PowerPoint: Black Outs & White Outs

Sometimes when presenting a PowerPoint, you want the attention on you as the speaker instead of the slideshow.  Here are two tips for those occasions:

• To black out your screen (for breaks, lunch, etc) select the letter B; select B again to return to your slideshow
• To white out your screen select the letter W; select W again to return to your slideshow

It is customary to use the black screen during breaks and the white screen when you want the attention directed elsewhere but plan to return to the slideshow momentarily.

PowerPoint: Screen Advancement

There are several ways to advance screens when viewing a PowerPoint presentation (if not using a remote):

• Left click anywhere
• Space bar
• Right arrow
• Enter key

To go back a screen,

• Left arrow
• Backspace

EXCEL: Worksheet Tabs, Color

Sometimes you need your Excel worksheet tabs to be organized and color is a great way to do this.  You may want to make all tabs relating to one subject, like expenses, in green ($$).  To do this:

1. Right click on the worksheet tab
2. Choose Tab Color
3. OK

It's that simple but it really helps!

EXCEL: Worksheet Tabs, Move

We talked about Worksheet Tabs in Excel before but I neglected to give you a quick tip on how to rearrange the tabs:

To move a tab, simply Left click and drag to your desired position. 

To better organize the tabs, you can also put some color into them... we'll talk about that tomorrow.

WORD: More On Hyperlinks...

Okay so if you've followed the directions yesterday on inserting a Hyperlink you may want to know how to make it look like more than an underlined jumble.  Here's how to make those Hyperlinks look more professional:

• While you are in the insert Hyperlink window, after you have selected your link, position your cursor in the "Text to Display" window and enter the name of your Hyperlink, like:  

Expense Reports

• You can also add a custom screen tip so when users hover over your Hyperlink they will see your message.  You may want to add some directions like:  

Use this link to access the monthly expense reports

• Do add this screen tip, click on the SCREEN TIP button, add your message and choose OK

WORD: Inserting a Hyperlink

Sometimes while creating a document you want to link to another source, say an Internet site for example.  To do this:

www.

To insert a Hyperlink into WORD:

1. Position your cursor on your document where you want the Hyperlink
2. Choose Insert, Hyperlink
3. Click on the "Browsed Pages" button
4. Select the location you want
5. OK

Note:  It's easier to first go to the Hyperlink you want to link to, for instance, that Internet website, and THEN follow the steps above, because the latest location is always the first selection in the Browsed Pages area.

More about Hyperlinks tomorrow!

Who wants to lick an envelope?

Not me.  An easy way to ensure your envelopes are sticking is to use a glue stick on the envelope adhesive.... the glue stick is just enough to wet the adhesive and the glue ensures a seal without using your tongue : -

Outlook: Stopping Attachments from Auto-Printing

Problem:
When you select a message to print from Outlook's sent items, any attachments to that message automatically open and print (annoying)!!

Solution:
While you  have that message open:

• File 
• Print
• De-Select "Print attached files" under the Print Options section at the bottom left.
• OK  

Problem solved!  And this should change the default to this new setting.

WORD: All Powerful Control Y

Here's a simple tip for Monday: 

While in WORD, you can repeat keystrokes and actions simply by choosing Control-Y (Cntrl-Y).

I just typed this and hit Control Y

I just typed this and hit Control Y

I just typed this and hit Control Y

I just typed this and hit Control Y

This also works for actions other than keystrokes, like repeat printing!

EXCEL: Add, Delete Rows

In Excel, a quick way to add or delete rows is to Right click the gray column to the far left of your worksheet that shows the numbered rows and choose "Add" or "Delete".  In most cases, adding or deleting rows this way will not affect any calculations that are used within those rows. 

For instance, if I have a calculation in Cell D11 that sums cells D1 through D10, and I delete rows 2 and 3 using the instructions above, that "sum" calculation will now just add cell D1 through D8 and will not be adversely affected by deleting those 2 rows.

Having Trouble Closing a Program?

Sometimes we have so many things running at the same time, and it helps to close programs that aren't responding.  If you are trying to close a program and it's just not working, try closing it down on the task bar (bottom of screen) by Right clicking and choosing CLOSE.

WORD: AutoCorrect

Here's how to automatically correct abbreviations, for instance, if you often use "Department of Natural Resources" in your correspondence, WORD can translate this from your typing "DNR".  To do this:

1. Tools, AutoCorrect
2. In the Replace window, type your abbreviation, like DNR
3. In the With window, type the translation, like Department of Natural Resources
4. Add
5. OK

Now while you are typing and enter DNR, WORD will spell it out for you!

Organize: Desktop Foldering

Okay so you've got a desktop full of scattered papers, reports, items you need to read/review, etc.  Here's a tip toward making this disorganized mountain into a more manageable desk space:

1. Take the necessary time to briefly review each paper, clipping together items of the same topic
2. Create file folders and write the topic name on the label and on the front of the file folder (see previous tip on this!)
3. Either organize these folders in stack(s) on your desk by 
1. Priority or by
2. Alpha (this method is most easiest to locate a particular folder)

The 20 minutes you spend doing the above steps will provide you with more time to handle your job duties!

PowerPoint: Slide (Page) Numbers

Here's how to add slide numbers (page numbers) to a PowerPoint when your company logo or the slide design you have chosen hides the normal position of the slide number:

.ppt

1. View Master, Slide Master
2. Insert Text Box
3. Position cursor in lower right (or left) corner of logo portion where you would want the slide number to show
4. Format Font and choose
1. Color white (or similar to show on your dark logo)
2. Size 12
5. OK
6. Insert Slide Number
7. Close Master View

Outlook: Where's My Inbox?

Here's a surefire way to tackle that multitude of email messages:

Every day, review at least 5 messages for action/delete/forward.  If you do this consistently, your Inbox will eventually shrink to a manageable size.  You may decide to use the parameters of 5 minutes per day to do this instead of 5 messages; use whatever works best for you.

This is also a good strategy when your drives are starting to fill.  You save items every day to your various drives, but rarely take the time to review for deletion.  The time is now, 5 items per day or 5 minutes per day!

WORD: Shrink to Fit

Here's a quick way to reduce a 2 page document to 1 page.  This works great on those letters and documents that just don't quite fit onto one page when you want them to:

1. Click the Print Preview button
2. Click the "Shrink to Fit" button  (if it doesn't appear as an option, WORD is unable to shrink to fit)  This icon looks like two pieces of paper with an arrow to one piece of paper.
3. Close out of Print Preview and your document is now on one page!

Next week we'll cover other ways to make documents properly sized for pages.

Outlook: Sending a Custom Distribution List (Opt. 2)

As promised, here's another way to send a custom distribution list in Outlook (see yesterday's blog):

1. Open a new email message (Outlook)
2. Switch to Contacts view
3. Select the distribution list you want to send, drag it down to your task bar and onto the open email (it will send as an attachment)

Outlook: Sending a Custom Distribution List

Let's say you have a distribution list that you created in Outlook called "Supervisors", and one of your co-workers wants to use that list without having to re-type all those names.  Here's  how to send that distribution list via email:

1. Open the distribution list you want to send (in your Contacts)
2. Choose Forward
3. Send it via email, letting the receiver know that he can simply drag that icon you send in your email to his Contacts and save it!

Tomorrow I'll give you an optional way to do this same task!

Motivation: What is it?

Is your paycheck your only motivator?  If you are just putting up with work to get to the week's end you are not only miserable, you are not a great employee, either, with meaningless days dragging on and on.  Get with the program.  Try Googling "Motivators" and force yourself to change! 

Outlook: Sort by, Flags

Okay so if you have been using my tip for flagging email you know there are times when you want to see everything that has a flag on it (just to make sure you have handled these items).  To do this, simply sort your Inbox (or Sent Items) by the Flag.

• Left click on the column header flag
• To get back to sorting by Date Received, simply click that column heading!

Outlook: Permanent Delete

Sometimes there are items in our Inbox we want to permanently delete (like spam).  To do so, simply hold down Shift and hit the delete key (Shft-Del)!

WORD: Scroll Between Caps

In WORD, there is a shortcut you can use when you want to change something you have already typed to either of these three options:

• ALL CAPS
• all small
• First Letter Capped

For instance, if I had typed a title line that read:

MY FIRST DAY

and I wanted to see how it looked with just first letters capitalized, I can see that by highlighting the text, holding down Shift and hitting F3 key (Sh+F3).  The text then scrolls between all caps, all small and first letter capped so I can change it easily to:

My First Day

Outlook: **Deadline 2:00 2/15/11**

Here's a great way to remind your reader about deadlines; simply include the deadline date in your subject field.  Here's an example:

Subject:  Expense Reports Due  *Deadline 5:00P 3/31/11*

This way, your reader can easily spot items with deadlines in their Inbox!

EXCEL: Title Line

Yesterday we talked about how to put a title line in a WORD document so today we'll do a similar task in Excel:

1. Type your title line in an Excel spreadsheet
2. Select the cells you typed the title line in (Left click and drag to select)
3. Right click somewhere within those selected cells
4. Choose Format Cells
5. Choose Border, Outline
6. OK

Simple!  You've just created a title line!