Training & facilitation

Empowered 4 Success training & facilitation difference

EAs, PAs and Admin Assistants can feel disillusioned or unhappy for a variety of reasons – feeling undervalued and underutilized, lack of recognition for their hard work and contributions, they feel their opinions are not valued or respected, feeling underpaid and unrecognized, feeling a lack of control over their workload, job security, and career paths. Working in an environment with a high level of stress can add to the unhappiness.

Whatever the cause, we can help you and your assistant identify the core issues causing the disillusionment and lack of self-confidence in their role and design a training course suitable and customised to overcome their problems.

Our 2-day workshops/trainings are designed to help participants learn more about the topic at hand, gain hands-on experience and improve their skills. They feature presentations, case studies, and practical activities which allow each individual to ask questions, reflect on their own experiences and apply their knowledge to real world situations. The workshops also provide a great opportunity to network with other professionals in the field and expand their knowledge through team-building activities.

Michele Thwaits, your facilitator, has years of experience in the personal and executive assistant role and she understands the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to excel in this position.

Services

Empowered 4 Success aims to improve and change attitudes, behaviours, concepts and skills of your EA, PA, Admin Assistant through training and mentoring.

Our training/facilitation workshops run over TWO days either online, inhouse and in-class . 

Our Training

EA and PA Masterclass

Our masterclass course teaches executive-level skills to those looking to become successful in their roles or become skilled in their profession. The course typically covers topics such as office management, communication, collaboration, strategic skills, organization and project management. Other skills that may be discussed include minute taking, professional business writing and presentation skills, as well as communication and negotiation techniques. The class might also provide tips on working with higher-level executives, managing difficult situations and dealing with office politics. This type of course is popular among those looking to pursue or improve their career in the executive assistant field.

VA Masterclass

We offer a practical skills masterclass showing you how to leverage technology and streamline your business operations. More importantly where do you start, find out what the essentials are to start your business, your branding, establish your processes, onboarding process for new clients, learn how to track your time, increase your social media skills, developing your niche – what services will you be offering, finding your target market.

Masterful minute taking

Our minute taking course will teach you how to accurately and effectively document discussions and decisions in a meeting or other formal setting. You learn how to record both verbal and nonverbal communication, how to identify the key points and action items of a meeting, how to use abbreviations and shorthand, how to effectively distribute minutes, and how to ensure accuracy and confidentiality of information. Additionally, the course may cover topics such as summarizing skills, time management methods, note-taking techniques and a practical minute taking exercise to test your skills.

Professional business writing

We can help professionals improve their communication skills and become more successful in their careers. We teach proper grammar and formatting and how to write for different audiences and industries. You will learn the importance of accuracy and clarity in writing, how to structure documents effectively, and how to use language that is appropriate for each audience. You will also learn how to anticipate and address questions that may arise. We also cover email etiquette, business etiquette and presentation skills. This type of class can be beneficial for delegates of all experience levels, from those just starting out in the corporate world to experienced executives.

Communication: The art of understanding and being understood

Communication skills are the cornerstone of any successful career. They are key to building relationships, creating trust and respect, and helping you stand out. Personality enhancement focuses on understanding your personality traits and how to apply them in the workplace ensuring better communication and an awareness of how others interpret or filter information and making an impact in their environment. This course will help you become a more effective communicator, improve problem-solving skills, and develop better decision-making abilities. You will learn techniques for managing stress and difficult emotions.

Time management

Time management is a critical skill for any business professional. It is important to be able to prioritize tasks and create a schedule that maximizes time efficiency. Some specific skills related to time management include goal setting, scheduling and planning, organizing, multitasking, and delegating. Managing your time effectively can help reduce stress, increase productivity and achieve personal and professional goals.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

My best friend DrJ recommended Michele. I was sceptical because she is an Executive Virtual Assistant and I had never worked remotely with an Executive Assistant. Michele is not a typical Virtual Assistant, she is real. It feels like she is in my office daily and 24/7. She organized and rearranged our lives effortlessly - business and family. We have more time to work on the business (strategy) because she works in the business (operations). The best part, the whole family relies on her for travel arrangements, business presentations and many more. My 3 young adult sons appreciate her thoughtfulness and kindness. They feel special and well-nurtured as young professional businessmen.

The business is soaring and our family life is enhanced. I wonder how we survived without her all along.

Dr Hajo Morallane
Hafro Natural

I can’t thank Michele enough for her exceptional support.
She has streamlined our processes which has freed up all the bottle necks we had hampering productivity and enabling us to actually get down to doing what we needed to do.

Her valued experience, input and insight to our constantly challenging environment has been such a value add. Michele keeps me on my toes (which i need as my mind is always in 100 different directions) but is also my sounding board when the inevitable business challenges surface… I know we can call on Michele.

Thank you for being there for Tribecca and the team through the peaks and troughs of our times, your efficiency, professionalism and enthusiasm has made a priceless impact on the business and I couldn’t recommend you enough!

KMF - Keep Moving Forward Michele!

Wandile Rikhotso
Director, Tribecca Supplies

I have worked with Michele since last year, and my life is now more organised, and all the admin that I hated doing that takes a lot of my time is now well taken care of. The lovely thing about working with an experienced virtual assistant is that you don't have to keep checking if the work is done; you know it will be done and not only done but done professionally ("at an executive level"). Michele is not just a VA, but she is someone that has initiative and can be your extra pair of eyes when it comes to strategic things.

Michele is your go-to lady if you are overstretched and tired of it. You don't have to be a superwoman or executive; outsource certain functions to an experienced person so you can delegate with peace

De Jabulile Msimango-Galawe
Director, DrJBiz

I was referred to Michele when looking for assistance and she has been a great support ever since. Ihave enjoyed working with her and appreciate her dedication to the tasks which have been performed efficiently and with a quick turnaround time.

Matseliso Shongwe
M & F Shongwe (Pty) Ltd

Michele Thwaits of Online Office has worked for me for the past two months now and has been a Godsend. In my forty-odd years of working, I have been able to say that only in regard to a handful of people, and not after only two months; yet this seldom-given praise is well-deserved.

Her predecessors had unfortunately left the back office in awry and she came in at a time, with Covid-19 very imminent, where my corporate clients were withdrawing to work from home with new challenges arising daily as to how they were to continue running their businesses. The coaching industry has gone very quiet globally as businesses turn their attentions to “the essentials”.

Yet, Michele quickly assimilated what needed to be done in her role and has worked systematically in ensuring that everything gets done in the time necessary. She has methodically and meticulously, yet always pleasantly, achieved the targets set for her even within the two hours she allocates to my business each day. She seems very systems-oriented in her approach and in this way soon had a good understanding of what is a very different environment from the ones she is used to. I soon learnt that she could be trusted not to let things fall through the cracks and, when one inconsequential thing did, she was quick to let me know about it. She has a pleasant but professional manner which my clients, many of whom are at senior levels in organisations, and is tactfully tenacious and creative in finding ways to get to speak to them even though they are not at the office.

I hope I am not shooting myself in the foot in readily recommending her to anyone looking for a excellent virtual assistant!

Lauron Buys
Lauron Buys Coaching

Michele is brilliant, thorough, and has an eye for detail. Working with her in the online space space has been nothing short of a blessing! She is an experienced, board level colleague with a wealth of knowledge in process design and getting your business flowing. She's an accurate grammarian, with extraordinary wiring abilities. She also trains and coaches our team on how to work as efficiently and productively as possible. Thank you for all you do Michele!

Mica Newman
Founder Office Online

Michele is quick, professional and easy to work with. I highly recommend her personal attention on any important project or brand you are working on.

Simone Berger
Founder and Head Strategist at Univation

I have used Michele as a VA for several months now, and it has been the best decision I have made. Using Michele's administrative strengths has freed me up to do what I am good at. I highly recommend the services of Michele Thwaits.

Mphiwa Nombembe
CEO Vine Private Wealth

Michele is everything a VA should be and more. What has made a difference for me is the way she does things. Before she started with us, my agenda was a constant surprise. Missing an email here or there and clashes in appointments alone can be annoying for others but not least for me. When you can let go of the day-to-day administration (which she does amazingly well), you can focus on the core of why you have your business. For me, it was getting back to the people that work for us and to our clients—being able to give them my undivided attention. This has worked so well internally that every person we work with has complimented her and welcomed her. They now get to see more of me, and our working relationships have improved in leaps in bounds. This already started happening within the first two weeks of Michelle coming on board. I can also be a bit of a terrier at times. Michele always finds an approach that works for both of us. Her tenacity, curiosity and compassion, combine in a way that you know you can let go of whatever she has taken on. She will stick with it, figure it out, ask when she needs to and do it in a way that keeps everyone on board and engaged. Thank you, Michele, for making a real difference in our lives.

Eksteen de Waal
Exponentially Me

Michele knows her stuff. She is hardworking, honest and straight forward.

Wilmien Davis
Catalyst, coach, ChemEng, Speaker, Trainer, Owner of Chemistry of Change

Michele is organized and works at pace. She takes away a lot of the hassle of managing diaries, meetings and documents. She’s very dependable and efficient and allows me to be more effective.

Nathan Pillay
Director Envision Advisory Services

A number of my clients make use of Michele's VA services. I'm one of the most disorganised people I know, and thought I'd find out what all the fuss is about, and speak to Michele. To say that this has been one of the best business decisions of my life, is an understatement. Michele has freed me up to do what I really want to do (and, it's not admin). I'm probably biased, because I'm now a huge fan. Go to her. She will change your life.

Jacques de Villiers
LinkedIn profiler

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