Boss:"You can train office 2003 ok Pete?"
Pete: "Well I have used it for a while, not all the parts of Office 2003 mind you."
Boss:"Good you will be training the basics at the beginning of October".
This conversation was enough to strike fear into my heart. (I'll bet every trainer has fallen for this training option at one time). I know that I will have to burn the midnight oil but has anyone any basic tips to help me deliver this training.
Many thanks.
Peter McDonald
peter mcdonald
5 Responses
2003 made simple
Dear Peter
The easiest way to get people up to speed is to use Microsoft’s own online training programme. You can find it here:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/training/default.aspx
All you have to do is to get the staff to have an hour or so of uninterupted time when they can actually go through the training. If possible get them all into a room with internet access and headphones and let them loose.
Staff can self select what they need to know, and you can be there to prod, answer questions or suggest topics.
Another bonus is because it is on the internet, staff may actually use some of the short training programs at home. If you want a little more structure, you could always use the ideas from the online site to construct your own programme – at least it will give you some topics.
Best of luck!
identify the WIIFM factor
i agree with the dont recreate, simply use whats on the microsoft site as a basis.
What you then need to do is identify specifically what the delegates will be using office 2003 for (whats in it for me) and prioritise the top 10 uses … perhaps show them a more efficient way using office 2003
the other thing that you’ll want to incorporate is “microsoft logic” … if this is how you do X, then its highly likely that that is also how you do Y. The more people learn this, the more they can logically experiment and help themselves to do the other things that you dont cover.
All of this will require some pre-course questioning.
🙂
Office 2003 Training
I agree that you should not just repeat what is on the MS site.
I am not an IT trainer but I have lost count of the number of clients’ staff that have been on training courses for me to find that they are still using barely 5% of the facilities.
This really raises questions about the learning design of most IT training.
As per the comment above, it should be needs based and application driven. So I have often run short impromptu sessions starting off with a few simple questions:-
• What irritates you?
• What do you find yourself often repeating
• What is most time consuming etc.
One can then pluck out some of the features in Office that are relevant. For example, it is amazing how many staff from these courses haven’t learned the efficiency from using such simple devices as Autocorrect for names, addresses, etc. Similarly, the Office installation may have just been ‘streamed’ so the default location for files in WORD, etc, are pointing to the wrong dive and folder. So each search or save means endless unnecessary keystrokes going up and down the directories. Show them how to change it.
Happy to discuss further.
Bernard Stewart
Integrated Performance Development
e-mail: [email protected]
Office 2003? No sweat!
Hello Peter
If you intend training the basics, then you’ll find these in Office 2003 are almost identical to the basics in v.2002, v.2000 and probably earlier.
The key differences at this level are in using SmartTags and TaskPanes.
If you e-mail your address, I can let you have a breakdown of the main new elements in the 5 Office applications – Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and outlook.
I can also point you to course/s and courseware specifically tailored for the puspose if it helps.
Regards = BOB
Many thanks
I very much appreciate all the comments and help on this subject and the advice which has been freely given. If anyone needs any internet advice then feel free to drop me an email.
All the best,
Pete
Peter McDonald CIW CI (Certified Internet Webmaster Certified Instructor)