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Old 08-12-2013, 11:30 PM   #11
Rocket Man
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

I'm good with just the straight "High Society" aspect of Savoir Faire. Much of today's high society is out of the business world, after all.
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Old 08-12-2013, 11:34 PM   #12
Peter Knutsen
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
Some EAs will also have Typing, rather than defaulting it from Writing or Administration. I'm not sure if it merits being included, though.
Typing will be useful from TL6 (or late 5?) and up to TL8. After that, keyboards will probably be rare. But if Typing is included in the Talent, it starts to really look like "Talent for the Skills that I want". I mean, more than it already does.
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Old 08-12-2013, 11:34 PM   #13
Rocket Man
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
Some EAs will also have Typing, rather than defaulting it from Writing or Administration. I'm not sure if it merits being included, though.

Bill Stoddard
Yeah, I think it's one of those skills that would be part of the template, but not necessarily part of the Talent. Good thought, though.
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Old 08-12-2013, 11:35 PM   #14
Walrus
 
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

6 skills 5 point Talent (since talents include all specialities of one skill).

Executive Assitant [5/lvl]

Administration - to keep boss' business smooth.
Diplomacy - to make responses to boss' contacts.
Fast-Talk - to cover the boss while he's busy or not so busy.
Research - to quickly find necessary information about previously unknown organisation or person.
Savoir-Faire (High Society) - to adress people on business meetings.
Savoir-Faire (Servant) - to adress boss and keep him ensured he or she's the boss.
Writing - to write speeches for boss.

Reaction bonus: HRs going to employ you, bosses employing you.

Additional skills for template:
Computer Opertaion - definitely.
Connosieur (business style) - to make presents to various people, boss himself and kepp boss stylish.
Current Affairs (Business, People and other) - to supplement Research and to give boss advices about certain people.
Speed-Reading - to quickly browse through all papers.
Typing - mainly for TL 6, may substitute Savoir-Faire (High Society) in Talent (at TL 6), though leaving only 1 speciality there.
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Old 08-12-2013, 11:42 PM   #15
Rocket Man
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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Originally Posted by Peter Knutsen View Post
Typing will be useful from TL6 (or late 5?) and up to TL8. After that, keyboards will probably be rare. But if Typing is included in the Talent, it starts to really look like "Talent for the Skills that I want". I mean, more than it already does.
I'm trying to avoid that where possible, yes.

The traits that make a "natural EA" tend to be a gift for organization -- so that the boss always has what she needs when she needs it -- and a certain amount of interpersonal skill, when serving as the boss's conduit to the outside world. I'd say the list we've discussed so far (and that Walrus summarized) reflects that theme. Even the Writing skill mainly represents the ability to organize the boss's thoughts in a manner that's comprehensible to others; skillful technical or "professional" writing, if you will, rather than artistic authorship.
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Old 08-13-2013, 12:53 AM   #16
Kromm
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

Current Affairs (Business) is almost a must – most of what EAs I've personally known have done for their paycheck is assimilate economic news, market reports, new legislation, etc. and paraphrase these developments for the boss. As Talents don't count specialties, I'd simply say Current Affairs – a good EA will use whatever specialty is needed, including High Culture, Pop Culture, and Sports to get the hottest event tickets for the boss to use as bribes. I'd also endorse Administration for managing the shop and handling lesser staff (the EA is very often the real second-in-command, whatever the official Table of Organization says), Diplomacy for handling people of importance (especially movers and shakers impatient for a personal meeting . . .), Public Speaking for running interference with the press and stockholders, Savoir-Faire (High Society and Servant), and Writing for doing the written version of Public Speaking (less for actually turning boss-talk into English, though . . . that's a secretary's job, not an EA's task).

Several skills mentioned here are ones I would not include. I would leave out Computer Operation and Typing if you mean a true EA rather than a secretary or a receptionist; most real-world EAs are boss stand-ins and businesspeople in their own right, not menial help. I'd really avoid Fast-Talk – mostly because Diplomacy does the same job better and without risk (an EA deflects with Diplomacy, Public Speaking, Savoir-Faire, and Writing, and leaves true lying to the boss). I'd avoid general Research and Speed-Reading, too, as I think that Current Affairs comes much closer to the mark, and these two skills are too close to the menial task of burning the midnight oil whilst sitting in a room stacked with file boxes; the EA orders people to do that while she stays close to the boss. And I wouldn't invent a Professional Skill, simply because I can't see any omission that it would cover.

So that's Administration, Current Affairs, Diplomacy, Public Speaking, Savoir-Faire (High Society and Servant), and Writing. It's mostly a social Talent with a little practical executive ability around the edges. The reaction bonus would most likely come from one's current boss – and that's a huge benefit, if the boss is wealthy and powerful, as it could result in a de facto Patron without paying the points.

That assumes a modern EA in the world of finance or big business. Old-timey EAs really were more like secretaries who did menial typing and file-pulling, and were not entrusted with proxy powers. For that job, the Talent would probably look more like Diplomacy, Housekeeping, Research, Savoir-Faire (Servant), Writing, and either Typing (TL6-7) or Computer Operation (TL8+). Yes, Housekeeping . . . guess who makes the coffee, gets the ink off the boss' cuff when the fountain pen explodes, and takes care of the petty cash that buys biscuits for the meeting?
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Old 08-13-2013, 01:19 AM   #17
Kromm
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

Actually, this description is pretty close to the mark for 2013. The page on which it resides does a fair job of illustrating the secretary-administrative assistant-executive assistant evolution.
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Old 08-13-2013, 03:14 AM   #18
Michael Cule
 
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

Scrounging. For "Oh, my God he's got to address the Senate in five minutes and his shirt is covered with tomato sauce! Get another! I don't care how!"
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Old 08-13-2013, 03:25 AM   #19
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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Scrounging. For "Oh, my God he's got to address the Senate in five minutes and his shirt is covered with tomato sauce! Get another! I don't care how!"
The guy/gal who says "I don't care how" is using Administration to find someone in the organisation (or possibly standing close enough to someone in the organisation) who has Scrounging. That person will then have a rare, but fun, moment to shine.

Of course, the executive assistant might have come up 'through the ranks', so the speak, and so have Scrounging. I imagine it's fairly common among interns.
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Old 08-13-2013, 09:59 AM   #20
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
Public Speaking is not the skill you use to lie. That's either Fast-Talk or Acting. Or for a simple lie, just an IQ roll. On the other hand, I think a really good EA will have figured out how to cover up without actually lying, by making acceptable excuses—which is more Savoir-Faire (High Society), I think.

Bill Stoddard

When an EA "covers for" the boss, they are not lying. They are simply acting as the executive's proxy or mouthpiece in some matter. Public speaking is the skill one needs to deliver reports, etc., and most of the time an Executive Assistant is "covering" for the boss, that is what they are doing.
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