•  Format: Online +Live sessions Course
• Course Date: 1st – 2nd June 2026
• Course Facilitator: Industry Expert
• Course Duration: 2 Days

Course Overview:

• This isn’t a productivity workshop—it’s a mindset reset. is a two-day experience that transforms assistants into strategic partners. Using structured frameworks, real-time simulations, and AI tools, participants will learn to navigate ambiguity, act with clarity, and lead without formal authority.

Why Attend?

• Critical thinking is the foundation for sound decisions.
• Leadership is how you show up, not what you’re called.
• Your executive needs insight, not just support.
• Influence grows when you think strategically.
• Trust is built by owning outcomes, not just tasks.

Who should Attend?

• Who should Attend:
  EA, Executive PA, Office Managers of CEO, COO, CFO, CLO, CRO,
  CIO and all HOD’s,
  • Personal Assistants
  • Executive Assistants
  • Senior Secretaries
  • Administrative Assistants
  • Office managers
  • Admin officers
  • Admin Team leaders
  • Executive / Business support

Day 1 : Data, Modern Excel & Core Analysis

1. Introduction & Modern Excel Mindset

• What’s changed in Excel (last 3–6 years)
• From manual to dynamic workflows
• Course roadmap and outcomes

2. Structuring Data for Reliable Analysis

• Tables vs ranges (why it matters more than ever)
• Clean, consistent and structured datasets
• Trimmed ranges and Spill ranges
• Preparing data for formulas, PivotTables, and AI

3. Modern Lookups & Dynamic Filtering

• Moving beyond VLOOKUP
• Using:
  • XLOOKUP
  • XMATCH
  • FILTER
• Creating dynamic outputs driven by user input
• Spill behaviour and referencing

Exercise: Build a filter-driven report

4. Sorting, Shaping and Extracting from Arrays

• UNIQUE, SORT, SORTBY
• TAKE / DROP for report shaping
• CHOOSE, CHOOSECOLS and CHOOSEROWS
• Vertically and horizontally stacking arrays
• Building auto-updating outputs

Exercise: Shape and extract data from the filter-driven report

5. PivotTables for Fast Insight

• When PivotTables are the fastest solution
• Building PivotTables from structured data
• Sorting and grouping (dates, categories)
• Slicers for interactivity
• Comparing PivotTables vs formula solutions

Exercise: Build a quick summary report with slicers

6. Introduction to AI in Excel

• Overview of Microsoft Copilot
• Where AI fits in real workflows
• Using AI to:
  • Generate formulas
  • Clean data
  • Summarise datasets
• Prompting basics (what works / what doesn’t)

7. Day 1 Wrap-Up

Day 2 : Analysis, Reporting & Automation

1. Recap & Quick Challenge

2. Advanced Array Thinking

• The power of iterative calculations
• The GROUPBY and PIVOTBY functions
• BYROW / BYCOL
• SCAN (running totals, streaks)
• When these are worth using (and when not)

Exercise: Getting a feel for iterative calculation formulas

3. Power Query for Repeatable Data Prep

• Importing from files and folders
• Cleaning messy data
• Combining datasets
• Refreshing workflows
• Build once, update forever mindset

Exercise: Get and transform data into Excel

4. Charts & Visual Reporting

• Choosing the right chart for the task
• Building charts from:
  • Tables
  • PivotTables
• Creating clean, professional visuals
• Dynamic formatting and titles to take your charts further

Exercise: Build a dynamic and interactive visual

5. Using AI to Accelerate Your Workflow

• Using Microsoft Copilot for:
  • Insights and summaries
  • Chart suggestions
  • Formula assistance
• Using ChatGPT or other models as alternatives to Copilot alongside Excel:
  • Writing and refining formulas
  • Explaining results
  • Getting advice
  • Assistance on step-by-step Excel processes

Key message: AI supports your workflow – it doesn’t replace understanding

6. Bringing It All Together

End-to-end scenario:

• Import data (Power Query)
• Structure it (Tables)
• Analyse it (formulas + PivotTables)
• Present it (charts + dynamic outputs)

7. Final Q&A & Next Steps