out of our own pockets, it’s easy to forget how the cost of items like paper, binders and file folders can add up. Organizations appreciate workers who take a careful approach to using supplies. This podcast outlines nine tips for conserving office supplies. (3 min.)
SPECIAL PODCAST
PRODUCTIVITY: On-Demand Training from The Office Professional
Are you long overdue for updating and polishing your admin skills? Take a listen to this podcast and learn about a fast, easy and inexpensive way to make that happen. (3 min.)
The following are previous Podcasts of the Week sorted by category.
CAREER MANAGEMENT
Week of June 7, 2010
CAREER MANAGEMENT: Finding the career of your dreams
Great careers happen not by accident, but by design. No matter how long you’ve been working, it is never too late to make career plans, or to change them. This podcast outlines six steps to take to find the career of your dreams. (8 min.)
Week of May 24, 2010
CAREER MANAGEMENT: Learning the unwritten rules in your company
Nearly every organization puts its policies and procedures in writing so that employees know what is expected of them. But every organization also has unwritten rules that can play a significant role in your success. This podcast covers four types of unwritten rules it’s important to note in every organization. (2 min.)
Week of April 5, 2010
CAREER MANAGEMENT: Winning support for your ideas
When and how you present a new idea is as important as its quality. Ideas that are presented poorly or badly timed may never get off the drawing board. This podcast offers four strategies to ensure your ideas get a fair hearing. (2 min.)
Week of March 23, 2010
CAREER MANAGEMENT: Projecting a can-do attitude
Have you ever noticed how willing some people are to jump in when asked to do something? Their “can-do” attitude is noticed and valued by colleagues and managers. This podcast offers four ways to project a “can-do” attitude. (2 min.)
Week of March 9, 2010
CAREER MANAGEMENT: Adjusting to a new job
The first few days in a new job are critical to making a good first impression with your manager and co-workers. This podcast offers five ways to start a new job on the right foot. (3 min.)
Week of February 23, 2010
CAREER MANAGEMENT: 4 ways to make a smashing first impression
Did you know that you will meet approximately 10,000 people in your lifetime? That’s a lot of chances to make a terrific first impression. This podcast offers four ways to make a smashing first impression. (2 min.)
Week of February 1, 2010
CAREER MANAGEMENT: 7 Ways to Gain Credibility
Credibility is a fragile thing. It can take a long time to establish, but only a moment to destroy. This podcast presents 7 essential strategies to gain and maintain your credibility in the workplace. (6 min.)
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Week of April 19, 2010
CHANGE MANAGEMENT: Understanding change styles
When you hear that something in your office is going to change, what’s your immediate reaction? Research shows that most people have one of three change styles. This podcast helps you understand your preferred change style as well as the reactions of others when dealing with workplace transition. (3 min.)
COMMUNICATION
Week of August 9, 2010
COMMUNICATION: Improving verbal agility
Do you admire people who have the “gift of gab”? Some people seem to know just what to say, when to say it and the way to word it best. The five strategies in this podcast will help you to improve your verbal agility. (3 min.)
Week of July 26, 2010
COMMUNICATION: Improve your listening skills
If you watch a good communicator in conversation with others, it’s likely that what makes her a good communicator is not what she says, but how she listens. This podcast identifies four ways you can be a more effective listener. (2 min.)
Week of July 5, 2010
COMMUNICATION: Improve your telephone voice
The quality of your voice plays an important role when you express your ideas to others, particularly when talking on the phone. This podcast explains four ways to improve the quality of your voice on the phone. (2 min.)
Week of May 17, 2010
COMMUNICATION: Writing for someone else’s signature
Composing letters and e-mail for managers can be a tricky business if you’re not sure what others want to say or how they want to say it. This podcast offers six techniques for writing letters and e-mail on behalf of your manager. (5 min.)
Week of April 26, 2010
COMMUNICATION: Giving clear instructions
Have you ever given others instructions for completing a task, only to have them do something totally different from what you asked for? This podcast offers four strategies for maximum clarity the next time you need to give instructions to someone for a task that needs to be completed. (2 min.)
Week of February 17, 2010
COMMUNICATION: Writing business reports
Many people dread writing business reports, but it need not be a painful task. This podcast offers 6 easy steps to writing a good business report. (4 min.)
PRODUCTIVITY
Week of August 16, 2010
PRODUCTIVITY: Reaching consensus at meetings
Do the meetings you attend ever get bogged down with too many ideas and no way to reach consensus? Next time you’re at a meeting that seems to be going around in circles, try one of the approaches described in this podcast. (3 min.)
Week of August 2, 2010
PRODUCTIVITY: Managing budgetary responsibilities
Today many office professionals manage budgets. If you have not had this responsibility before, it can be intimidating to be asked to handle a budget. You can manage this role effectively with the seven strategies in this podcast. (3 min.)
Week of July 12, 2010
PRODUCTIVITY: Handling peak workloads
Sometimes you know a peak workload is coming, like a category five hurricane bearing down on you. Other times a peak workload sneaks up on you like an unexpected tidal wave. This podcast describes four ways to manage a peak workload. (3 min.)
Week of June 28, 2010
PRODUCTIVITY: Organizing a small work space
Is your work space smaller than a broom closet? Tiny work spaces pose a particular challenge for office professionals who want to be productive and organized, but don’t have much elbow room. This podcast offers 6 tips to help you organize a small work space. (3 min.)
Week of May 10, 2010
PRODUCTIVITY: How to get more from your reading time
The flood of e-mails, faxes, regular mail and internal communications we receive on a daily basis can challenge even the best-organized office professional. This podcast offers eight strategies for managing your reading pile in an efficient manner. (5 min.)
Week of May 3, 2010
PRODUCTIVITY: Solving last-minute problems
You’re chugging along making good progress toward your deadline, when a glitch comes along that you weren’t expecting. This podcast offers four strategies to get back on track when facing last-minute problems that can derail your progress. (2 min.)
Week of April 12, 2010
PRODUCTIVITY: Improving your company’s bottom line
In these budget-conscious times, companies are always on the lookout for ways to save money. Although you may not be directly involved with your company’s finances, you can play a significant role in keeping your company’s bottom line healthy with the four strategies offered in this podcast. (2 min.)
Week of March 2, 2010
PRODUCTIVITY: 4 ways to reduce distractions
You’re planning to spend the entire morning finishing an urgent project. But drop-in visitors and unexpected phone calls keep you from getting started. This podcast offers four ways to reduce distractions that interfere with your productivity and concentration. (2 min.)
Week of January 25, 2010
PRODUCTIVITY: When illness strikes
It often seems that contagious illnesses sweep through an office, sometimes causing havoc with project deadlines. When illness strikes, try these 5 strategies to cope with your workload. (3 min.)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Week of June 21, 2010
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Handling your first supervisory role
When you receive a long-desired promotion to a management role, it’s easy to imagine that the hard part is over. You’ve laid the groundwork, paid your dues and finally “made it.” You certainly deserve to pat yourself on the back but need to handle the transition into this role effectively. This podcast offers four strategies for ensuring that you get started on the right foot as a first-time supervisor. (3 min.)
Week of May 31, 2010
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Leading small group discussions
The ability to lead and manage small group discussions is a vital skill for every office professional. Whether you are a chairperson or an informal meeting leader, this podcast provides four methods for conducting productive discussions. (2 min.)
Week of March 16, 2010
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: How to check references
Many office professionals are given responsibility for checking references on job applicants. This podcast describes the key questions you need to ask when checking references. (3 min.)
Week of January 11, 2010
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Making Presentations Without Notes
Polished, professional speakers often make presentations with few notes or none at all. If you want to polish your speaking style and be seen as a professional speaker, try these four strategies for speaking without relying too heavily on notes during presentations. (4 min.)
STRESS MANAGEMENT
Week of January 4, 2010
STRESS MANAGEMENT: Staying Calm Under Pressure
Most people experience stressful periods on the job. You can improve your ability to stay calm under pressure with the three techniques presented in this podcast. (2 min.)
TEAMWORK
Week of March 29, 2010
TEAMWORK: Setting goals in teams
Goal-setting can be frustrating if everyone on the team is not in synch. This podcast offers seven strategies for helping your team to set goals. (3 min.)
WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS
Week of August 23, 2010
WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS: Boost workplace morale
Some people think that maintaining team morale is management’s responsibility. But today, every team member is responsibility for keeping group morale high. You can be a morale-booster with the four strategies described in this podcast. (2 min.)
Week of July 19, 2010
WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS: Handling emotions at work
Have you ever reacted emotionally to a situation at the office, then wished later that you had behaved more calmly? Maintaining composure in a tense situation is a challenge for most people on occasion. This podcast offers four techniques for staying calm and productive under pressure. (3 min.)
Week of June 14, 2010
WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS: Working with multiple managers
Most administrative workers today handle the work of more than one manager. Dealing with different managers, personalities and requests that sometimes conflict can be a challenge. This podcast provides three strategies for managing multiple managers. (2 min.)
Week of January 18, 2010
WORKPLACE RELATIONSHIPS: 7 ways to deal with angry people
When you work in a job where you interact with others, there is always the chance you will find yourself dealing with an angry co-worker, customer or manager. This podcast presents seven strategies for handling angry people effectively and professionally. (3 min.)
Want access to even more podcasts? Click here for an additional 25!
