so hello and welcome to today's webinar the importance of soft skills and the human touch in a technology-driven world I'd like to begin by acknowledging the land on which we reside McMaster University recognizes and acknowledges that it is located on the traditional territories of the Miss Saga and hos Shani Nations and within the lands protected by the dish with one spoon walm agreement my name is Katie and I am a program manager here at McMaster continuing education and I will be your host for today today I'm joined by our guest speakers Gail bort Liz wood aramid Kerr and narissa nap without further Ado I'd like to introduce our first Speaker Gail bort Gail has dedicated many years to the professional development of Administrative Professionals serving as the national registar for the association of Administrative Professionals she is deeply passionate about helping individuals advance in their careers and promoting the value of certification Gail finds great satisfaction in supporting members as they take pivotal steps in their professional Journeys and enjoys working closely with educational Partners to expand awareness and reach of the certification programs next I'm pleased to introduce three of our very own mcmas continuing education business administ ation subject matter experts and instructors Liz wood is a Solutions oriented leader with expertise in organizational design change management policy development and implementation and Regulatory oversight governance she earned an MBA as well as a bachelor of Commerce and management Bachelor of Arts and psychology and is currently pursuing a master of laws and securities Liz also holds several industry-leading certifications and considers herself a lifetime learner arid Kerr is a post-doctoral researcher with the University of Toronto Scarboro with a PhD in management from India she is teaching various courses in business management Human Resources management career development at cono College as well as Sheridan College in the Toronto School of Management Niagara since 2019 she's a passionate researcher and her current research work focuses on enriching the online learning and teaching experience next we have Nissa nap who brings over 15 years of leadership experience in business Communications leadership team development and marketing nursa holds an Executive MBA a BA in psychology and many Advanced certifications um so as you can see we have a very well-rounded group of speakers for you today so now G I'll hand things over to you thank you so much Katie good morning everybody so first question is AI the new EA you likely don't remember when computers first made their appearance in the workplace and that's almost true for me I wish but what I do remember um is that my mother was a secretary at a high school and I remember her talking about how many of the admins within the school board feared that they would be replaced Ed by the computer um they didn't really think about the fact that somebody had to use those computers but anyway um look how things turned out that way in many cases the office admin became the go-to person um in a similar way in the last couple of years AI has replacing EAS has become a Hot Topic but reality tells us two things one you still need someone to use those AI tools and two that there are many reasons why we still need the human touch so you see all the uh soft skills there the soft skills are personal attributes that enable individuals to interact both effectively and harmoniously with others things like communication teamwork empathy um problem solving time management all those they're all valuable soft skills and while Tech technical skills are essential soft skills enhance the ability to apply these in a collaborative efficient manner now Administrative Professionals often serve as the link between technology and people making those soft skills invaluable they frequently manage sensitive situations confidential information all those requiring understanding and empathy and the ability to just their communication style to fit individuals and different scenarios and who in a company is more flexible and more adaptable than the administrative professional I mean a significant part of our role involves quickly adapting to unexpected changes um coming up with Solutions on the spot you know all those fires that we are constantly putting out day after day we get to know how our Executives work things that they prefer their individual Styles AI can't do that so there's routine tasks like scheduling meetings managing calendars um sending reminders freeing up time for more strategic work and the AI tools can also assist in organizing analyzing interpreting data so that we can make more informed decisions and we can make recommendations if you have processes that could be improved um AI can suggest ways to optimize them you know additionally AI is an excellent tool for Gathering and summarizing information from multiple sources quickly efficiently and that helps us stay informed and make better decisions so those are just a few ways in which AI can be used by US and why our admid toolbox and whether we realize it or not we all have one needs to be balanced with both hard and soft skills this is where the association of Administrative Professionals comes in so the association was founded in 2015 or sorry 1951 in Toronto and it was originally known as The Association of administrative assistants so you'll see there that um we have we are the association of choice for Administrative Professionals and what we try to do is we Inspire we support and we Advocate and Empower professional from all different Industries all together so when the association started its goal at the time was to establish a National Standard of qualifications for senior secretaries in 1957 they established a correspondence course through UFT and when you completed the three-year program you received your qaa designation or your qualified Administrative Assistant now the pro the profession has evolved and the association rebranded in 2016 to its current name the association of Administrative Professionals and the designation itself changed to the Canadian certified administrative professional or the CCAP this shift reflects the broader more Dynamic roles that Administrative Professionals now hold so it's no longer just a job but it's now a recognized profession so the association encourages its members to pursue opportunities for professional growth to contribute to the evolving role of office professionals and to be leaders in innovation technology and Trends in their workplace we share best practices tips and tricks all in different ways um we have a national newsletter we use Branch Communications meetings and we have online platforms that we use one of the most valuable benefits of membership is the chance to tap into the creativity of our peers we all know the importance of networking as part of our membership we have an online community and that Community gives you access to over a thousand like-minded individuals you can ask questions you can ask for recommendations just share information you got some tips you want to share then go for it we take pride in blending the fresh ideas and the enthusiasm of new members with the experience and wisdom of our existing members we offer two accreditations earned through courses available at universities and colleges across Canada like McMaster and these designations as I mentioned one the Canadian certified administrative professional or the CCAP and we have the certif Canadian certified administrative professional associate or the CCAP these are recognized in professional environments and can lead to Greater challenges opportunities and in some cases Financial rewards for those who achieve it AAP supports member growth through education Community Building um helping members understand their critical role that they play in business and we sponsor a lot of events both local and National levels we have conferences meetings workshops seminars and webinars guest speakers um but we are't all work we do have social activities as well that uh we offer our members and then there's a wide variety of our national SP sponsors um they provide discounts on things Services access to professional training software training EV meeting planning resources um but not only business benefits there's often personal benefits that some of our sponsors offer as well so things like discounts on theater tickets um the cooperator insurance offers a discount on insurance but B um members don't always just benefit personally from it employers benefit as well so they're you know find that uh when they let their employees become members they increase their value as education um educated professionals dedicated to self-improvement and their ability to manage people and situations and Technology effectively um they increase their flexibility to embrace new challenges and adopt to emerging Business and Technology Trends um it also provides access to resources that provide valuable information networks and tools instantly so as you can see there that 92% it's an impressive number many members tell us that Technical Training is often easier to get than non-technical training employers tend to be more willing to pay for Technical Training than they do for the soft skill training they o find members find that it's easier to find training at local colleges and universities so that's where we come in as well because we offer training opportunities in both the hard and soft skills and we find that Administrative Professionals with strong soft skills can quickly learn new technologies and help others adapt as well so we offer opportunities at national and local branch levels we host normal numerous technical events um topics such as managing email Emil using canva the cloud applications and of course how to use chat GPT or other AI uh programs but we have popular events that cover the essential soft skills like effective communication personal branding how to convey your value um becoming a strategic partner to your executive as well as you know goal setting and work life balance so many of these events are virtual and they are recorded allowing members to access them multiple times at their convenience we do have a career section on our website where employers can have administrative positions posted through AAP for its members increasingly uh we are seeing that they specifically seek candidates with a certification in office or business administration not just ours um but certifications in general over and above the diploma the certificate that they get through colleges and universities so this is showing us that employers recognize the value of having certified professionals on their team currently we have 35 colleges and universities across Canada that have partnered with us to offer the certification course required for our designation so as you can see there's definite reasons to become certified and there are benefits of certification but if you're not not sure about whether or not you want to pursue certification I have a few questions that you might want to ask yourself are other Professionals in your industry obtaining it will it help you stand out for a promotion or on a job application or maybe it'll get you added responsibilities at work will it strengthen your knowledge and Advance your career as regist for the association I will periodically PLL our certification holders to learn what they've found most valuable in our courses and how certification has benefited them and often many will point to a specific course and comment how much they enjoyed it often surprisingly you know they weren't expecting to enjoy a specific course but they do or how useful they found it um but an often-made comment I receive is how certification has boosted their self-confidence and increase the respect in their workplace so our certification requirements um first of all you have to be a member of AAP and then once you're a member you would submit your enrollment form and once that's done you begin the remaining requirements now you must maintain your membership in good standing while you are um working on your certification and afterwards to maintain it then we also require that verification of experience and core competencies and we have verification letters that can be used as templates for you to provide your employer with the CCAP is our higher of the two designations as it includes a leadership component that the CCAP does not and with the expanding role of Administrative Professionals leadership skills have become increasingly important but if someone with a ccapa um wants to upgrade to a full CCAP they can do that by um by finishing the remaining courses it's hard to believe but 12 years ago migm University came on board as one of our educational Partners um so as you can see they offer the four compulsory courses and a really good variety of the electives to choose from but as well as our courses um that McMaster offers we've begun to expand our partnership thanks to Katie reaching out to us and we've found things like today's event or mcmaster's provided articles for our national newsletter that has gone out to our members that's really relevant to them and it's greatly appreciated so we're really trying to expand on those Partnerships and make it more than just courses but after certification um it doesn't just end there keeping your certification current is just as important as earning it um it demonstrates your commitment to staying up to date with essential skills and our renewal process is similar to what's required by other professions like Opticians and accountants you have to re um you have to work towards certification renewal credits through a three-year period and you have to earn 40 credits over that threee for your CCAP 30 for your ccapa and that seems daunting to some people but over the years I've seen many members uh earn three times that many and still keep going so it's not as daunting as it seems and they can be earned in such a variety of ways that it makes it easier so your involvement in the association you know attending meetings if you serve on a committee uh professional development seminars webinars if you attend our professional development day then there's also volunteering in the community or participating in work committees things like that so as you can see it's it's really easy to make it um possible to renew so I hope that's giving you an idea of what AAP is about and what we can offer um I hope it encourages you to visit our website reach out to me with questions and consider becoming a member it's a valuable resource for Administrative Professionals like you so thank you everyone thanks very much Gale for your very informative presentation at this point we're now going to move move into our panel discussion okay so to get things started let's get a recap of what are soft skills and why are they important so we'll address this question to narissa hi Katie hi everyone hi Katie thanks very much for your question that's a great question as artificial intelligence Automation and digital tools continue to transform the business landscape the focus in technical skills is more prominent than ever however the effective and successful implementation of these rapidly evolving tools relies heavily on interpersonal skills to understand to communicate and collaborate and this is why soft skills are Inc increasingly important for preserving the personal and emotional aspects that technology alone cannot replicate so what exactly are soft skills soft skills the personal attributes that help individuals to interact effectively adapt to different situations and manage social and emotional Dynamics unlike technical hard skills such as accounting or programming which are very important skills soft skills help us to focus on how people actually engage with each other so when we think of soft skills they're essential for building relationships resolving conflicts and creating a positive work with social environment thank you thanks for that narissa so as a follow-up question to that in a technology-driven world how do soft skills help create a more human centered workplace that's a great question Katie thank you so in a digital world the importance of soft skills and the human element cannot be overstated when we think of the role of human interaction empathy active listening and emotional intelligence they become even more critical so for example in face-to-face Communications body language such as eye contact smiling head nodding to show that you're paying attention um tone and voice inflection they help to convey emotions and intentions however in written Communications such as text messages emails chat messages these visual non-verbal C cues are missing so therefore careful word choice is very essential for clarity and tone so without these subtle cues of face-to-face interaction and body language miscommunications can very easily occur a simple salutation such as hey Katie hi Katie hello Katie in an email or chat message can set a welcoming tone and it also it also depends on the relationship with the person you're communicating with practicing empathy by viewing a situation from the other person's LMS demonstrates interest and respect actively listening to a person can illustrate that you value the person you're communicating with and quite often we're so busy thinking of a response in our heads when someone's talking we're not truly listening has anyone experienced that before I know I have so these these small guestures and human elements they can make a significant difference in fostering positive interactions in the workplace and also in our daily Communications there's a a famous UCLA psychologist his name is Albert morium and he refers the elements of communication where 55 % accounts for body language 38% accounts for voice inflection and tone and only 7% accounts for spoken words so what does that mean it means that soft skills are even more critical for effective communication in today's digital world when we think of unspoken and Unwritten messages whether they're intentional or unintentional they can influence how messages are interpreted and coded by the receiver so it is so core to align our non-verbal and verbal communication to reinforce our messages workplaces that value soft skills Foster a more inclusive and supportive environment because when employees feel heard when they feel respected and valued there's an element of psychological safety and employees are more likely to be the authentic selves be more engaged and more productive thank you well certainly narissa I would like to support your point that um um the human elements can make all the difference in fostering a work environment that's more supportive and that's inclusive so I would like to share my own um example over here so I teach a lot of online classes and maintaining that human touch human element is a challenge so but I've also observed that when I provide a video feedback a a recorded video or an audio feedback that helps in Bridging the Gap so when the students uh they observe my Expressions my body language my tone that helps to soften the entire um environment that adds an element of empathy and they feel more valued and understood so that helps them in becoming more active and engaged during the class discussions too so uh yes I I agree thank you thanks so much for that ir and Nissa um lit follow-up question for you so how do you feel that professionals can use effective communication and soft skills in the workplace to set boundaries and manage expectations thanks Katie and hi everyone um I think that's a really interesting question because the recent shift in Dynamic to a more remote Workforce has maybe changed the way we view um our expectations as to how people are going to approach work what they're going to be able to achieve in the time given to them when they're going to work on it and it can be a struggle to identify how can we set boundaries how can we manage those expectations in a way that's supportive of ourselves um so first and foremost effective communication really focusing on I so focusing on the impact on yourself we want people to be receptive to the message we're giving them and so if you use a lot of you when you do this or when you say this it puts people on the defensive and they're instinctively less likely to really hear what you're saying and utilize that information so making it more about yourself more about what your needs are and just being very clear can really help facilitate that additionally use the technology we are in a in a world where there's so much technology available to us and we can use it in ways that support ourselves there's technology that allows you to collaborate that allows you to actively seek out feedback there's technology that allows you to manage timelines manage projects assign tasks and so in those ways you can really set sort of markers and Milestones that everybody is aware of right at the beginning and then I also want to touch on um actually something that narissa spoke about which is the importance of really being cognizant of word choice being cognizant of how you're presenting that because we live in a world that is now dominated by electronic messaging whether it's email whether it's text message um chat Bots or utilizing some of these softwares I talked about we have lost a lot of the nonverbal cues that so many of us are relyant to interpret uh people's meanings and emotions so we just want to be really really cognizant of how we're approaching it how we're greeting people and especially how we're closing our messaging simply saying something like thanks appreciate your time can go a long way great thanks Liz okay so I think we will now Circle back to narissa for a question so narissa how do soft skills enhance the mental health and well-being of employees in a technology focused environment that's a really great question Katie um before I answer that question I just wanted to build on something that uh Liz spoke spoke to and uh I really resonate with it Liz um I really appreciate your insightful comments you know you're absolutely right when using eye statements they help to reduce defensiveness and it Fosters a sense of being heard and respected which is critical during change and eye statements they also encourage empathy and engagement leading others to invest in your success so setting boundaries can also upfront can also CL ify expectations and minimize frustration and setting the stage for successful communication and collaboration and I found from my experience and with my students and just in communication in general I statements they Foster openness especially when non-verbal cues are limited in digital communication because without that body language to convey that tone or intent carefully crafting responses can ensure Clarity um and prevent misunderstandings making it essential for effective communication in this largely text based environment and that's why it's so careful to choose our words for clarity and tone I recently I've I worked with a lot of mediations and communication at that involves soft skills and I learned that asking the right questions with the right tone can make a significant difference because it can help people to shift from a strong place of positions to interest and explore interest and help them to come from that place of understanding and with the multiple students International students that we experienced it with Master MCE it's also important to understand that people speak multiple languages so for instance I speak two languages and sometimes depending on who's speaking to me I have to process what's the one say to me so it's really important to provide space for response um and skills a court to help manage this for verbal tracking and breaking information down into manageable chunks does that make sense to answer your question Katie I believe your question is how do soft skills enhance the mental health and well-being of employees in the tech focused environment did I capture that correctly absolutely okay so soft skills enhance mental health and well-being in a tech focused environment in a variet of waves one by improving communication as clear empathetic communication reduces misunderstandings and helps everyone feel hurri which can lower Stress and Anxiety two fostering collaboration by creating supportive team oriented environments three enhancing emotional intelligence by managing emotions and conflicts effectively four promoting work life balance by helping to manage workloads and prevent burnout and five building resilience so adaptability and problem solving skills they can Empower employees to navigate change and challenges contributing to Greater mental health uh stability and fast evolving Tech spaces so these skills they Foster a supportive and balanced workplace essential in Tech environments thank you um I'm sure we all have experienced this so uh when we are immersed in technology all day interacting with someone who listens to your concerns who provides thoughtful Solutions and shows empathy I think uh that feels like uh lifting of some weight so the mental stress that we have been uh involved in the whole day that gets reduced a little so I'm sure you all would agree with me yeah that's great uh thanks so much e meet and narissa um e meet um I have follow-up question for you how can professionals effectively balance and integrate technical proficiency with interpersonal skills to enhance career progression thank you KY I think this is a very important question so it is uh crucial to balance technical skills and soft skills especially in a world that's dominated by technical skills so the first way out is to upskill and upskilling not only in terms of technical skills but in terms of soft skills as well in fact for every technical skill that we learn if we try to learn a complimentary soft skills that will help us enhance our efficiency of using these technical skills that will make a difference for example if we learn about a new project management concept or a new programming language enhancing our communication skills collaboration all of this will help us in coord inate better especially with the non-technical stakeholders we can explain about the complex Concepts to them in a lman language so that will certainly help another way is to be more aware about our own self so self-awareness technology can also help us in becoming more self-aware about our strengths professional strengths and areas in which we can build upon our skills watch your own videos your own presentations observe where where the pause was required I cont body movement where you got confused where you you feel you need more practice so all of this will give you many insights about the areas where you need to develop your soft skills so that's another way and lastly um integrating soft skills in the Technical Training itself once we know that these are the technical aspects that are required in the job we can pair it up with a we can tie it up with a soft skill that can help us improve the application of these technical skills in the real world for example um data analysis so if we learn to be more organized if we learn to be more empathetic we will be able to analyze that data well problem solving skills and that empathy element will uh help us in understanding the clients requirements and explaining them about what the solution is so I feel all these three things can help us in maintaining a balance between technical skills and soft skills thanks Ary I just want to build on that a little bit because you really spoke to me when you talked about self-awareness um that's something I've struggled with throughout my career is really just recognizing where I fit and where my skills fit especially with the environment changing so dynamically and so quickly and so I think it's really interesting to note that self-awareness and taking time out to evaluate yourself and evaluate um your role and your skill set in what you're working on also helps build confidence um it kind of goes without saying when when we know what people are talking about and when we have something we can actively share with others we feel more confident we feel more in control and when we feel more in control and we're able to reduce uncertainty we're also able to feel less anxious uh less uh stressed by the situation and we know that confidence we know that that sort of strong mental health as narissa was speaking about really improves overall productivity so I'm I'm very supportive of that focus on self-awareness and where you can place the emphasis I guess on on strengthening your skills great thanks so much Liz um so I do have another question for you how can professionals use soft skills and effective communication strategies to ensure their contributions are seen and recognized and that they're able to receive relevant feedback in a virtual or a hybrid workspace okay so not to sound like a broken record um but you izing effective communication for a start so earlier I spoke a little bit about the importance of saying I um to avoid that negative connotation of forcing um the responsibility of something quote unquote bad on someone else but the same goes for ensuring that you're recognized for what you're bringing to the table for the work you're achieving so you know not being afraid to raise your hand and say oh I have this idea or I put this together or uh I was working with so and so and we believe that this um just really advocating for yourself and making yourself known putting yourself to the Forefront of a conversation and that takes a lot of confidence and it does it does take some level of Stress Management because it's anxiety inducing not knowing what to expect and that speaks a little bit to change management so uh narissa spoke on this and Ira spoke on this as well so change management especially in a hybrid workplace can be difficult change management is based on communication it's based on ensuring that everybody is on the same page and everybody has a reason to buy into that change and so when you're trying to put yourself forth and get feedback you have to do so in a way that people are comfortable with this new way of doing things it's not like it was before where somebody would walk down and see you head down working hard in a project or where you pass somebody in a hallway and be able to have that conversation you need to introduce people to a new way of doing things by saying hey can I schedule a meeting with you I'd like to just talk a little bit about what you've been seeing from me and what I can do to improve my work um and to do so you have to be adaptable and you have to be flexible not everybody has the same workstyle not everybody has the same level of comfort with technology not everybody has the same level of comfort working in a remote world and so being able to adapt to the different people that you're dealing with with um and utilize technology to support that so foundationally so for example if I may use myself I am terrible on camera my level of anxiety right now is a nine out of 10 I absolutely hate being on camera but I do recognize it's very important that people get to read my face and see what I'm thinking and see what I'm feeling and engage with me and understand I'm a real human who has real thoughts so I will make efforts when I can to put myself into that situation alternatively I really do always like to follow up with my communications with something in writing just to reiterate for people that maybe were uh unfocused or distracted or maybe they just don't take in information the same way so I think if you really want to ensure that you're seen and you're recognized in a virtual workplace you have to be adaptable you have to be flexible and you have to embrace every tool at your disposal thanks Liz in addition to what Liz just mentioned I would like to um add one more point so maintain a strong online presence respond to questions ask intelligent questions uh use the collaborative documents simple documents like Google Docs Google Slides they are fairly easy to use with minimum instructions and I also strongly encourage the use of bit emojis and emo cons so that helps you to keep the screen alive and that also helps you in receiving a real time feedback so many of times people are not comfortable to uh share feedback or not they're not comfortable to switch on their cameras or microphones that works great in such situations and that also helps you in knowing how you are being heard how people are feeling about what you are saying so I think that's a very very powerful tool and it also adds a touch of fun and engagement in the uh in the session thanks very much for that ear meet and lives um so I do have H did you have something to add there Nissa please feel free I would like to take a moment just to build on lizza's points and every me's points like you raise such great points you know when we think about tying everybody everything back to the human workplace you know Liz uh you mentioned and Erin reach you mentioned you know being self-aware and when I think of being self-aware I think of emotional intelligence and selft skills right because emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize to understand and manage your own emotions as well as the emotions of others so it involves key components of self-awareness self-regulation self social awareness and relationship management so when we think of soft skills people with high EI can can manage stress they can communicate effectively empathize with others and navigate social situations making it essential for personal and Prof professional success and I think this is core when we integrate soft skills and the digital world Liz you mentioned change management and you spoke to something that really resonated with me um absolutely I think effective change management relies in clear communication and transparency to reduce anxiety because change can often create anxiety but if we have clear empathetic communication tailored to our audience it it helps to manage it because transparency and strong self skills they can build trust and they can ease the transition and to build in what you you shared arit embracing a growth mindset is so essential for navigating the challenges of new technology so staying curious and adaptable certainly opens the door to new learning opportunities and along with leveraging AI and digital online tools to enhance learning soft skills like I mentioned such as active listening empathy and emotional intelligence they're just as crucial so if we integrate and Foster soft skills within a tech focused environment organizations can create more supportive and resilient workplaces and what does this mean in turn this can improve collaboration adaptability it can boost mental health and the well-being of team members allowing them to move forward with confidence in a rapidly evolving digital world thank you thanks so much narissa I just have a another question for their for you e meet how can professionals cultivate adaptability and continuous learning mindset to stay competitive and relevant in a rapidly evolving technology industry all right thank you uh Katie this question um partially has already been touched by Liz and Nissa in their um points but I would just like to add on a few things over here so embracing a growth mindset as narissa was just mentioning be open to the learning opportunities have a growth mindset so view these uh if there are challenges view them as opportunities for example if there is a new language coming up or a new technology that's coming up instead of considering it as a challenge or something that overwhelms you try to think how you can possibly how this technology can help you in reducing your workload or help you in becoming more efficient and work faster so that's one way of doing it and secondly be a lifelong learner so there is no right age to learn there is no right time to learn and with so many opportunities informal and formal both existing around us I think we all should aim towards be uh towards being a lifelong learner consider enrolling yourself for some online courses short-term courses micr credentials so everybody is now micr credentials are gaining popularity so that's another way corera yudi LinkedIn learning that's an excellent resource networking informational interviews so there are so many informal and formal learning opportunities and um just to share um I think in 2021 I read a news about an 87 year-old woman who earned a master's degree from York University fantastic and so inspiring in fact in my class also I do have a grandmother who has three grandkids and I I am so inspired by her that's that's lovely so there's no age or uh time for learning be a lifelong learner and open your mind have a growth mindset and lastly practice resiliency and positivity ups and downs will always keep on happening you know the old saying whether the glass is half empty or half full if we say it's half empty this means we're positive if we say half empty this means that's a negative perspective but things have moved beyond that it's not about positive or negative it's about exploring the opportunities so even if the glass is half empty or half full you still have that half a glass to fill it up with a concentrate of your flavor to fill it up with the liquid of your choice or anything that helps you to taste it better that helps you feel good and that helps you in uh turning the things in your direction so that should be the mindset now how to explore the possibilities positive or negative and be resilient because ups and downs will always be there but we have to bounce back thank you so much to our panelists that was a really engaging enriching discussion um so we're now going to move on to a quick recap of what McMaster continuing education courses that we have to offer uh that may be of interest to you related to today's topic um so to start off with our business administration program we have some really relevant courses um such as the business Communications course B 850 and principles and practices of supervision Gail had mentioned that for the association administrative professional certifications there are um some courses that McMaster offers we do have a table on our website that outlines that nicely so if you want to visit our business administration uh section of our McMaster continuing education website there is a chart on professional associations where you can find those specific courses laid out the nice thing is you can Kickstart your diploma in Business Administration studies um as well as pursuing the association of administrative uh professionals certifications because there is some overlap there um so it's nice to be able to pursue both if you're looking for something shorter say you don't want to pursue a full three unit academic course we do have some shorter offerings through our Essentials programs and you can see that information on our website there is a wide variety of very interesting courses related to soft skills that you can take um you know in terms of the timeline they're uh online virtual format so it's very flexible and accessible and they can be between one and four three-hour sessions uh for registration uh it's quick and easy through our website please visit continuing. mcmaster.ca or Reach Out to us through our live chat feature during office hours and we would be happy to help you with any questions about a course that interests you um thank you so much everybody we really really appreciate your time and to our speakers Gail thank you it's been wonderful to have you as a guest speaker today thank you to our McMaster continuing education subject matter expert and instructors for our engaging panel discussion that was great and thank you so much to all of our participants ATT attending the webinar and we hope to hear from you um through our McMaster continuing education website we're always happy to help we have uh even full course outlines on our website if there's a course you want further detail on we're happy to provide that so by all means um please reach out to us we're waiting to hear from you thank you thanks everyone thank you to all of my colleagues and all of the participants thank you for being here today and I wish you a beautiful day thank you bye thank you
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