Did you know in Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, you can re-colour clipart pictures if you don’t like their original colours, if you want to change the colour here’s how to do it:

 
1. Click on the Insert Tab on the Ribbon
2. Choose Clipart
3. In the Search for box, type in an image you want to use
4. Double click on it to insert it into the slide
5. Click on the Format Tab on the Ribbon
6. Click on the Recolour icon
7. Choose and click on the colour you want the image to have

 
Visit our Microsoft PowerPoint Tips page for more useful information

In Right to Request Training is put on hold for SMEs we looked at why the right has been put on hold for small businesses. Let’s discuss how you can request time to train.
 
The Right to Request Time to Train allows eligible employees in businesses with 250 or more staff to ask for time off from work for accredited and unaccredited training to help them develop skills relevant to their job, workplace or business.
 

There is no limit to the amount of time or training that an employee can request. Employees can ask to undertake more than one piece of training in a single request.
 

To be eligible to request time to train a person must:

 
• Work for an employer with 250 employees or more
• Be an employee
• Have worked for the company for a minimum of 26 weeks
• Have not made a previous request in the last 12 months

This right however does not cover:

 
• Agency Workers
• A member of the armed forces
• A person of compulsory school age
• 16-18 year olds and already expected to take part in education or training



Types of Training

The right to request time to train gives members of staff the right to apply for time off to pursue training which will help them in their chosen employment. However employees can only request time off for certain types of training. This includes:

 
• Training that will help them improve their performance in their workplace
• Training that will lead to a personal qualification.

The most important requirement is that the training you want will help improve business performance and your effectiveness in your employer’s business. The training could be:

 
• In an area directly related to the type of work you are currently doing
• Something that will help you progress within the business
• Something that will help you progress in a different area

Employees can request training and choose a delivery method that they feel is most appropriate for them. For example, training which is:

 
• Undertaken on your employer’s premises or elsewhere, including at your home
• Delivered whilst you are working or separately, for example on-the-job training
• Provided or supervised by your employer or by someone else, for example a course run by a college or other training provider
• With or without someone supervising you
• Within or outside the UK

We are going to write more on how you can request the right to train, so keep reading this blog.

If you want to add or remove commands or customize the Quick Access Toolbar in Microsoft Excel, just follow these simple steps:

 
1. Right click on the Ribbon 
2. From the Menu, click on Customize Quick Access Toolbar
3. This opens up the customized options box
4. In the left column are the commands that are available, on the right are the commands that are on the toolbar
5. Select the Command you want to insert or to remove
6. Click on Add or Remove to add or remove it from the Toolbar
7. Click OK

 
Interested in learning more? Have a look at our Microsoft Excel Tips Page

In 5 Effective Time Management Tips we offered some techniques to manage your time more effectively. Using these techniques helps you achieve more in a day and significantly improve quality of your life. Let’s find out how.
 
 
 

Reduced Stress

A lot of us experience stress when we feel that we have far too much to do and don’t think we will finish a task on time. One of the main advantages of time management is its ability to reduce stress. By effectively organising your time you would be able to complete your tasks on schedule and have time to relax, thus reducing your level of frustration.
 

Increased Productivity

Managing your time not only allows you to concentrate on important tasks but it also increases your productivity. If you organise your work you would probably be able to complete more tasks within a certain period than you would have dreamt of. Instead of having to rush through all your tasks to try completing them, and perhaps not doing a good job, you can take your time and produce quality results.
 

Improved Satisfaction and Confidence

If you haven’t completed some of your tasks at the end of a day as you had no time, you probably feel guilty. With effective time management you will be able to complete more tasks and produce quality work. As your productivity will increase, you will feel proud of the results you’ve accomplished. Thus in turns will give you a sense of satisfaction and boost your level of confidence.
 
 

I hope you have found this information useful, if you would like to learn more about time management, please feel free to look at our Time Management Articles.

It’s always a good idea to protect your personal files with passwords. With Project 2007 you can create a password for your project to prevent it from being accessed by unauthorised users.

 
1. Click on File and choose Save As.
2. On the tools menu in the Save As dialog box, click General Options.
3. This brings up the Protection password box.
4. Type in a password in the Password Protection box to prevent your file from being opened by a unautherised user.
5. Type in a password in the Write Reservation Password box, to protect your file from being edited by a unautherised user.
6. Click OK.

 
Have a look at our Microsoft Project Courses to see if anything interests you

In Putting the ‘Wow’ into PowerPoint Presentations – Part 1. Readability we talked about how to make your presentations more enjoyable to read. And in Putting the ‘Wow’ into PowerPoint Presentations – Part Two. Images we learned how to make presentations more visually appealing. However even a visually great presentation can fail if something with your equipment goes wrong. Here are 3 Tips to ensure your gear passes MOT

Test the Equipment

Before you present your slideshow, ensure all equipment works properly. For example, if you are using a projector, test that it is working with your computer and it is projecting the image the way you want.
 
If you have a large audience you might need to use a microphone and speakers, so confirm that they both work as well.
 
Start your computer to ensure it works and check if it has the program you need to run the presentation on. Open your presentation file to verify it opens without any issues.
 
Navigate Through PowerPoint

PowerPoint is the most likely program to be used when you prepare a presentation. During your presentation, some listeners might want to look back at previous slides. Therefore practice navigating through your presentation by using shortcut keys on the keyboard to easily locate the slide your listeners want. You can also use the projector remote to select a specific slide instead of having to go through the entire presentation.
 
Have a Backup Plan

Think what can go wrong with equipment and have a backup plan.
 
For example, to avoid issues because a computer crashed, make sure that you have a copy of your presentation. Save a copy onto a USB memory card or CD so you can insert it onto another computer and run your presentation from there if required.
 
To avoid issues because the projector failed, have a printed copy of your presentation and use your notes to guide you.
 
Follow these steps and you’ll be prepared to run your presentation smoothly. Next time, we are going to write what else to prepare to deliver effective presentations.

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.