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Effective Communication as an Executive Assistant

Effective communication as an executive assistant can be tough. As EAs ourselves, we understand that many times, you aren’t just communicating for yourself—you’re also communicating for your executive(s) and the organization you support. This is why having effective communication techniques in place is so important.

One of the many duties of an effective assistant is to promote good communication in the workplace. Keep reading to learn why professional communication is a sure-fire way to get you noticed as an executive assistant.

Why is Professional Communication Important? 

For EAs, good communication can go a long way in building and strengthening a positive working relationship with your executive. When we ask, “why is communication important in the workplace,” we must remember that effective communication is critical in all aspects of our lives—especially in our professional roles.

Luckily, Base is the first and only integrated communication software designed to maximize how EAs work best. Leaders today are looking for an executive assistant they can build a long-term strategic partnership with, so ensuring you practice effective communication in the workplace is essential.

Below, we’ll dive into some examples of communication strategies and how assistants can use Base to enhance their communication skills to work faster, smarter, and get noticed.

Strategies for Effective Professional Communication

When it comes to effective communication as an executive assistant, a huge aspect to consider is the quality of your communication tools. Base offers a few different tools to streamline the communication process and make internal communications with your exec as stress-free as possible.

As much as we’d love to be able to help you read your executives’ mind, really understanding your exec and their needs takes ongoing relationship-building and communication. Some of the best communication techniques we’ve found are only made possible by our one-of-a-kind EA platform. Our go-to communication tools include the following:

  • Digest: Digest is a game-changer when it comes to enhancing effective communication. This tool gives EAs the ability to communicate with their exec faster and more efficiently than ever before. You’ll love the ability to create executive updates in minutes with templates, app integrations, as well as multiple delivery options. You can also drag-and-drop calendar items, links, attachments—you name it!—directly into the Digest. There’s no need to navigate between email, calendars, and file-sharing tools. Everything you need to communicate with your executive is right at your fingertips.
  • Decision Stream: Looking for a way to make your executives’ unique decisions and preferences known in a matter of seconds? Look no further! With Decision Stream, gone are the days of waiting for feedback, not getting it in a timely manner, or not receiving helpful answers to open-ended questions. This tool is a place where all your communications can live in an easy-to-access format. Having all this information so readily accessible will foster good communication in the workplace.

Whether you’re looking to enhance open communication between you and your exec, implement daily check-ins, hone in your skills for your one-on-one, or get accustomed to two-way feedback, these are the tools EAs need to work smarter.

Unlock Your Latent Potential with Base

Effective communication practices don’t just happen overnight; it takes time and effort on both the EA and executives’ part to get it right. Instead of starting from scratch, we’ve done the hard work for you! Communication best practices are baked into the Base platform to stop wasting time guessing how to communicate in the most effective and productive way.

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Written by Bryn Smith

Bryn is the Senior Manager of Brand and Product Marketing at Base, where she is on a mission to build a world-class EA community by connecting them with top-notch thought leaders, invaluable resources, and cutting-edge insights.