November 17, 2006 - Professional Development Seminar

Mark your calendars for our fall professional development seminar, being held on November 17, 2006. This all day seminar ("The Power of Professionalism") is looking to be a fantastic event! We are focusing on the skills needed to become the premier executive assistant. Here's the program lineup thus far:

1st session: Becoming More Dynamic - Enhance Your Communication and Personal Styles (Barbara Dwyer of the BEE Attitudes, Inc.)

2nd session: The Executive Assistant's Guide to Successful Business Etiquette (Anna Wildermuth of Personal Images, Inc.)

3rd session: Preparing Yourself for Promotion (Paul Shanahan of Randstad)

4th session: Somebody Needs You Today (Mary Kay Slowikowski of "Making It Happen!")

5th session: Critical Thinking Skills (Professor Jon Mueller of North Central College)

It's going to be a fantastic day! More details will be posted shortly, but you'll definitely want to be there and bring your friends and co-workers! The cost will be reasonable and will include a continental breakfast and lunch. Brochure will be available shortly and will be emailed to all members.

Members Only Networking Event! November 6, 2006

The Two Rivers Chapter is very pleased to partner with Dinners Together, a dinner preparation establishment, to offer a great members only networking opportunity. Join us on November 6, 2006 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the Dinners Together store at 1292 Rickert Drive, Suite 108 in Naperville. Every attendee will be making an entree to take home (either Pecan Crusted Chicken or Pasta with Meatballs in Balsamic Tomato Sauce)

Call now (630-717-7776) to make your reservations!!! Be sure to identify yourself as being with the IAAP Two Rivers Chapter! It's free for all attendees and you get to take home the entree you make for a future meal (it can be frozen)!

What a Great Program CyberCrime Was!

Well we were surprised at just how well the CyberCrime program went. There's always a little fear that it will be a dry topic or so technical that no one will understand it, but nothing could be further from the truth. Pravin did a great job using easy to understand language and answering all the questions that were thrown at him. There was a lot of audience interaction and the evaluations were highly complimentary.

We started the evening with a fun networking activity - BINGO! Every attendee was given a bingo card with each square listing something, which they had to find a person who matched (i.e. is the youngest, is wearing red, etc.). It really gave everyone a chance to mingle and get to know their fellow members and guests. Lots of great conversations taking place in the room!

October 21 - Excel Formulas Class

The Two Rivers Chapter continues our tradition of offering free computer classes to our members to help them keep their technology skills cutting edge. Non-TRC IAAP members and guests can attend for a fee. Our first computer class of the 2006-2007 year will be Excel Formulas. This basic/intermediate class will cover introductory formulas, as well as some intermediate level formulas that you may not be aware of, but which can really help you on the job with their usefulness. Join us for this educational hands-on class. We thank Edward Hospital for the use of their computer lab.

October 9, 2006 - CyberCrime program

Our October meeting looks like another terrific opportunity for networking and learning. Pravin Rao of the Illinois State's Attorney Office will be sharing with us about CyberCrime. We all get those ridiculous emails asking us for our account information or telling us we've won a prize from Nigeria. You probably already know about those scams, but Pravin will be sharing with us the many sneaky ways you may not be aware of that criminals try to capture your personal data or access and control your computer to commit crimes. This is scary stuff, but it will all be explained in easy to understand language and give you an opportunity to ask the questions you've always wondered. This is also our Executive Night and we encourage you to invite your boss to attend.

Year started on a high note

What a great meeting our September event was. The Herrington Inn and Spa went above and beyond to provide an awesome experience to every attendee. From the tours of their fantastic property to the exquisite food (how about orchids on a plate as a garnish?) to the fanciful serving of the food (the waiters only needed waltz music to make it more perfect), everyone agreed that this was a fantastic evening. Our speaker was the icing on the cake, with his presentation on Humor in the Workplace, where we learned about the history of humor, some applications for humor in the workplace and why this "funny" subject is "serious" business.