My presentation at ASSAP 2006 was about the Office of the Future and how we need to get out of our comfort zone if we are to create excellence.

Admin staff and secretaries have always been valuable assets to their employers. In today's fast-paced, hi-tech office environment, this special group of people are performing even more essential roles than ever before.

Todayís admin professionals are the front-line public relations ambassadors for their organisations. They also act as key communications hubs, assisting the smooth flow of information and communication. Admin staff are also regular team members taking part in projects, they are experts in organising and co-ordinating, they manage their managers.

So how can you create excellence today? How can you stand out from the crowd? Well if you are going to step up to your full potential in todayís challenging office environment, you must ask yourself what risks you can take to increase your value to your employer, and how you can polish up your skills to set yourself apart from the crowd.

To read my tips on how you can help yourself to get out of the comfort zone and create excellence, follow this link now.

Alison Lester had us all thinking 'out of the box' in her ASSAP presentation - she even showed us her 'box'! She had us all challenging our brains with laughter, with everyone following her instructions to construct a story called "My mother was a spy". She showed everyone how to turn on our creativity tap and unleash our hidden potential. Now it's up to us all to start putting it all into practice!

To read Alison's top ten reminders for fighting fear and increasing confidence, follow this link.

Amit Kumar gave an interesting presentation on today's IT world. He showed everyone how to transfer important documents and presentation slides without using e-mail. We also learned a lot more techniques about how we can make the most of today's wonderful technology.

Follow this link to see Amit's notes on the seven deadly sins of PowerPoint presentations.

Deborah Torres Patel was a big favourite at ASSAP 2006, with her fast-paced, fun, and participative presentation on how we can present ourselves powerfully. She had us all making strange noises, pulling some funny faces, and having a good laugh too, especially when we all tried her tongue twister: "The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday." Go on, try it!

Read Deborah's notes all about how to warm up your voice, as well as how to present a good impression on the telephone.

Alexandra Yung came down from Hong Kong to present at ASSAP. She told us that when we meet someone we give them a label: generous or kind, loud or dynamic, sexy or fun. We all know that a good brand image for a product or a multinational company is invaluable, the benefits are endless; greater recognition means increased financial value. What people are starting to realise is that for the individual this is also true.

Learn more about personal branding by reading Alexandra's notes from ASSAP.

Ricky Lien was a great final speaker with his presentation on how we can build strong partnerships at work. In his interactive, energetic presentation, Ricky gave us some useful tips and techniques on how to deal with challenging situations and build a strong service culture.

Read Ricky's notes on how you can can give better service and build better relationships.

Thanks to Joe Leighton (aka Sporty Joe) for being our fabulous MC at ASSAP 2006. Joe also gave us all a rousing finale by getting everyone on their feet to stretch ourselves out of our comfort zones - we were 'spinning around' with Kylie and keeping our balloons in the air to the tune of 'Love is in the air'. What a great ending to a great day, followed by everyone receiving special ASSAP t-shirts on their way out. Thanks again to everyone at ASSAP 2006, and we hope to see you again next year!