When you receive a lot of emails, responding to them at once all can interrupt your work and distract you from what you are doing. In Microsoft Outlook 2007 you can set an email reminder, so you can sort out which emails need replying to more urgently, and which ones don’t need replying to straight away.

 
1. Click on the email you want to set up a reminder for
2. Click on the Follow Up Icon on the Ribbon
3. Select Add Reminder from the list
4. Choose the Due Date and Time you want the reminder to be set on
5. Click OK

 
Visit our Microsoft Outlook Tips page for more useful information

Improving your skills with the right training could unlock your full potential and improve your performance. If you are considering doing a training course, either to increase your skills or knowledge about a subject, choose a course and subject that will benefit you the most. However finding the right course is not an easy task. Here are 3 important steps:

Find Out Your Training Needs
Before you choose a training course, you need to think about what your training needs, aims and learning goals are. The best way to accomplish this is by carrying out a Training Needs Analysis (TNA). This is a process, which identifies your training needs and provides you with information on what training might be appropriate for you.

If your employer does not offer TNA you might enquire if a training provider offers this service. Some training companies can offer you a written Training Need Analysis or verbal via telephone assessment.

Check if You Need Certification

With a learning goal in mind you need to decide whether you need certification in the subject you’ve decided to develop.

Choosing a course where you can receive a certification at the end of it, can be very beneficial to you. Certification can help you by opening the door to more opportunities in your career. It could increase your chances of finding work even in a tough job market, as it provides proof of your skills to potential employers. It can also increase your skills, confidence and knowledge in the subjects that you have chosen.

So before you decide to take a course make sure you know if you need certification.

Decide on a Type of Training

There are a wide range of training methods that are available to choose from, so you might want to think about which method best suits you. The majority of them fall into two category – self-paced training and instructor led training.

Instructor Led Training (ILT) is where an instructor provides live training to a class. To find more information please read on Benefits of Instructor Led Training.

Self-paced training includes Computer-Based Training or more popular Online Training.

ILT gives you advantages of learning in a group and have regular interaction with the trainer. Its disadvantage is in fixed schedule. Self-paced training provides you with greater flexibility to learn at any time. However they require self-discipline and motivation to complete the training and quite often lack of sufficient external help. Therefore if you are a complete beginner in a subject a self-paced training might not be beneficial to you.

Hopefully the above was useful to you. We are going to write more on How to choose the Best Instructor Led Training, so keep reading.

Shortcut keys can save you a lot of time in Microsoft Access; instead of going through all the settings you can just press a few buttons. Here are 10 most useful navigation keys that you can use.
 

CTRL+N – Open a new database

CTRL+O - Open an existing database

CTRL+F1 – Minimize the Ribbon

CTRL + P – Print

CTRL+Z – Undo

F5 – Switch from design view to form view

F7 – Check spelling

F12 – Open Save As box

ALT+F8 – Display the Field List.

ALT+F4 – Close Access
 
Why not book yourself onto one of our Microsoft Access Courses to learn more

In At Home with Microsoft Word Checklists we wrote about how to use Microsoft Word to help you with tasks around the house. Can Word help with travel?
 
Going away on holiday is really fun enjoyment for all the family. But it can also take a lot of planning and organisation, which can create lots of stress. Microsoft Word checklists and travel design templates are a real time saver when planning all your holiday details, as you can write down all of your holiday arrangements without the fear of forgetting something. So here are just a few ideas:
 

Pre-Travel Checklist

Before you leave your house and set off, there are probably a few things you need to take care of. So why not create a pre-travel checklist, which you can then personalise with your own tasks. This may include making sure all electrical appliances are either switched off or unplugged, ensuring all doors and windows are locked, and blinds and curtains are drawn. This may include stopping all home-delivery services i.e. milk or newspapers or arranging a neighbour to pick them up, deciding whether to keep any food you have in the freezer or throw it away if it’s perishable.
 

Packing Checklist

Making sure you have everything you need before you leave is very important, there’s nothing worse than getting to your destination and realising you have forgot something. Create a to-take list so that you know you haven’t missed anything. This should include taking passports, tickets, debit and/or credit cards or other financial means. You could also include other items such as clothes and toiletries to organise your packing.
 

Travel Itinerary

Travel Itinerates are very useful for travel information, you can use these for flight details such as airline name, your flight number, and departure and arrival times of your plane/train/bus etc. You can also include information such as your hotel’s address and contact details. Having this list ready will save your time, rather than rummaging through all your documents trying to find the right piece of paper.
 

Designed Luggage Tags

At the airport you might spend ages trying to recognise your luggage on the conveyor belt. So why not create a personalised luggage tag, to make your suitcase stand out more. You can choose from a wide range of template designs available in Word or create your own. And if your luggage accidently gets lost, the airport staff will be able to recognise it and contact you to return it.
 

Trip Planner

If you have anything planned out for a day, or have a busy schedule you might want to look at the trip planner. It is designed like a calendar and has time slots to plan out the activities you want to do. You will not need to remember all activities and guarantee you do not miss anything interesting.
 

Travel Booking Error

In the unfortunate event that you aren’t happy with a service from your holiday, you probably need to write a complaint letter. So use Microsoft Word template like a Travel Booking Error Complaint letter. You can customise the template and write, for example, to the hotel or airport and explain what you were unhappy about.
 
 
The great advantage of creating these forms on your computer is that once you’ve created them, you only need to update them with additional info. Having the list ready will make preparation and the trip itself less stressful and enjoyable.
 

There are so many useful features of Microsoft Word, from writing letters to creating posters. You can find a huge variety of these designs on the Microsoft Word templates page so why not have a look.

Have you ever wanted to group several images together so that they become one picture? In Microsoft Word there is an option of grouping a number of images together so that when you move them around the page they all move together like they are one big image.

 
1. First click on the Insert tab on the Ribbon then select Shapes.
2. At the bottom of the menu click on New Drawing Canvas.
3. A box will then appear on the page. Insert or Paste any images you want into that box and position them the way you want.
4. Using your mouse, click and drag across the box to highlight the images.
5. Right click on one of them and choose the option for Grouping and click on Group. Now they are grouped together as one image.

 
Interested in learning more? Then visit our Microsoft Word Tips page or book one our Microsoft Word Courses to learn all about these great skills.

You may recall our article in March: Statutory Right to Training to remain illusive for Small & Medium Businesses where we talked about employees working in large businesses now having the right to request time to train, and that it was expected to cover employees of small and medium size businesses from April 2011. However the Government has now ruled out the right to request training in SMEs until at least April 2015.
 
Employees working in businesses with 250 employees or more are entitled to have the time to train right. However the same right has been put on hold for employees in businesses of smaller size by the coalition Government. The right won’t be extended to them until the Government examines the potential impact of the regulation on smaller firms.
 
The provisions will be kept under review and a formal evaluation of the right to request time to train will be undertaken. This will allow the Government’s policy on this issue to be reviewed by April 2015. Once the Government reviews their findings they can make a decision on whether the right should then be extended to employees in small and medium organisations in April 2015.
 
This decision was made because of the consultation, which revealed a split decision among employers, professional bodies, trade unions and individuals over whether or not to extend the right.
 

Several respondents have commented that larger organisations have the dedicated resources available to deal with personnel and training. For smaller organisations the right could be a challenge as SMEs do not have dedicated HR functions.
 

Also, the additional cost for compliance would be difficult for a small business, which might cause employers to reconsider employing staff.
 

In response to the consultation, the Federation of Small Businesses said: “The Government should focus on promoting training rather than regulating on it. Businesses need to be socially aware of the benefits that training can bring to a business’ competitiveness.” 
 
The consultation postponed the proposal for the right to request training for SME only until economic conditions improve. However there is a strong movement among business groups to scrap the right to request time off for training completely.
 

Out of all the respondents to the consultation only 36% were in favour of scrapping the decision to extend the right entirely. However this did rise to 49% among employers and 61% of small businesses.
 

We are going to write more on the eligibility for employers working in organisations with more than 250 employees, so keep reading this blog.

When you create a design in Publisher 2007 e.g. business cards, you can change the print settings so that you can print out multiple copies of them on one page instead having to print them out one at a time and use loads of paper. Follow these steps to achieve this:

 
1. Click on File and then choose Print Setup.
2. From Publication and Paper Settings tab, click on Multiple Copies per Sheet
3. You can then choose if you want to print them out in Landscape or Portrait
4. There is also the option of altering the Top and Side Margins so you can move your printout further across the page instead of it being at the edge.
5. Once you’ve selected options you want, click on Print.

Interested in learning more tips have a look on our Microsoft Publisher Tips page

Online distance training has become very popular, as it provides learners with the ability to learn what they want and whenever they want. However, instructor led training has its own significant benefits and has stayed very popular even in this digital age. Let us look at 4 advantages of instructor led training.
 

Instructor-led training is a form of training which involves an instructor providing live training to an individual or to a group of students. It could be run in an office, classroom or conference room using lectures, presentations, demonstrations, interactive workshops, discussions and it could be run even virtually, utilising video-conferencing tools.
 
So what are the benefits?
 
The Instructor

The most important asset in an instructor-led program is the instructor himself. A well-educated and experienced professional can add a lot of value to a courseware, as they share their knowledge on the subject to enrich learning.
 
The instructor is not only fully qualified in the subjects they teach, but also in the general principles of training itself. For example, if you are having difficulty learning something, they can use a variety of techniques such as role-play, games or exercises to enhance your learning experience and help you get back on track.
 
Questions & Real-Time Feedback

Another advantage of instructor-led training is the opportunity to ask questions directly and get immediate feedback. This could be a challenge if you were on a distant learning program, as you might have to wait to get an answer and in some cases you don’t get a reply at all. Sometimes if your question is unclear and needs further clarification, it could be weeks before you get the correct answer. All of it negatively impacts your learning, as while you are waiting you are not able to progress with your study.
 
Learning from Peers

Instructor-led training generally takes place in a classroom, which gives the students the advantage of learning from their peers. Learning in a group is not only enjoyable, but it facilitates retention of learning, deeper understanding of new concepts, and increased informal learning. Sharing ideas, group discussions, and debating with peers can further develop knowledge, particularly in practical application of the subject. Furthermore, since some delegates on a course are advanced users the entire group benefits from their experience and knowledge.
 
Time of Learning

Learning in a classroom is quicker than online. This is because a course has been structured and planned out and takes into consideration years of experience of delivering the course to people with different styles of learning.
 
Likewise, training in a classroom will help you to concentrate, because you are away from potential distractions such as phone calls or television. Enabling you to concentrate more on study may help you to understand course material better and as a result get through it quicker.
 
Moreover, your class mates motivates you to continue your study. This is particular useful for someone who is likely to procrastinate or study at the last minute.
 
Despite being the most expensive form of training, Instructor Led Training, as demonstrated above, has its distinctive advantages. So make sure you are choosing the best training provider, to guarantee that you receive good value for money.

PowerPoint 2007 gives you the chance to add sound effects to your presentations. This can make your presentation a lot more enjoyable and fun for your audience.

 
1. From the Ribbon, click on the Insert tab
2. Click Sound icon
3. You will get a few options to choose from like from File or from Clipart
4. Click on the sound effect you want
5. You will get a Dialog Box asking you whether you want the sound to come on Automatically or when you Click on the object
6. You will get additional tab – Options where you can Increase or Decrease the volume.

 
Interested in learning more? Visit our Microsoft PowerPoint Tips page or book a course