10 ways managers can help their staff use Microsoft Word



1: No, everybody can't do it!


2: Install an efficient configuration


3: Get everybody on the same page



4: Speak the same language



5: Implement time-saving templates


6: Use styles


7: Use similar folder structure and filenames


8: Keep up



9: Know when to get help


Don't hesitate to consider a Word MVP (most valuable professional). MVPs have Microsoft's stamp of approval, so you can feel confident hiring one. Make sure any potential contractor will work with a clean system -- one running the same version of your operating system, the same version(s) of Word, the browsers your users prefer, and your custom configurations.

10: Specify unique usernames


  • Word 2003 -- From the Tools menu, choose Options. Then, select User Information.


More help for Word users




There are very, very few users where I work who understand Word like I do. Even people who get elbows deep into long, heavily structured documents still don't get intermediate-level skills and too many are in the habit of leaving empty paragraph marks scattered around. We've got templates and I've even done demos but I get a lot of "fix it" or "pretty it up" or just plain "do this for me" requests. And as much as I'd like to see a sea change in users getting adept at the concepts listed here, I don't think I will, and it'll only get worse soon because we're jumping from Office 2003 to Office 2010.


Don't forget the need for good old basic document structure training. All users should know how to set and use tabs, tables, columns and paragraph line spacing. Too many users just use the space bar or preset tabs to try to line things up. The result can be disastrous if it gets imported to another document or printed with a different printer.

sissy sue
sissy sue

Good post, Susan! This isn't quite what you were getting at in Point #4, but organizations should give some thought to language when sharing documents internationally. There is little as annoying as receiving a document that was originally set up with German as the default and then, when it is translated into English and distributed to an English-speaking community (sometimes Read-Only), every word is underlined as a mispelling.


If tip #1 is not done, everything else is worthless. Regrettably, tip #6 is a death-trap. Since several people rarely thing alike, styles end up "getting in the way." Pity, Microsoft really botched Word with that mechanism. WordPerfect had and has a so much more intuitive way.


Well, that kind of sounds like job security to me -- having a skill that everyone else lacks I mean. :) I think you'd see change if management wanted it. I don't think it's mandatory by any means, but I think users are more productive and take ownership of their projects when they have the skills to do so. Everyone wins. Of course, the org needs are important too -- if you're writing occasional letters, memos, and a short report here and there, you don't need the more advanced skills. I wouldn't push an org into more than they needed.


Okay, I'm not sure what the right direction would be, but could you disable the spelling option for these documents? This could just be added to a short checklist of things to do when translating. I'm probably totally missing the boat on this one.


Styles work well if used consistently. That's the key. You provide a template that has the styles the org uses -- and that's that. If you're going to let users who don't really know what they're doing mess around with that decision, you're right -- it falls apart quickly.


I do not see how training and stern lectures can make users stop basing a new document on a similar old one, and force them to start using templates and styles. Even when you pay significant bucks to a skilled pro (with a BA attached to the team to help map organizational needs), the resulting templates and styles will still lack the useful boilerplate found in that similar document you saved last month. And it'll still be easier for users to open up that old document than to try to remember the template and style training they had a year ago.


I suppose if that's working for everyone, it's Okay. On the other hand, if the original document everyone's using had been based on a template, you could just update the template. If they're consistently using templates and styles, they won't forget them. And as the template is updated, everyone benefits.

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