As part of the International Year of the Secretary/Assistant 2014, participating organisations are developing themes for their members in order to raise awareness of Secretaries and Assistants throughout the world… This month is:

The importance of soft skills

Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together. – James Cash Penney

Excellent technical skills alone do not make a great assistant… Problem solving, communication skills, common sense, and ability to prioritise all come into being a great assistant.

On the UK VA Survey, we asked the assistants what they thought the most important skills were in being a Virtual Assistant – I was surprised by the result, as I’d expected the answer to be “marketing skills” since that’s what I see most questions about on the forum.  Surprisingly “communication” was the number 1 most important skill a VA can have.

So how do you develop those skills and can you give us an example of them in action?