Microsoft Office Productivity - Knack Training

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Microsoft Office
Master the Essential Productivity Suite

Microsoft Office is the daily productivity platform for professionals everywhere. Unfortunately, so many people are self-taught in these applications, on versions that were released years ago, that comprehensive training on these tools create incredible time-saving and effectiveness benefits.

What we can teach

Request a Microsoft Word class today!

Microsoft Word: Navigation, Selection, and Editing (WRD-040)

When creating documents, it is critical that we can navigate the application and the files quickly, selecting and editing content wherever it is needed. This session builds a toolbox of mouse actions, shortcuts, and hacks to create documents with ease.

  • Navigation shortcuts for files and content
  • Selection actions with the mouse and keyboard
  • Content editing tools
  • Formatting features
  • File types and compatibility

Microsoft Word: Essential Formatting & Structure (WRD-041)

At its core, Microsoft Word leverages the concepts of templates and styles to control all the aesthetic qualities of your file. Understanding the essentials of these tools is critical to being successful with the application.

  • Understanding and using Normal style
  • Customizing the conventional paragraph styles
  • Saving styles for reuse on other documents
  • Understanding paragraph styling
  • Margins and page breaks

Microsoft Word: Tabs and Tables (WRD-042)

The second layer of formatting a Word document comes in the form of additional styles, as well as a more structured document through the use of tables. These features give us additional control and specificity about the design of our content.

  • Controlling headers and footers in a document
  • Implementing tabs and spacing within and without styles
  • Adding and formatting tables
  • Using tables to control document layout
  • Page layout controls

Microsoft Word: References and File Structure (WRD-043)

In larger documents, we often need to consider segmenting the file and creating a system of references throughout the document. This provides better editing and formatting, as well as navigation to the point of the document that is relevant to a specific audience.

  • Using styles to automatically generate a Table of Contents
  • Adding layers of references to a large document
  • Understanding page breaks and section breaks
  • Changing document structure midway through a file
  • Custom document formatting

Microsoft Word: Forms and Mail Merge (WRD-044)

Microsoft Word can be used to collect and manage larger sets of data, depending on the scenario you find yourself in. In this session, we will cover the fundamentals of building and distributing a fillable form, then collecting the results. We will also integrate Word with Outlook and Excel to automate the creation of standardized documents.

  • Leveraging the Developer tab in Microsoft Word
  • Designing a form with tables and fields
  • Controlling fields dynamically
  • Collecting data from forms in Microsoft Office
  • Creating templated files from Mail Merge

Microsoft Word: Automation (WRD-045)

Using Microsoft Word repetitively opens up the professional to mistakes. Rather than forcing ourselves to perform actions the same way over and over, we should build automation around our typical processes. In Word, that involves customizing the interface and building a set of macros to support our workflows.

  • Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar to your personal workflows
  • Creating custom Ribbons in the Word interface
  • Recording macros
  • Editing, combining, and distributing macros
  • Leveraging macros in your personal workflows

Take the whole Microsoft Excel track (12 courses)

Microsoft Excel: Essential Spreadsheet Skills (EXL-040)

Register for this course today

Many business professionals have been thrust into using Excel daily without proper training. It turns out that there are a few simple rules that improve the functionality of every spreadsheet, and make your work easier to accomplish. In this session, we’ll demonstrate how applying these fundamental principles change everything.

  • Creating new workbooks and changing application settings
  • Adding, editing, and deleting content
  • Using lists for effective data management
  • Adding selection and navigation shortcuts to your personal toolbox
  • Organizing a spreadsheet effectively

Microsoft Excel: References and Calculations (EXL-041)

Register for Excel 2: References and Calculations today!

Calculations in Excel are critical to ‘get right.’ From using appropriate operators and formulas, to controlling the order of operations, to understanding reference types, there are several major concepts to thoroughly understand in this area.

  • Using and adjusting relative, absolute, and mixed references in calculations
  • Using named ranges and table ranges as references
  • Understanding order of operations and using operators effectively
  • Adding simple Excel functions to summarize spreadsheet data

Microsoft Excel: ETL with Power Query (EXL-042)

Register for Excel 3: Power Query today!

The most critical starting point for a successful spreadsheet is clean, accurate, and current data. The most effective and modern way to accomplish this task is with a newer feature of Excel called Power Query. With Power Query, we perform operations that Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) data from the original source into our workbook.

  • Understanding Power Query in the context of an Excel workbook
  • Extracting data from various sources
  • Performing transformations on dirty data
  • Combining and comparing data
  • Setting up automated refreshes of external data

Microsoft Excel: List and Table Management (EXL-043)

Register for Excel 4: Lists and Tables today!

Once data has successfully been added to a workbook, it is critical that it remains useful. In this session, we cover the skills and tools that control the content, formatting, and calculations in a workbook.

  • Converting existing lists into tables
  • Adding Data Validation to ranges in a workbook
  • Structuring workbooks for ease of management
  • Using Conditional Formatting to indicate issues with a file
  • Setting permissions

Microsoft Excel: Text, Date, and Management Functions (EXL-044)

Register for Excel 5: Text and Date Functions today!

Besides the core analysis functions and the powerful comparison functions, there are a number of functions that are about the presentation and structure of the information. These include text formatting and manipulation functions, date and time functions, and others.

  • Clean up improperly structured text information
  • Calculate deadlines and durations
  • Set up automatically updating configurations
  • Handle dates numerically and present them in various ways

Microsoft Excel: Lookup and Logical Functions (EXL-045)

Register for Excel 6: Lookup and Logical Functions today!

Once a data table has been added to Excel, we regularly want to compare the data against existing data or categories, and find ways to combine the new information with existing concepts. Lookup functions like VLOOKUP allow us to combine tables or find a position within a range, and logical functions like IF allow us to build our own categories.

  • Combining and comparing tables with VLOOKUP and INDEX and MATCH
  • Upgrading table combinations with XLOOKUP and Power Query
  • Categorizing data with logical functions
  • Using Boolean comparisons to color-code spreadsheets

Microsoft Excel: Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts (EXL-046)

Register for Excel 7: Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts today!

The Pivot Table is one of the most intuitive and powerful tools in Excel. With any list or table in your workbook, you can create a summary analysis and a chart highlighting insights in just seconds. Taking more time than that, you can build an interactive dashboard with multiple charts and filters.

  • Designing and controlling lists and tables as the Pivot Table source
  • Creating Pivot Tables to analyze data populations
  • Adding Slicers and Timelines to Pivot Tables for interactivity
  • Visualizing insights with Pivot Charts
  • Making multiple-chart dashboards

Microsoft Excel: Power Pivot and Modern Excel (EXL-047)

Register for Excel 8: Power Pivot today!

If you are an advanced user of Pivot Tables, Power Pivot is a very useful upgrade to your skillset. Power Pivot was built as a component of Power BI, but Microsoft added it to Excel using an Add-in. With it, you can create relationships between data tables, and add new DAX functions to existing analyses.

  • Converting existing lists into Excel Tables
  • Creating relationships between tables
  • Using the Excel Data Model in Pivot Tables
  • Writing DAX functions for use in summaries

Microsoft Excel: Data Visualization Essentials (EXL-048)

Register for Excel 9: Data Visualization today!

Effective charts and visualizations of data can help the user explore the data in question and identify insights. Then, charts can help to communicate those insights with context and clarity to outside audiences. In this session, we will cover the critical foundation to effective charts in Excel.

  • Identifying and analyzing an audience
  • Choosing and implementing chart types to clearly highlight essential data
  • Format charts effectively for clarity
  • Add text content for direct messaging and support

Microsoft Excel: Forecasting and Analysis (EXL-049)

Register for Excel 10: Forecasting and Analysis today!

Because Excel is such a powerhouse for storing and analyzing data, there are a wealth of tools for pushing from analyzing the past to forecasting the future. With tools like What-If, Scenarios, Solver, and a range of add-ins, Excel can create new charts and tables that explain potential future conditions.

  • Creating new calculated results with What-if and Data Tables
  • Adding Scenarios to existing calculations
  • Searching for desired outcomes with Solver
  • Sampling and forecasting data

Microsoft Excel: Professional Polish for Spreadsheets (EXL-050)

Register for Excel 11: Professional Polish today!

When building a workbook, there are layers of aesthetic and number formatting that can be applied, as well as structural changes that will make it easier to navigate and understand. In this session, we take your construction efforts to the next level by polishing the spreadsheet thoroughly.

  • Working with corporate design themes
  • Building templates and macros for file creation
  • Customizing number and aesthetic formatting
  • Improving layouts and arrangements of elements
  • Structuring your workbook for ease of use

Microsoft Excel: Automation in Excel (EXL-051)

Register for Excel 12: Automation today!

With customization and recorded macros, an Excel user can create a set of tools to automate and simplify their personal workflow. In this session, we will illustrate how to create custom shortcuts and handle common issues in seconds.

  • Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar
  • Creating custom Ribbons for Excel
  • Recording and editing macros
  • Creating buttons and shortcuts for VBA code

Register for all 8 courses, running online next month!

Microsoft PowerPoint: Essential Slide Creation (PPT-040)

Register for PowerPoint 1 online today!

To build an effective slide, we need to combine skills around font formatting, alignment, arrangement, and content creation. In this session, we add slides to a presentation efficiently and uniformly, creating a consistent presentation.

  • Creating new presentations and adding slides
  • Adding and formatting text content
  • Adding and formatting shapes and images
  • Aligning and arranging content on slides

Microsoft PowerPoint: Theme and Template Foundation (PPT-041)

PowerPoint 2: Themes and Templates is running online!

Behind every presentation is a PowerPoint Theme. This is composed of color schemes, fonts, and layouts that control the various slides of the deck. To create a consistent, professional presentation, we must understand, use, and control the theme effectively.

  • Understanding and modifying the slide master and layouts for a presentation
  • Creating and updating color schemes and font schemes
  • Resetting slides to match the existing theme
  • Saving theme and template files for reuse

Microsoft PowerPoint: Images, Icons, and Diagrams (PPT-042)

PowerPoint 3: Working with Graphics

Into each slide, images and diagrams help provide context, visual interest, and polish to an engaging presentation. In this session, we will control and build effective visuals within each slide, and unify their properties across slides in the presentation.

  • Inserting and controlling photos and illustrations in a slide
  • Adding shapes and icons and combining them
  • Working with SmartArt
  • Creating custom diagrams with shapes and other elements

Microsoft PowerPoint: Charting in PowerPoint (PPT-043)

PowerPoint 4: Visualizing Data in PowerPoint live hands-on class

While charts are often created in Excel, ultimately they are displayed in presentations very commonly. In this session, we will both discuss the integration between Excel and PowerPoint, and the formatting and handling of the chart within the slide.

  • Moving Excel charts into PowerPoint slides effectively
  • Creating native charts in PowerPoint
  • Formatting charts for readability and engagement
  • Adding contextual elements to the slide

Microsoft PowerPoint: Media and Motion (PPT-044)

PowerPoint 5: Video and Animation

Moving beyond static content, PowerPoint can support audio, video, and advanced animations. These tools make the presentation more engaging and can help tell stories more effectively. In this session, we combine these multimedia concepts into a dynamic presentation.

  • Adding audio to slides, interactions, and across multiple slides
  • Adding and editing video within presentations
  • Adding element animation
  • Using the Morph transition to connect multiple slide states

Microsoft PowerPoint: Advanced Theme Development (PPT-045)

PowerPoint 6: Working with Corporate Themes

Within the boundaries of your corporate theme, there are many areas the typical presentation designer can improve on both the usability and the polish of the theme. In this session, we will improve upon layouts, color schemes, and more.

  • Creating custom slide layouts for unique presentation scenarios
  • Customizing color schemes for data visualization and diagramming
  • Adding reference elements for on-the-fly design choices
  • Building futureproof versions of the theme

Microsoft PowerPoint: Nonlinear Presentations (PPT-046)

PowerPoint 7: Hyperlinks and Custom Shows

One of the most compelling ways to deliver a presentation is to leave it open to questions and redirections. These nonlinear presentations require navigation like hyperlinks and Zooms, and they require the presenter to truly understand their material. In this session, we will layer on sections, hidden slides, hyperlinks, and other interactive tools.

  • Adding sections to define segments of your presentation
  • Hiding potentially useful content slides from the main timeline
  • Creating automatic navigational tools with Zoom
  • Creating manual navigational tools with hyperlinks

Microsoft PowerPoint: Presentation Structure and Best Practices (PPT-047)

PowerPoint 8: Structuring Presentations

The most important step of creating a compelling presentation is planning. Through proper planning, we can decide on the content to be included and excluded, the structure of the delivery, and additional materials provided before and after the presentation.

  • Planning the presentation story arc
  • Creating detail slides to support simpler content
  • Adding navigational elements
  • Creating handouts and reports

Microsoft Outlook 1: Outlook Essentials

Course Code: OLK-040

Duration: 3 hours

Most information workers live in Outlook, and this session builds the foundation of that skillset. From email to calendar, we cover the essential building blocks.

Topics include:

  • Understanding and manipulating the Outlook interface
  • Sorting and reading email
  • Sending email with attachments and other components
  • Working with meetings
  • Navigating Outlook with buttons and shortcuts

Microsoft Outlook 2: Inbox Management

Course Code: OLK-041

Duration: 3 hours

There are layers of automation and organization tools built into the Outlook inbox that few people truly leverage. Using categories both in lieu of and in conjunction with folders, automating processes, and creating reusable searches are all useful improvements to the common interaction.

Topics include:

  • Organizing emails with categories and folders
  • Automating processes with rules and quick steps
  • Creating custom views and search folders
  • Leveraging templates

Microsoft Outlook 3: Calendar Management

Course Code: OLK-042

Duration: 3 hours

Whether you are only controlling your own calendar, or you are responsible for one or more coworkers’ calendars, there are powerful tools to help you understand and manage your day.

Topics include:

  • Adding calendars to Outlook
  • Creating calendar folders and overlays
  • Building custom views
  • Working with permissions and delegates

Microsoft Outlook 4: Tasks and Contacts

Course Code: OLK-043

Duration: 3 hours

Task management has changed significantly over the last decade; Microsoft has improved their offerings both through new development and acquisitions. In this session, we will understand how to create and organize tasks and contacts.

Topics include:

  • Create and organize contacts
  • Create common tasks and flag emails
  • Prioritizing and labeling tasks
  • Creating shared task lists

Microsoft OneNote 1: Information Management

Register for our OneNote class today!

Course Code: ONT-040

Duration: 3 hours

OneNote is one of the most useful applications for the modern era. Because of the volume of information we process every day, programs that help us capture, organize, surface, reuse, and share that information are invaluable.

Topics include:

  • Creating notebooks, sections, and pages
  • Working with text-based notes
  • Adding navigational elements
  • Searching and tagging content

Microsoft OneNote 2: Integrations and Workflows

Course Code: ONT-041

Duration: 3 hours

OneNote extends its value through its integration with other programs, including nearly all of the Microsoft 365 suite. Capturing and combining information from across the business, then sharing that information in many ways, are very useful for any organization.

Topics include:

  • Capturing Outlook information in OneNote
  • Creating tasks and meeting minutes in OneNote
  • Integrating OneNote with SharePoint and Teams
  • Using mobile applications and browser plug-ins

Microsoft Visio 1: Essential Diagram Design

Course Code: VIS-040

Duration: 3 hours

Visio is much more powerful and flexible for diagram design than the other Microsoft applications. By integrating its work into your reports and presentations, you can create significantly more professional illustrations of business processes.

Topics include:

  • Navigating and customizing the Visio interface
  • Working with templates and stencils
  • Adding and formatting text and shapes
  • Controlling alignment, distribution, arrangement, and connections

Microsoft Visio 2: Data-Driven Diagrams

Course Code: VIS-041

Duration: 3 hours

Advanced Visio diagrams can be generated from and connected to data sources for multiple scenarios. Whether it is generating an organization chart from a worksheet, or adding values and measurements into process diagrams, our work can be much more data-rich.

Topics include:

  • Creating diagrams from lists and tables
  • Adding dates and durations to timelines
  • Inserting data into existing diagrams
  • Exporting diagram information for analysis

The team at Knack Training customizes every hands-on training to the world and requirements of the attendees.

  • Live Classroom Training
  • Seminar and Conference Sessions
  • Web-Based Training
  • Video Courses
  • Consulting
The team at Knack Training customizes every hands-on training to the world and requirements of the attendees.

Learn more about
Microsoft Office training opportunities:

Learn more about
Microsoft Office training opportunities: