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Old 08-13-2013, 11:11 AM   #21
Kromm
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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Originally Posted by SaraSophia View Post

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.
I agree. An EA uses Diplomacy to smooth over individual tensions, Public Speaking to "cover" for the boss in front of a crowd, Savoir-Faire (High Society) to show up in the boss' stead when the boss has dumped a high-profile engagement, and Writing to make the boss' weasel words sound good. The boss does any lying required . . . that's a prerogative of rank. An EA who lies rather than smooths over, covers, stands in, or cleans up is going to be on thin ice in short order. In game terms, a good EA's words and actions are expected to be utterly Detect Lies- and Interrogation-proof, and the best EAs are True Believers who never aim their own lie-detection skills (if any) at the boss and therefore believe that their words are the unvarnished truth.
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Old 08-13-2013, 02:06 PM   #22
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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Originally Posted by SaraSophia View Post
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.
This is why I said, 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. I don't think that Public Speaking is the skill you use to do that; for one thing, offering excuses or apologies is mostly done one on one or two small groups, not to groups.

There is, I grant, an ambiguity here. To "cover for" someone can mean to step in and take their place in performing a function, which is how you seem to be using it. On the other hand, to "cover up for" someone is to make their actions appear innocent or acceptable by hiding something about them. DangerousThings used the phrasing "cover for," but I think that they actually meant "cover up for," precisely because they pointed to Fast-Talk as the applicable skill; Fast-Talk could be used to mislead or distract people, but would not be relevant to doing a formal presentation in someone else's place. So I figured they had picked the wrong phrase for what they meant.

For what you're describing, Public Speaking does seem to be the right skill to choose.

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Old 08-13-2013, 02:47 PM   #23
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

What I was trying to say (and guess I didn't get across due to my laziness at typing) is that Savoir-Fair and Public Speaking combined cover almost every instance of "covering for" or "covering up for" the boss. I definitely agree that Savoir-Fair is an important part of an Executive Assistant's job, but I disagree that fast talk is. An EA that uses Fast Talk is going to cause problems, and bring an unsavory reputation to the executive or company. I'm not sure what that implies for the actual building of the talent though.
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Old 08-13-2013, 04:51 PM   #24
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

A cinematic suggestion for the template (but definitely not for the Talent) would be Erotic Art, because some boss/executive assistant relationships do go there.

(Besides, I did say cinematic...)
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Old 08-13-2013, 06:57 PM   #25
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

I am not much inclined to allow professional talents, nor to decide what belongs in a talent on the basis of what would be useful in a given pursuit. Rather, I prefer to design talents as believable inborn talents, as plausible sub-attributes. I decide what skills to include on the basis of which ones seem to be related to each other.

I don't see Erotic Art as being related to Administration.
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Old 08-14-2013, 03:14 PM   #26
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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Old-timey EAs really were more like secretaries who did menial typing and file-pulling, and were not entrusted with proxy powers.
Careful. You just may still encounter proper old-school secretaries (like my late mother-in-law) who get very ****** off with jumped-up typists who call themselves secretaries. The primary skill for one of those (around TL6) was probably Accounting, albeit at modest levels, the point being to prepare accounts at that level of the organisation. Plus Typing and Administration, of course.

Then, TL5 "secretaries" are equivalent to TL7-8 Personal Assistants, with a serious long-term prospect of moving up the organisation (and probably male).
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Old 08-14-2013, 03:24 PM   #27
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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An EA that uses Fast Talk is going to cause problems, and bring an unsavory reputation to the executive or company.
If you use it on a significant figure in another organisation, yes. For batting aside problems with receptionists, security guards, and low-end government functionaries, it's probably highly justifiable.
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Old 08-15-2013, 06:50 AM   #28
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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Originally Posted by Agemegos View Post
I am not much inclined to allow professional talents, nor to decide what belongs in a talent on the basis of what would be useful in a given pursuit. Rather, I prefer to design talents as believable inborn talents, as plausible sub-attributes. I decide what skills to include on the basis of which ones seem to be related to each other.
I agree, but I can imagine a sort of service/organizational personality orientation that would be a basis for a Talent useful to an EA character.

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I don't see Erotic Art as being related to Administration.
Good one. But I think my remark covers this too.
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Old 08-15-2013, 07:22 AM   #29
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

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I don't see Erotic Art as being related to Administration.
Agreed. But surprisingly, Sex Appeal does have some application, notably being the only remotely reliable way to achieve a Very Good Reaction from someone using Basic Set rules. (You can kinda do it with Mysteries or SE optional rules, but it's still highly unreliable.) Of course, its applicability will depend heavily on other factors.
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Old 08-15-2013, 07:22 AM   #30
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Default Re: What Skills Would Go Into an "Executive Assistant" Talent?

Apropos of my earlier post --

Company-Girl Talent

You instinctively understand the incentives and challenges of the high ranking individuals within an organization and feel a strong motivation to commit to assisting them with this insight. You get a reaction bonus from your boss, prospective bosses, and petitioners of your boss.

Skills: Administration, Savoir Faire, Diplomacy, Body Language, Acting, Current Affairs, Intimidation, Propaganda, and, because I personally see no reason not to be a bit creative with the structure of Talents -- Hobby/Expert/Hidden Lore (own organization). [10/lvl].
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