During the 2022 Tennessee Extension Conference, administrative assistants were invited for the first time in Tennessee. Dean Ashley Stokes, as well as the chair of the Extension Conference Planning Committee, David Perrin, asked TEAAP to have some educational sessions that would give our unique group an opportunity to participate in the educational sessions. We had the following Educational Sessions that were geared towards administrative assistants: 

Connect Four: Cora Ripley, State FCS Office and Dawn Seigel, UT Extension Dean’s Office 

Connect Four was a fun way to learn details about friends you have just met.  Groups of four were tasked with naming three items they all had in common and one that was unique to each.  Not only did they learn about each other as a smaller group, they shared this information with the rest of the class, which helped us all get to know them as well.

Speed Networking started with two lines of people, facing each other one on one with a list of questions they could choose from to get to know each other.  They had two minutes with each other before one line would shift and you meet someone completely new!  

By the end of each class, the presenters asked for a show of hands indicating who met someone new, and everyone raised their hands!  That felt like a successful class to help facilitate new relationships across the state.

From Rattled to Irreplaceable: Trudi Neubeck, State 4-H Office 

The session examined the top characteristics found most valuable in administrative professionals, as cited from a literature review of 17 industry sources. The information was compared with results from a survey distributed to all 48 participants prior to the conference. What was found during the session was skills which can be learned, such as technology or organizational methods, did not have the importance of soft skills (those internal characteristics that mold who we are) when it came to the Irreplaceable Admin. Soft skills that were found that are important are: a willingness to help, how you encourage others, how you welcome additional tasks, and taking time to listen which people will notice and remember. We found that soft skills and the use of following concepts: the power of yes, preparing for winder, and a proactive resiliency that helps make a top-notch admin.

Enneagram/Personality Test: Celina Menard, State 4-H/UT Extension Communications Specialist  

This session allowed participants to better understand their personality, how they can work better with co-workers knowing their personality type, and the impact of understanding how to communicate to others that have different communication styles. The enneagram types were defined, what they needed in a workplace, and how to improve the workplace communication based on the core motivators and fears of each type.

Eat the Frog:  Millie Hanson from the Washington County Extension office and Cindy Winchester from the Clyde York 4-H Center

Based on the book “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy, Millie Hanson from the Washington County Extension office and Cindy Winchester from the Clyde York 4-H Center shared ten of the twenty-one principles offered to help increase efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace. From setting the table for the charcuterie by learning to think on paper (considering the consequences if certain FROGS were not completed within a deadline) to utilizing the Six-P Formula for planning ahead, participants were given proven strategies (laced with a little humor) to help them be successful in being a more effective admin. After attending the workshop, participants walked away with three main objectives: two short range (learned to identify FROGS in the workplace and three main principles that the participant felt would benefit their work efficiency the most) and long range (ultimately decrease stress in the participant’s work environment).

The rules of FROG eating were shared to assist participants in understanding how important getting started on a task is and the risk of it growing bigger if they sit and look at it for very long. Intertwined with personal stories from their own work environment, Millie and Cindy offered real life situations that were applicable in many of the principles, such as the implementation of work TO DO folders and in-depth TO DO lists. 

That’s Not How I See It: DEI for Administrative Professionals: Janiece Pigg, State 4-H Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist 

During this session, the various components of accessibility in the context of an administrative professional role were described and discussed. The session explored what accessibility means and how administrative professionals can implement accessibility in their respective positions. The legal and ethical obligations to build, maintain, and provide accessible educational materials on all platforms and format were examined. Furthermore, the effectiveness, appearance, and implications of proper accessibility measures in UT Extension was critiqued.