INTRODUCTION TO SECRETARIAL PRACTICE

Introduction

A Private Secretary or Personal Assistant is the backbone of an organization, whose work

requires a variety of project management, communication and organizational skills. The work
profile of a Secretary of today is not the same as was in decades past. The job responsibilities
have evolved to acquire much more advanced skill set such as mastering Microsoft Office
applications, drafting correspondence, preparing presentations, managing budgets, maintaining
websites, preparing expense reports etc. Secretaries might also manage all the administrative
details of running a high-level conference or meeting and be responsible for arranging the
catering for a lunch meeting. Often executives will ask their assistant to take the minutes at
meetings and prepare meeting documents for review. In addition, a Secretary may be
responsible for keeping all of the official records of a company or organization. Hence,
Secretary is an assistant to an executive, possessing mastery of office skills who is supposed to
have an ability to assume responsibility without direct supervision, the one who displays
initiative, exercises judgement and makes decision within the scope of his/her authority. In
other words, a Secretary is an assistant who performs routine and special duties on behalf of an
Executive (Boss) in an office.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson you will be able to:

 Know the meaning of the term Private Secretary.

 Understand different types of Secretaries
 List out the nature and duties of a Secretary.
 Identify the qualifications and personal qualities of a Secretary
 Understand what broadly includes in Personality Development.
 Manage Time and Stress in an organization.

1.1 MEANING, IMPORTANCE, TYPES AND DUTIES

MeaningThe word Secretary is derived from the Latin word “Secretarius” which means “a
confidential person”. As the word conveys an idea of secrecy, the title of Secretary is
generally used to apply to an official who conducts confidential correspondence and
performs such works. However, in today’s world, the duties of a Secretary have become so
varied that a modern secretary is no longer just restricted to performing confidential work.
A Secretary is, also sometimes called Personal Assistant, Executive Assistant or Professional
Secretary etc. and considered to work for CEO, Chairman, Managing Director, Chief
Manager, Departmental Heads and so on. Today, the profile of a Secretary has completely
changed. A Secretary has to be responsible person to whom an executive can delegate
his/her routine duties, entrust confidential matters with full confidence to act on his/her
behalf whenever necessary.A Secretary is appointed to assist executives in all types of
organization; whether commercial, manufacturing, industrial, educational or any other
type. However, the functions and duties of a Secretary vary according to the nature and size
of an organization. Basically, every Secretary has to perform certain routine duties. In an
organization, generally, a Personal Assistant is a junior official who has to perform the
duties of a Front Office Assistant or a Stenographer, whereas a Private Secretary is usually
attached to a top executive who has to perform such duties which require higher level of
secretarial skills. He/She is considered as a link between the executive and the junior
officials to facilitate implementation of the decisions taken. Nowa-days, every Private
Secretary is supposed to be administrative specialist and well trained member of an office
team.

Importance of a Secretary

A Secretary is considered to be the backbone of an organization and plays an important

indispensable part in the conduct of business in government, professional, commercial and
industrial organizations of all kinds. The Secretary attends to the time-consuming details of
the work of the executive and helps him/her to do the job in a better way. It is the Secretary
who takes care of office mail, prepares drafts, answers phone calls, do record management,
makes tour programmes, operates bank transactions, arranges meetings and prepares
minutes of [Link] is well said that the success of an executive mainly depends on the
competence of his/her Secretary. There is always an able secretary behind an able
executive. A secretary not only does what he/she is told to do but also does whatever is
required for the proper discharge of the assigned tasks. The Secretary’s job is not limited to
carrying out the instructions but his/her responsibility is also of advising the executive on
various administrative matters whenever required. At times, a Secretary serves as the ears,
eyes, memory and hands of the executive.

Types of Secretaries

In general, the word ‘Secretary’ is used according to the nature of duties assigned to an
official in an organization.

The different types of Secretaries are:

a) Private Secretary (or Professional Secretary)

b) Secretary to a Club or an Association

c) Secretary appointed by Government (Central and State Government)

d) Company SecretaryLet us discuss the profile of each type of Secretary.

a) Private Secretary

Private Secretary (PS) is an administrative associate or assistant who performs various

administrative duties in an office. A Private Secretary is an official to whom an executive
delegates most of his/her routine duties. These tasks usually include taking dictation and
typing, handling correspondence, attending telephone and visitors, making arrangements
for meetings, keeping important and confidential records etc. He/Shehelps an executive to
discharge managerial duties efficiently and effectively. Thus, a Private Secretary is supposed
to be the person who should be very well organized and possess excellent communication
skills, both oral and written, to perform routine multiple tasks. A Private Secretary also may
be called as Personal Secretary (PS) or Personal Assistant (PA). He/she is mostly employed
by business executives, politicians, professionals and other important persons who need
secretarial help to attend to their routine repetitive works so that they could concentrate on
those jobs which require higher level of managerial and decision making skills.

b) Secretary to a Club or Association

The members of Managing Committee select unanimously and appoint a Secretary to
perform various administrative tasks to run the office of a Sports Club, Cultural Club or an
Association (Trade Union, Cooperative Society etc.). The appointed Secretary performs the
tasks strictly under the guidance, supervision and control of the Managing Committee.
He/she is responsible for correspondence, maintenance of records, registration of
members, arrangement of social gatherings and meetings, collection of subscription etc.
He/she issues notices and agenda of meetings, writes minutes, releases press notes and
acts as a Liaison Officer of the Club/Association.

c) Secretary Appointed by Government

In India, every Ministry is headed by a Minister. Though the Minister is the head of a
Ministry, a Secretary is appointed through Indian Administrative Service, who acts as an
executive head of the ministry. He/She is a very senior official of the government. Here, the
main role of the Secretary is to diligently assist and advise the Minister on all matters of
policy and administration within his ministry or department. The Secretary is assisted by
Joint, Deputy and Under Secretaries.

d) Company Secretary

Every incorporated company must have a Company Secretary who performs a variety of
tasks which are crucial for smooth running of the company. In other words, it is the duty of
the Company Secretary to ensure that in the company, all legal/statutory requirements are
fulfilled. Such requirements include allotment of shares, transfer of shares and
appointments, filing of the annual returns and accounts etc. as per the Companies Act.
Briefly, aCompany Secretary has to:

 Ensure that the company complies with all relevant statutory and regulatory
requirements.
 Carry out the responsibility that business of the company is conducted in accordance
with its objects as contained in its Memorandum of Association. Also, it is to be ensured
that affairs of the company are managed in accordance with Articles of Association and
the provisions of the Companies Law.
 Prepare agenda in consultation with the Chairman and the other documents for all the
meetings of the Board of Directors.
 Take care of all matters concerned with the allotment of shares, and issuance of share
certificates including maintenance of statutory share register and conducting the
appropriate activities connected with share transfers.

Basically, a Company Secretary ensures compliance of the provisions of company’s law and
other statutes and bye-laws of the company.
1.2 CHANGING PROFILE OF A SECRETARY

In view of global era and development in IT skills, work profile of secretary has entirely
changed. Earlier, even the managers at junior level were also taking secretarial help in order
to discharge their duties. But since the advent of computers, usually the junior and, to some
extent, middle level managers are performing most of their routine administrative jobs like
preparing letters, sending of mails, record management, etc. on their own. However, top
management level and senior executives do have to delegate their routine administrative
tasks to their Private Secretary. With this change in scenario, it is evident that the
secretarial work requires lots of expertise and skills as usually every Private Secretary has to
directly report to senior executives in an organization.

It is generally noted that no two private secretaries perform exactly the same work.
Therefore, one cannot lay down an arbitrary list of duties. A PS to a junior executive has to
work as a Front Office Assistant, Stenographer, Multi-Tasking Assistant etc. while a PS to the
senior executive has to collect information on different topics, draft reports and speeches,
write down the proceedings of the meetings/seminars and give advice to the executive on
certain administrative matters. That is why a definite list of duties of a PA/PS cannot be laid
down. Usually, the duty performed by a Private Secretary depends on the: Skills,
personality and intelligence of a Secretary

 Size of an organization where the secretary is working Position of the executive with
whom the secretary is working
 Willingness of the executive to delegate authority and
 Secretary’s willingness to assume responsibilityThe duties of a Private Secretary may be
divided in two types:

a) Routine Office Duties

b) Miscellaneous Duties

The above duties are discussed in detail below:

Routine Office Duties

i) Take dictation and transcribe the same on computer.

ii) Tabulate data, make simple calculations etc.

iii) Do correspondence with other organizations on the instructions of the [Link]) Take
initiative for briefing the information to the executive.

v) Handle inward and outward paper (physical) mail/e mail.

 vi) Maintain records.

vii) Operate office machines.

viii) Maintain appointment diary, memory aids, [Link]) Locate information from various
sources including INTERNET.

x) Arranging and planning tour programme of the executive.

xi) Organizing and conducting meetings (preparation and issue of notice and agenda,
making seating and refreshment arrangements, keeping ready all the documents which may
be required during the meeting, keeping record of attendance of the members, recording
minutes, typing minutes and communicating the decisions and resolutions to the members
etc.)

xii) Attending to liaison duties like telephone calls, visitors, handling enquiries.

Everyday some new jobs may come up and they are to be managed according to the priority.
The best way to finalize priorities is to consult with the executive. For example, connecting
telephone calls can be given priority in the forenoon. This will be applicable in taking down
dictation also. Dictation must be transcribed on the same days as some instructions pertaining
to dictations might be forgotten which remainfresh during the day. The most important thing is
to ensure that predetermined deadlines which are time bound are adhered to.A Private
Secretary has to handle the visitors who come to see the boss. An efficient PA/PS should be
familiar with the art of meeting people and receiving them. The manner of dealing with visitors
reflect image of the executive and as well as organization.

Miscellaneous Duties

Private Secretary has to perform some miscellaneous duties, like to:

 Prepare Power Point Presentations on various topics.

 Work as Data Entry Operator.

 Present concise information when the officer has to sit for an interview.

 Draft reports and speeches for meetings and workshops, etc.

 Supervise junior employees and their training, etc.

 Act as a liaison officer between the employer and the employees.

 Advise executive on purchase of office machine/equipment and stationery, etc.

In order to perform secretarial duties the most efficiently and effectively, it is necessary for a
Private Secretary to be competent in IT and secretarial skills. Today, an efficient Private
Secretary is a combination of secretarial plus managerial skills, as he/she has to often report
directly to senior executives and take care of multiple administrative responsibilities.

1.3 QUALIFICATIONS AND PERSONAL QUALITIES OF A SECRETARY

With increasing complexities of administration and competition, a Secretary has become an

indispensable person. Much of secretarial work is carried on behind the scene and is not
noticed at times. The credit for his/her work generally goes to the executive with whom he/she
is attached. To perform the secretarial duties with confidence and efficiency, a Private Secretary
requires many qualities and skills as well as a wide general education. These qualifications and
qualities are discussed below.

a) Academic Qualification

The education develops mind of a person and enables a person to appreciate better the total
environment. A senior level Secretary is usually a graduate. However, for the post of a junior
secretary, XII class qualification is adequate. One holding a junior secretarial position and
aspiring to reach higher in the cadre do efforts to acquire higher qualification by joining
correspondence courses along with the [Link] is generally said that, the more the education, the
greater is the awareness and better power of understanding, grasping and expression.

b) Vocational Course of Secretarial Practice or Office Management

A course in Secretarial Practice is a very useful attribute for a Private Secretary. Opportunities
for high level secretarial jobs and promotion come often to those who have broad general
education with a vocational course in Secretarial Practice or Office Management. The course
includes mastery of various subjects viz. Stenography, Computer Operation, Office Procedure,
Business Communication, etc.

c) Mastery of IT and Secretarial Skills

A Private Secretary must have a complete mastery of some basic skills which are the essential
tools of his/her trade. Complete knowledge of word processing, preparation of spread sheets,
using INTERNET, locating information from various sources, sending e mails etc. is must.
Besides, he/she must be able to take dictation rapidly and transcribe the same accurately.
He/she must be fast and accurate on the computer. The letters and other material typed by
them should always be neat and wellarranged along with flair to present error-free work for
signature, except in those cases where only a rough draft is called [Link] secretarial skills
include mastery on record management, reprography, ability to write correctly and to the
point, to answer telephone calls, to deal with visitors, to meet people and talk with them
pleasantly.

To be able to assist top executives, locating information on a variety of topics for him/her and
dealing with a variety of people coming into the office, one should have knowledge of the
recent developments in political, economic and social fields and have an awareness of national
and international events. It can be achieved by regular reading newspapers, periodicals,
journals and magazines etc.

d) Good Communication Skills

A large part of Secretary’s work consists of correspondence and preparation of notices, agenda,
minutes, reports, speeches etc. Therefore, to be a successful Secretary, one should have a good
command over the oral and written communication skills. Business in majority of offices in India
is carried on in English language. In this global era, English also serve as a language of
commercial contact between different countries. Therefore, a Secretary should have sound
knowledge of English. Skill in shorthand is of no use without proficiency in language. A
Secretary should preferably have the knowledge of the regional language too. If the
organization has dealings with foreign institutions, it will be an advantage to have a working
knowledge of one or more foreign languages also.

e) Knowledge of the Profession or Business of the Employer

Besides the above, one should be thoroughly familiar with the objectives and management of
the firm or organization for which one is working. In other words, one should know the full
range of activities of the organization, strong personalities, key figures in any particular field of
activity along with duties and responsibilities of the executive with whom one is working. The
more one knows about the organization, the better job one will be able to do.

f) Personal Qualities of a Secretary

A Secretary should possess a variety of soft skills to be successful and develop calm, positive
personality. Some of the important personal qualities relevant for the job a Private Secretary
are discussed below:

Adaptability

If Private Secretary has got the quality of adaptability, adjustment under all the situations in
office becomes easy and less straining. It is important that a Private Secretary should be
adaptable to all kinds of people, situations and problems. Sometimes, it may happen that one
executive is transferred and the new executive takes over. The new executive might not be
having the same nature or temperament. Also, there may be heavy work at one time due to
certain deadlines but may not be much work in office at any other time. Thus, a Secretary
should inculcate habit of adjusting with different types of persons/situations.

Cooperative Attitude

In an organization, cooperativeness means assisting every member with a courteous and

helpful attitude including exercising self-control at times of extra pressure. It is teamwork that
counts in an organization. A Secretary should cooperate with every member of the
organization, from the highest to the lowest in rank. Cooperativeness enhances respect of a
Secretary. The urgency of work may require, sometimes, to sit late in the office or to attend
office during holidays. If the exigencies of work require it, one should try to understand the
situation with a cooperative attitude.

Courtesy
A Secretary should show proper consideration for all members of the organization as well as to
outside callers. One must avoid embarrassing anyone and making sarcastic comments. Courtesy
may be shown in greeting each member and visitor pleasantly, offering a seat, etc. and with use
of words such as ‘Please’ or ‘Thank you’, whenever required.

Loyalty

To be loyal means faithful to the employer and always helpful to him/her. A Secretary should
be dedicated to the job and do assigned work honestly and sincerely. Loyalty is critical quality
for holding a secretarial position. In order to be loyal to your executive and to the company or
firm or institution for which you work, you must be familiar with the executive’s goals and the
organization’s overall objectives and work at all times towards the goals.

Punctuality

Punctuality means available to the executive for work at the desired time and also to finish the
assigned job at the proper time. This simple but significant quality is very essential for a
Secretary. One must not be a ‘Late Starter’ or ‘Early Stopper’. It is very annoying for an
executive to find his/her Secretary absent when something requiring immediate attention
comes up suddenly.

Tactfulness

Tact enables one to act in a particular fashion under particular situation. It is the personal skill
of saying or doing what is required by the circumstances, the ability to handle a difficult
situation in a right and positive manner. It has been truly called the “fine art of avoiding
offence”. A Secretary is called upon to exercise tact in dealing with his/her employer,
colleagues, visitors, etc. Judgement and discrimination are essential to become tactful.

Pleasing Voice

A Secretary should have a low but confident well-controlled and pleasing voice. A pleasant,
clear voice is attractive while loud and demanding voice is unattractive. It has also to be
understood that a very low and retiring voice makes communication difficult.

Personality and Poise

Personality is usually linked to what you are, what you do and how you do it. Personality makes
one person different from another. It is not important what kind of physical features you have,
but rather the expression on those features. Good personality creates a positive impact on
other people. Poise is getting along with people well without superior or inferior feeling. It
comes from knowing one’s abilities as well as limitations. Poise enables a secretary to be at
ease and also to make others feel at [Link] is rightly said that knowing that you are well-
groomed will give you confidence and confidence gives you poise.

Good Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are the skills which help a person to interact with others properly. In an
organizational setting, it is the ability to get along well with other members; whether senior or
junior. It is important for a Secretary to possess excellent interpersonal skills to facilitate
effective working relationships.

1.4 PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

Personality has different meanings for different people. Generally, it can be defined as a set of
characteristics and tendencies that determines your behaviour with your thoughts, feelings and
actions. We all are born unique and we all handle our lives in a different way. But, ideally, we
must strive to boost our enthusiasm so that we evolve ourselves always in motivated and high
energy state. It broadly includes:

a) Good Appearance

Physical appearance reflects the way you look from outside. A Secretary must be well-groomed
as good appearance is a great asset. In other words, a Secretary should be well-dressed, neat
and clean at all times. A well-groomed person looks quite alert and refreshing. First impression
lasts long. If you look good outside, you also feel good and confident inside.

b) Etiquettes and Manners

In an organization, etiquettes and manners include social behaviour which we owe to our
colleagues. The way you talk, the language you use and the tone with which things said, do
reflect your behaviour. A display of good manners is an essential requirement for success in
society too.

c) Communication and Confidence

Communication and confidence are the direct expression of one’s personality. It is thereby
essential that one masters art of communication so that the confidence could be shown. There
are certain aspects of communication which should be looked into properly. While
communicating verbally, make sure that you do not criticize others. You should be a good and
patient listener and consider other person’s point of view also.
1.5 TIME MANAGEMENT – MEANING AND IMPORTANCE

Time Management means ‘to control how time is to be spent’. In other words, management of
time is systematic planning of available time and setting right priorities. Usually, a PS has to do
more work than he/shecan accomplish in any given time. Time is a very essential component of
life and the management of time is essential both at work and outside.

Bad Management of Time

 Not setting deadlines

 Slow reading
 An untidy desk
 Inability to make decisions
 Failing to plan and budget time
 Not keeping diaries, not making action or ‘to do’ lists, etc.
 Improper delegation of work
 Accumulating routine work such as filing, mailing, [Link] Management of Time
 Setting targets and deadlines
 Planning your work
 Noting the priority items and attending to them first
 Keeping frequently used information or details ready
 Developing proper routine
 Being systematic and tidy
 Improving reading speed and accuracy
 Avoiding mood swings
 Avoiding personal and unnecessary telephone calls

1.6 STRESS MANAGEMENT

Stress is a dynamic condition which results in tension due to demanding situations. Often,
there is anxiety in the mind of an individual as outcome of the situation is perceived to be
both uncertain and [Link] Management means ways and techniques which help
in controlling a person's levels of stress. It is important to manage stress to improve
everyday functioning and keeping good health. One of the most important ways to manage
stress is by prioritizing the various tasks according to importance/urgency level. Reasons for
Stress in an organization may be:

 Task demands
 Role conflicts
 Organizational structures
 Leadership
 Individual factors (health, relationship, family etc.)

Symptoms of stress may be physiological, psychological or behavioural.

Physiological Symptoms:
 Health problems
 Increased blood pressure, constant headaches

Psychological Symptoms:

 Tension
 Anxiety
 Irritability
 Boredom

Behavioural Symptoms:

 Irregularity or absence
 Changes in eating habits
 Increased smoking and intake of alcohol
 Sleep disordersThe stress may be managed with the following ways:
 Express your feelings about the situation to the concerned person or another
trustworthy person. Any grievances or problems should be discussed and sorted out.
 Proper time management is very important. Prioritize your tasks according to
importance/ urgency.
 Prayer and meditation should be done regularly. It helps to improve concentration.

 Eat healthy food. Adopt healthy and regular eating habits. Do not skip any meal during
work.
 Cultivate a good hobby.
 Spend some time in recreation. Recreation could be a part of your daily routine.
 Take a vacation. Vacations and holidays generally help in rejuvenation.
 Listen to good music.
 Have proper sleep. Sleep for 7-8 hours daily.