The Essential EA Toolkit

This on-demand course includes four session recordings, eight bonus resources, and a course certificate.

The Essential EA Toolkit is your back-to-basics best friend. This 4-session program will give you all of the tools you need to set yourself up for day-to-day success. It’s about being organized, staying on top of the many requests you receive, building a successful partnership with your executive(s), prioritizing, and more. 

This program is for you if you want to have calm, organized, and productive work practices. At the end of this program, you’ll feel confident about the systems you have put in place to ensure your success. 

Session 1: Set Up for Success

In this session, we delve into the EA / Exec relationship and how you will work together to build a successful partnership. We cover daily communication, the questions you need to ask, how to have productive 1:1s, giving upward feedback, stakeholder management, creating Standard Operating Procedures, and more. 

Objectives

• Understand the role of the executive assistant and the relationship between the EA and executive. 
• Know how to communicate effectively with executive level team members. 
• Know how to facilitate and engage in a productive 1:1.
• Know what Standard Operating Procedures are and how to create them. 

Bonus Resources: EA/Exec Checklist, Weekly 1:1 Check-in Template, and An EA's Guide to Creating SOPs

Session 2: Managing Your Workload

In this session, we look at how to organize your day so that you can successfully manage your workload. We cover prioritization, triaging tasks, and tools you can use to stay on top of everything.

Objectives

• Know how to prioritize tasks. 
• Understand The Eisenhower Matrix. 
• Have knowledge of various task management systems. 

Bonus Resources: The Eisenhower Matrix and Trello Board Template

 
Session 3: Communication

In this session, we cover various kinds of communication and look at finding your EA voice. We discuss how to write effective emails, levels of formality, and note taking vs minute taking. 

Objectives

• Understand different communication styles.
• Understand when to adapt your communication style.
• Know how to write effective emails.
• Understand the difference between taking notes and formal minutes. 

Bonus Resources: Board Meeting Minutes Template, Team Action Minutes Template, and Team Meeting Minutes Template

Session 4: Having A Strategic Mindset

In this session, we look at how you can develop a strategic mindset and think like an exec in order to anticipate needs and get things done.

Objectives

• Understand what it means to have a strategic mindset.
• Know how to anticipate needs.  
• Have knowledge of decision-making frameworks.
• Know how to align daily tasks with long term objectives.

Hot Tip: Did you know you can convert an email into a calendar invite in Outlook with CTRL + ALT + R ?

About Alicia Fairclough: Alicia Fairclough is the founder of EA How To, the world’s largest and most active community of assistants. Following a successful career as the EA to the CEO of a number of amazing companies, Alicia turned her passion project into a new career, making it her mission to improve the working lives of EAs globally. 

A vocal advocate for this profession, Alicia has become an influential voice that executives and their assistants pay attention to. 

In her spare time, Alicia always has a podcast playing and likes to travel, explore cocktail menus, and create the perfect playlist for every occasion.