Self-improvement can be costly and time consuming. As an office manager, however, becoming more effective can make your job easier and more valuable in the eyes of management.

Office managers are expert multitaskers. If you're doing more than four things at once, that's probably still not enough. Your knowledge of the office is incomparable — you know exactly whom to call and when. Plus, you have a sixth sense about office crises. In other words, you're practically indispensable. What's your secret? You're organized, understanding (to a point), a good communicator, and can always see the big picture. Still, like any key employee, office managers are often looking for ways to become more effective. Here are a few key tips:

Hone Your Oral Communication Skills
Knowing how to talk to people is paramount for office managers. In many cases, you're the go-to person, so your ability to listen well is critical. You're also the one responsible for making sure things get done. Knowing how to ask questions and obtain clarification will also help you to become more effective. For example, if you don't understand how an assignment is to be completed, seek clarification. You don't necessarily have to admit that you don't understand something; simply ask for clarification. Likewise, if you're discovering that people don't understand your instructions, ask yourself if you need to be clearer in your communication.

Don't Neglect Your Writing Skills
Just because e-mails in general suffer from poor grammar and punctuation doesn't mean that your written communication should be anything less than professional. But knowing what to write and how to do it is just part of your mission; you also need to know about your reading audience. Do people tend to read your entire e-mail or will they stop reading after the first two lines? For the latter, you'll want to incorporate the most important information up front. Also, always remember that once you put anything in writing, it's there for the world to see. Be particularly sensitive in your e-mails and memos when informing staff about new equipment, a change of policy, or any report. You never want to patronize or insult anyone.

And don't ever underestimate the power of misinterpretation. Consider the confusion — and bad feelings — that could arise if you were to write "I resent that" meaning you sent a report again versus you were offended by something that might have been said earlier. Clearly, you want to know where to insert hyphens (re-sent) and when you should simply pick up the phone or stop by someone's desk for a face-to-face conversation.

Consult Your Internal Customers
Remember always that your primary role is to ensure the efficient operation of the office. Engaging in regular communication with your coworkers can help you avoid troublesome issues and attack the ones that do arise more creatively.