Although Microsoft is best known for the Windows operating system, its productivity software in the Office Suite outperforms and out sells all competing products on the market. Even Apple has had to engage in a partnership with Microsoft to provide a version of the Office Suite for Mac users. This not only speaks to the ubiquitous nature of the software, it also underscores the importance of acquiring the necessary skills for successful navigation through Office Suite. As the preferred choice for business, government and education, Office is one suite of programs no one can afford to ignore.



Microsoft Office is sold in four distinct product groupings: Professional, Home and Student, Standard and Small Business. Each category of Office offers buyers a different combination of products, although Word, Excel and PowerPoint are staples found in all of the product groupings. Undoubtedly, these three software programs are the most widely used in business, private industry, education, medicine and elsewhere. M

Microsoft Word is the default favourite for anyone attempting to create, manipulate, manage, organize or publish information. If there is anyone in the developed world not using Microsoft Word they are probably not sharing text in or outside of their home or workplace. Word is to the computer user what a quill and ink were to 17th century scribes. Even bloggers will upload a text document or send an attachment to fellow bloggers. The ubiquitous use of Microsoft Word makes it an obvious choice for uploading documents on the web or sending emails.

Easy to use, Microsoft Word requires the user to simply open the program and begin typing text. Several defaults are in place which will control the overall appearance of the document. The font style is Times New Roman in size 10. This seems to be an industry favourite, which is unfortunate because Arial, Tahoma and Franklin Gothic offer greater clarity and a professional appearance. Paragraphs are single spaced and only indented if the user sets the tab or manually hits the space bar five spaces. The margins set around the page are dee measuring an inch and a half they meet the requirements for manuscripts but often seem too generous for regular documents. The good news is that everything can be changed. Nothing is etched in stone. It's incumbent on the user to decide what they want to do and make those changes as they feel appropriate.

To experience the power and performance of Word the best thing to do is open it and begin typing. If there is something you want to do but don't know how, there are two sources for support. There is a Help key on the navigation bar and online help is available at MicrosoftOffice.com. Another strategy you might try is online support. Type your question in your favourite search engine and wait for a list of possible answers. Don't be surprised if most of the responses that appear were created in Word.

PowerPoint is another one of Microsoft's stellar contributions to the electronic world of data presentations. The PowerPoint craze does not seem to be subduing in any way shape or form so if you don't know how to use it, learn. The use of PowerPoint is spreading as industries discover new ways of using this technology for training, information, directions, marketing and interfacing with the public.

Although a finished PowerPoint presentation can look like a complicated work of art, think a Picasso painting, there are relatively basic steps that can be orchestrated to create a presentation that will do nothing short of astound the target audience.

The first step to take when you begin your PowerPoint presentation is to decide on your background. Microsoft includes a number of basic slides that are great when you first begin creating presentations. When your expertise and confidence grows you will want to tailor your slides to your key messages. At that point a website like PoweredTemplates.com is a place where you will want to spend some time. They offer a number of free templates as well as several for sale at reasonable prices. If you can't find a slide to meet you needs, send an email to customer support and they will build a slide based on your specifications.How's that for customer service?

Once you have a slide selected the next step is to decide how much text to include. Do not place reams of data or dense text on your slide. No one will be able to read it but perhaps more importantly no one will want to. If you want to present information keep your points down to bite sized portions. A PowerPoint presentation is the last place to consider supersizing.

Microsoft has included a number of great pictures imbedded in the program. If you want to insert a picture click on the Insert menu then select clipart. A new menu will appear on the right or left of the screen. A search for: ? prompt will appear. Type in a brief description of the kind of picture you want. For example you may want a picture to illustrate the ill effects of pollution. Type in: pollution. All available pictures will appear both cartoon images and live action. You can refine your search by adding descriptions like: chemical pollution or environmental waste. Remember to try a variety of words until you find the image you like best. If none is available there are many sites like PoweredTemplate.com that sell clipart images or offer free samples.

Music, videos and websites like Utube can also be inserted into your slides in much the same way as pictures. This makes PowerPoint a multimedia tool that has the capacity to sell, inform, or educate your audience. The applications are limited only by the limits you place on it. Like Word, help is available within the program and online.

If you haven't tried Word or attempted a PowerPoint what are you waiting for?