Answer:
it is an essential part of the job responsibility of today's administrative professionals because they are to assist executive to determine the purpose of the meeting,determine who attends the meeting, set the objectives for the meeting, plan the agenda, and establish the time and place for the meeting
The administrative professional should always discuss the purpose of the meeting with the executive who calls the meeting so you can learn their needs. They should be able to help with meeting preparation and coordination.
Administrative professionals should be a meeting extraordinaire in all three stages: pre-meeting, proper meeting, and post meeting.
Pre-meeting: This is where a lot of ownership in terms of having to do a lot of the work. Really take ownership of all the steps it takes in that pre-meeting stage. An example would be, asking to assist with sketching out the agenda. Don’t be afraid a week to two weeks out to ask the executive can I help you sketch out the agenda for the meeting to come in two weeks?
This not only helps your manager be prepared for the meeting, but those attending the meeting to also be prepared. Another example would be to plot through the different steps and actions needed for a successful meeting with your manager. Once that is done, you go back to your desk, look for the action items that might be missing and fill in any blanks that will help the order of making sure this meeting will be successful. Help to gather pre-reads for your executive, by using tools like the internet, articles, e-mails e.t.c. that will prepare your executive for this meeting and they can go into their meetings with confidence. The will help in standing out among other administrative professionals.
Meeting Proper: This is the actual meeting. Administrative professional attend the meetings and contribute. They don't only sits in the meetings and types copious notes on her laptop. But she ask questions, gives ideas, she contributes. She also is not afraid to ask questions if she didn’t understand what was said in that meeting.
Post Meeting: This is where a lot of assistants are left out. When your manager is headed back from a meeting, they are already thinking of the next meeting, or the phone calls they have to make or the hundreds of emails they have to answer. This is where you can truly make a difference! When your manager gets back from their meeting, ask your manager:
- Are there any follow up items I need to take care of for you?
- Were there any events discussed during this meeting that I need to be aware of?
- Are there any action items that I can prepare for you?
You want to draw that conversation out of your executive, this will allow you to be proactive and anticipate. That will allow your executive to do things that will be conducive to productivity and allow them to maximize their talents.