AI is here to stay. Undoubtedly. Some think this is a profession to fade away in a few years, others think that AI will be a sole companion within the Admin Professionals journey.

Written by Isabel Garcia, IMA Spain

Whereas some think this is a profession to fade away in a few years now as AI will impose and will make evident the redundancy of Admin support, others think that AI will be a sole companion within the Admin Professionals journey - being a support to be more time-efficient, to run tasks with more accuracy, to help with proposals of a wide range of templates, texts, or even ideas to start drafting a presentation.

Yes, all that seems to be true, but still, no one has yet dared to say that AI is going to emulate our soft skills and individual capabilities arisen from a combination of our knowledge, our naturally born skills, and our experience. That “thing” that makes us all unique even if sharing the profession of Management Support Professionals.

AI will indeed help and be a great colleague to work with, however, the added value comes from us, the Assistants, and that lays on how good we are and will be managing and putting into practice our soft skills and that uniqueness based on our individual capabilities.

IMA Spain AX (where AX stands for Assistants Xperience, inspired by the so well-known term UX, User Xperience).

IMA Spain AX is in fact a mentoring program that will be run internally with our own resources, as well as led by one of our IMA Spain members, Elena Miralles, who counts with a long experience being an Executive Assistant within the Pharm Industry, Office Manager and in charge of the onboarding of new staff members with regards to the organization, administration and functioning within the company teams. Within her role, Elena is frequently appointed as “buddy” for new joiners, especially those who have less experience within the Management Assistant profession and represents a great support for them.

When we proposed the project to Elena, she immediately embraced the idea, however, we let the idea settle for a while to be sure this is something doable on our own.

Fortunately, the time arrived to start shaping what we understood should be done within this program, and the first thing we did was to identify what sort of “users” we would have and what could be the different necessities they could have.

After a thorough brainstorming session, we came down to the conclusion that we needed to create this Mentoring Program divided into 3 main streams:

Stream 1: Self-Assessment

This is a 4-month program meant to evaluate where the mentee stands with regards to his/her/their package of soft kill using a professional tool, then define a route for the mentee to improve any skill and at the end of the 4 months, a new self-assessment will be done to evaluate the progress.

Stream 2: “I’m your buddy!”

This stream aims at naming a "buddy" within the organization to accompany the mentee during a longer time to help and support either a professional change, seeking for a promotion within their company, looking for a new position, or even to support the early stages of an Assistant within the professional path.

Stream 3: Collective mentoring

The IMA Spain AX team will conduct workshops during our in-person conventions + 1 more online. These workshops will be focusing on soft skills and will be linked to the topics discussed during the conventions and one more topic chosen with a comprehensive criterion to ensure a sound and beneficial session for all the participants.

The program kicks off officially in January 2024 where we will introduce it to the whole IMA Spain members, although we already had a first collective mentoring session during the 1st Assistants Convention in Pamplona on 25th November, where in groups, we worked on identifying the soft skills needed to overcome last minute issues that may appear at the celebration of an event or even, during its organization. This was a very effective and productive session where we could already note not only the teams’ opinions and findings, but also helped us identify different types of behaviors within the workshop teams.

The IMA Spain AX program aims at reinforcing the mentees and mentor’s skills, as we consider that this will be a shared learning experience for both. Furthermore, we consider that being part of IMA, in general, is a fantastic opportunity to receive trainings or the chance to participate in events organized by the National Groups or IMA Global, but also, it offers a unique chance to use the platforms and resources that the Association provides to contribute with our own experiences and like that, capitalize all the knowledge that we already have within our national groups. IMA Members need to start looking at IMA not only as the place to learn but also as the place to practice, a sort of “sandbox” to test different topics, disciplines, or capabilities to ensure we can deliver a high standard and high-quality service to the Management Teams. We believe that this IMA Spain AX could be a first step in the right direction to R-evolution.

The IMA Spain AX will be linked or will be the basis for most of our activities, namely, Social Media inputs, trainings to be organized, next Cross-Border events, and so on. This is a live program that will evolve while we evolve with it.

To hear more, please reach out to Elena Miralles.

In this interview, we ask Maria about her background inside and outside of IMA, and we get to hear about what she will focus on as our new Executive Chair. 

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Get ready for our next blog post as we deep dive into 'B' for Budget Planning in the “Trafo Baden Eventplanning A-Z” series.

From overcoming attendee count uncertainties to mastering Daily Delegate Rates (DDRs), we're breaking down the barriers to budget success. Stay tuned for exclusive insights, challenges, and expert tips to make your event financially flawless.

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This article is written by our IMA Germany member Oya Karabulut.

My first contact with IMA was overwhelming for me, a huge thunderclap into a completely new perspective on my job. Today I go to work in a completely different way than before I met IMA.

My company Gleiss Lutz hosted an "Assistants' Networking Hub" at our Frankfurt office on 21 June 2023. My first thought was "motivational speaking doesn't make the job of an assistant any better". I've been working as an assistant in various law firms since I was 16 years old. My colleagues persuaded me to take part in the event and, I was proved wrong: motivational speaking makes every job better!

We were able to attend great presentations on key competences for the assistant of the future, skills in the context of "new work" and digital transformation, the "winning team" and the right attitude towards one's own role and the definition of one's own "WHY". This was followed by an interesting exchange of ideas and a chance to get to know each other at the after-work event. This was the first time I heard about IMA.

As part of this event, an annual IMA membership was raffled off, which was won by my dear colleague Christiane. I was incredibly happy for her because this enabled her to attend the international conference in Cape Town. When do you ever get the opportunity to travel from Europe to South Africa to attend a conference?

For personal reasons, Christiane wanted to give up her prize and - although we didn't even know each other - thought of me, for which I am very grateful. Without her, my trip to South Africa would not have happened in this form.

I spoke to my employer, who kindly gave me time off for the duration of the trip and then everything happened very quickly.

I arrived in Cape Town on the morning of 26 October 2023 after an almost 12-hour flight. That same evening, there was a welcome reception where I met wonderful people from so many different countries. I felt very comfortable and warmly welcomed from the very first second. The community is really very special and radiates warmth. I was able to meet so many interesting people from so many different countries. I was overwhelmed.

We had an exciting African evening in the Gold Restaurant and the get-together brought us even closer together. It was an unforgettable evening, which began with extensive drumming by all the IMAs and continued with a small performance by singers and dancers in very colourful costumes. Afterwards we were served many different dishes and at the end members of the staff sang for us on site.

The presentations on the following 27 October 2023 were incredibly interesting. I was able to take away so many insights and valuable approaches. Sonja de Wet guided us so wonderfully through this interesting day. She was wonderful.

Quinton Coetze - Business lessons from the wilds of Africa - Entrepreneur and Wildlife Conservationist

The first speaker with the most entertaining presentation of the conference for me, as he skillfully drew parallels to the need for cohesion and cooperation between people in the business world using many examples of the simple but very efficient coexistence of the San San, where he lived for a time. In many short film sequences, he showed how these people appreciate nature on the one hand and make use of the resources on the other, acting in a very sustainable way. The audience alternated between laughter and amazement during his interesting presentation.

Prof Thuli Madonsela - Shaping an ethical workplace - advocate and professor of law at Stellenbosch University

The soft-spoken woman has a strong professional background as a professor of law and was involved in drafting the new constitution on equal rights laws, equal treatment in the workplace and various post-apartheid constitutional laws, among other things. She spoke about the principles she has established in the world of work, which she also passes on to her students. As a single mother and former ANC member, she courageously took action against corruption in the country years ago.

Alinda Nortje - "Employee Engagement" - Founder and CEO of Free to Grow

The former social worker and community worker spoke about company culture. With her organisation, she wants to encourage and enable people in communities and organisations to realise and connect themselves. She did a learning exercise with us using Japanese numbers, which I found very interesting. “Free To Grow” now specialises in employee engagement and related learning and development activities.

Helen Monument - Chair: World Administrators Alliance

Helen Monument, who is well known to most IMAs, presented the Global Skills Matrix set up by the organisation, which is a good compass for assistants around the world on how to position themselves when applying for jobs, negotiating salaries and so on.

Ronald Samuels - Building Bridges - CEO: Botswana Insurance Life and author

His presentation about his own eventful and sometimes tragic story of his childhood and youth during apartheid touched me the most. He is the author of the book "The bitter olive", his biography, and based on extracts from it he taught us the following lesson:

In the end, it's not what happened to you that counts, it's what you do about it that matters.

In his presentation, he also spoke at length about the role of assistants and how we can achieve better results in our daily interactions through communication, mutual appreciation, cohesion and confidence in our own high value.

In the evening, the traditional gala dinner also took place in the Congress Centre with the theme "Denim and Diamonds". The hall was beautifully decorated and the tables were set in an unusual way. We danced for a long time and it was a very exuberant atmosphere, which also spread to the service staff.

What touched me the most was the immense solidarity and goodwill among all the participants. You rarely experience something like that in life. At least I do, working in the shark tank that is Frankfurt, where there is always a society of elbows.

My first contact with IMA was overwhelming for me, a huge thunderclap into a completely new perspective on my job. I am no longer just the little assistant who follows her boss's instructions. I am a key person, an ambassador between two worlds (I do build bridges!), my job is important and significant. Today, I go to work in a completely different way than before I met IMA. I am eternally grateful for that.

The event has massively boosted my self-confidence, my self-worth as an assistant. I feel like I'm an important link in the chain, having spent the last 25 years literally wandering through various offices in Germany. I am someone. And I am infinitely grateful for that.

My onward journey through South Africa only reinforced this feeling. I hired a car and bravely drove 2,557 kilometres along the Garden Route and Route 62 through left-hand traffic. I encountered many friendly and warm people and the most exciting animals. It broadened my horizons quite a bit and I am so grateful for this enrichment.

Oya Karabulut, member of IMA Germany

This is the second edition of our platinum partner https://www.trafobaden.ch/enTrafo Baden's series on event planning. 

"A" for AV Services, which play a pivotal role in ensuring your event is a memorable and engaging experience. However, along with their importance, AV Services come with their own set of challenges.

In this article, we dive into the world of AV services and explore how to overcome common hurdles.

Click to read more

This is the first article of 12 in a series from our platinum partner Trafo Baden. 

An article by iBabs - our Gold partner

Let’s take a look at what the process is with executive session minutes and how executive session minutes differ from taking board meeting minutes.

If and when the time comes to take executive session minutes, they must be treated separately from the minutes of the main meeting before or after which the executive session occurs.

This is a type of confidential meeting that doesn't tend to involve ‘outsiders’. In this case, outsiders are considered those that aren’t members of the board, such as staff or advisors, but this can vary. However, unless explicitly stated, minutes should still be taken to keep a record of the session.

Read more and see examples on iBabs:

How To Take Executive Session Minutes (With An Example) - iBabs

You can try iBabs Board Portal for free.

An article by iBabs - our Gold partner 

Without a proper meeting follow-up structure, projects can take much longer to complete. Board members likely won’t be able to keep up with any meeting tasks without clear notes and due dates.

A meeting usually covers a lot of topics and discussions. So, it’s human to forget to follow up on quick actions made during its course. But if this issue persists, it can significantly hinder board productivity and waste everyone’s time and energy.

Without a proper meeting follow-up structure, projects can take much longer to complete. Board members likely won’t be able to keep up with any meeting tasks without clear notes and due dates.

So, how can directors and secretaries prevent this issue? A good approach is to note all action items in the meeting minutes and ensure their proper management. This simple change will make your meetings far more productive.

But that’s just the start — let’s explore the best ways to keep track of action items and ensure a sound meeting follow-up process.

What are meeting action items?

A meeting action item is any task that has been discussed and approved during a meeting. It could be simple, such as setting a time for another meeting, or more complex, requiring research and planning. In any case, the details and expected outcomes should be finalised during the task assignment and highlighted in your meeting notes and minutes.

An action item should be assigned to an individual or a team along with a responsible party. For example, creating social media posts should be assigned to the digital marketing team, while the marketing manager should be tasked with ensuring its correct and timely execution.

Their importance

Meeting action items allow projects to proceed faster. With a robust follow-up process and deadlines, everyone does their part to keep the momentum going.

Sometimes, action items follow a sequence — one task’s completion leads to the initiation of another. For example, if the sales team create a spreadsheet of their monthly activity and reasons for missing revenue targets, subsequent actions could include:

• Setting up a formal meeting with the department head.
• Organising a sales training session.
• Researching new sales technology.
• Creating performance scorecards to break down each member’s performance.

Examples of action items

Here are some examples of common action items that arise from a meeting:

• Following up with a potential client, customer or prospect
• Preparing a presentation
• Exploring new tools and technology
• Putting together the next board meeting agenda
• Finalising a plan
• Organising files and folders

How to optimise action item management

Here are the best ways to manage action items and ensure a sound follow-up structure:

Add clarity and detail

Keep every action item clear and detailed. For example, allocating a task with just a title, ‘Prepare sales presentation’, is too vague. Add further information about what it should entail. A well-written, descriptive action item will help avoid confusion.

Keep all action items in one place

If various action items are kept in different places, it can lead to confusion between teams. It can also be demoralising for anyone who accidentally missed their responsibilities. To avoid mix-ups, store all action items in one place so they are easier to manage and track.

Sort your action items

There are multiple ways to sort your action items, such as by:

• Status (in progress, not started, completed, etc.)
• Priority (low, medium or high)
• Deadline (closest to furthest)

By sorting your action items, it’s easy to visualise pending tasks and catch up with assignees.

Mention deadlines and assignee(s)

Assign individuals or teams to each action item and set a reasonable delivery date. Communicate with the assignees before setting a deadline based on urgency and their current workload. Giving clarity ensures that individuals are aware of their responsibilities.

Maintain open communication

Within a meeting, action items can be assigned without full knowledge of the entire process. Sometimes, an assignee will only realise the absence of essential elements once they start the task. They should be able to communicate this information and add a preceding action item before theirs can be done.

It’s also vital to inform them of any changes to an action item or its priority. This will impact the individual/team responsible and may also extend to other action items.

Track progress

Utilise tools to track the progress of action items. Check on the action item tracking document regularly, and don’t hesitate to give the assignees a nudge on incomplete tasks ahead of or on the deadline. If they haven’t updated the tracker, remind them to do so.

Meeting action item template

Lots of businesses use project management tools to track action items. We recommend using a board portal, such as iBabs, so everyone can update their task status easily in a secure environment that protects your sensitive information. It’s also good practice to colour code for a clearer picture of progress.

Here’s a simple template that you can use for your business:

Conclusion

Utilising an efficient and organised follow-up process keeps everyone aligned and on track with their responsibilities. Sound action item management leads to productive meetings and increases momentum.

If you want to optimise your follow-up strategy, iBabs can help. This virtual board meeting software provides a dashboard where administrators and directors can see the progress of each action item, communicate and exchange documents.

 

You can try iBabs Board Portal for free.

Diana Brandl talks to Karin Hélène, Executive Governance Officer of IMA Global and Head of the Director General’s Office of the European Spallation Source (ESS).

Karin Hélène is Head of the Director General’s Office of the European Spallation Source (ESS), a European intergovernmental research facility under construction in Lund, Sweden. ESS will probe materials and processes down to the atomic scale using beams of neutrons, with a wide range of applications from engineering to energy to the life sciences.

Karin is Swedish and has an extensive international background, having lived, studied and worked during a period of almost 20 years in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Thailand. She started her career as Executive Assistant in 1987 in Saudi Arabia and has worked within the private sector, the Swedish government and for non-profit organisations. She has worked at ESS since 2011.

Karin was nominated and runner up for the Swedish Office Professionals Award in 2014, she believes in life-long-learning and is constantly looking for opportunities to develop her role, her most recent training focusing on the role of Chief-of-Staff and Management.

Karin Hélène is the former Chair of International Management Assistants (IMA) in Southern Sweden and member of the Swedish National Board. Since 2020, she is a member of IMA Global Executive Committee where her role is Executive Governance Officer. Since 2018, she has represented Sweden at the World Administrators Summit.

In 2015 she founded an internal network for assistants and support personnel at ESS and since a few years she is a mentor for students of the certified Executive Business Assistant education.

Go to the podcast here

An article by iBabs - our Gold partner

Meeting minutes are some of the most important documents for a business. They remind you why certain decisions were made and fulfil your organisation’s legal requirements, becoming essential as evidence in investigations.

This makes correctness vital when recording minutes from a meeting. You need to present an accurate account of the proceedings that can prove helpful in the future. This article is packed with helpful advice for meeting administrators and assistants on how to be more effective when taking meeting minutes.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

As an administrator, it is easy to feel as if you should remain in the background to perform your tasks in meetings. However, your task is essential to the governance of the organisation, so don’t be afraid to ask important questions to ensure you carry it out accurately.

Here are some of the questions you might have to ask in a meeting to make sure your minutes are on point:

• “Can you clarify this?”

If you don’t understand something, just say. The chances are that the point was not clear and others may have also been confused by it. It is better to get it right straight away than to take up valuable time to make sense of it later.

• “Are there any corrections from the previous meetings?”

Ask attendees to rectify any mistakes from the previous minutes before you get into the next meeting. This saves discussion time in the future.

• “Can I see a copy of the agenda?”

Having a copy of the agenda helps you create a framework for the minutes, saving you time. Knowing what is happening and when means you can concentrate on what is being said rather than the structure of the meeting.

• “Do you mind if I record the meeting?”

Having an audio or video recording helps accurate minute taking. However, some meetings might feature private information that attendees do not want on record, so ask first.

Tips for taking expert meeting minutes

1.    Understand the topics

Once you have the agenda for the meeting, research the topics up for discussion. This will make it easier to follow the conversation in the meeting.

2.    Meet with the chair in advance

Another way to ensure you understand the areas of discussion is to meet with the chair beforehand to gain an insight into how the meeting will run.

3.    Create a template

Having a framework that you can use for every meeting you minute takes a lot of the work out of the process, making your life easier.

4.    Listen

It seems obvious, but active listening is essential for following the discussion. If you are clued up on the topics and have a template, you are better able to dedicate yourself to listening carefully.

5.    Be assertive

You need to do all you can to carry out your job properly, and that includes speaking up if you need a point clarifying or repeating.

6.    Check attendees in

As meeting attendees enter the room, mark them off on your minute template. This helps you keep track of attendance for the official record.

7.    Sit by the chair

The seat next to the chair is the best place to ensure you can hear the entire discussion, as attendees direct their speeches towards them.

8.    Take clear notes

Keep the notes brief and clear and ensure they communicate the nature of the discussion as well as the decisions and action points. They don’t have to be word-for-word but should show the nature of the events accurately.

9.    Write the minutes as soon as possible

It is best to write up the minutes whilst they are still fresh in your mind. This helps you make them as accurate as possible without having to wrack your mind to remember key elements of the meeting.

10.     Mix up your language

Keep the minutes fresh by mixing up the language you use. Rather than just saying ‘agreed’, try swapping it for synonyms like ‘concurred’.

11.     Use professional language and grammar

Your minutes need to reflect professional actions, so they should be written formally. Use active language rather than passive, for example.

12.     Adapt for remote meetings

Many meetings take place in a hybrid or fully virtual manner now. Work with the chair to talk about how they will keep attendees engaged and in order, and be prepared to interrupt if there are any glitches or drop-outs.

Technology to help minute taking

Using a board portal, such as iBabs, you can save your minutes directly to the cloud and collaborate with attendees and the chair between meetings. This helps you ensure the previous meeting’s minutes are accurate and approved before the next meeting. You can also annotate the agenda through the portal, making writing minutes faster.

 

Request a demo of iBabs