This is mainly because a good number of Microsoft Office users only know how to use about 10% of all the available Microsoft Office functions. Being aware of these functions and knowing how to use them well can make working with the software easier, more efficient and a lot more enjoyable. Here are four handy tips that can help you improve your Microsoft Office skills:
Microsoft Word tip: Use direct mail
There may be times when you need to send out mass emails or letters to clients, potential customers or even fellow employees, and often, “Dear all” just doesn’t cut it. That’s where Mail Merge comes in. In Word, you can use Mail Merge to create letters that have a personal touch added to them. This function inserts a salutation followed by the person’s details (name, title and address) into a standardised letter to make it look original rather than mass produced. Using Mail Merge to send direct mail will not only make you come across as professional, but will also give the recipients of your mail the impression that you took the time and effort to personalise your correspondence.
Microsoft Excel tip: Filter it out
Working with a large amount of data with a number of sub-criteria can be both taxing and confusing. However, in Excel, you can filter out certain content, displaying only the rows that meet your specified criteria and hiding those that do not. With the AutoFilter function, Excel adds drop-down arrows to the first cell in each column of data in your worksheet. When you click on these arrows, Excel will display a list of all the entries in the column, and you are able to select the desired entry to limit the display. After filtering the data it is also possible to copy, edit, format and print the subset of filtered data without rearranging it or having to move it to a new document.
Microsoft Outlook tip: Secure your emails
You may have had the unfortunate experience of having your emails hacked or your email address spoofed by random strangers. Outlook allows you to put your recipients at ease and stop having to explain why they keep receiving promotional copy and virus-infested messages from “your” email address. The Digital ID available in Outlook verifies that you are who you say you are and gives the recipient of the email the opportunity to check and confirm this. When you add your digital signature to your outgoing messages, you ensure that your recipient knows that the messages really came from you and that any chain messages or sweepstake notifications that claim to come from you are simply ignored.
Microsoft PowerPoint tip: Create your own template
PowerPoint presentations can be time consuming and labour intensive to create. Having decided on the perfect wording, the best layout and some great pictures and animations, it is rather demanding to have to start another presentation from scratch. A handy feature in PowerPoint is the AutoContent Wizard, which creates new presentations using built-in templates but also allows you to add an existing presentation to the AutoContent Wizard Library. This way, that great presentation you made won’t go to waste but can be reused, customised and modified to suit a different subject – saving you time and allowing you to work more efficiently.
To learn more, consider the online University of Cape Town Office Computing short course, which runs again in early 2013. Alternatively, visit: www.getsmarter.co.za to choose from over 30 online short courses. For more information, contact Nazley on 021 447 7565 or nazley@getsmarter.co.za.
