How to Learn Microsoft Office: 5 Effective Learning Methods You Need to Know

Training to optimize skills with Microsoft Office software can provide individuals with tools that contribute to productivity and efficiency in the workplace.

With this in mind, people can learn through several methods of training for Microsoft Office that can enhance opportunities with changing careers or advancing at a current position. Learning from expert instructors in real-time can help students who are eager to improve on skills with applications like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint that many people simply take for granted due to their familiarity with Office in their day-to-day activities. Choices for learning include in-person training that allows students to interact with instructors and classmates, which is a benefit that extends beyond the classroom, live online classes that provide essentially the same level of education participants would get from sitting inside a classroom without having to leave home, or on-demand training that allows them to take lessons at their leisure. Learning options also include finding online tutorials and videos that can provide initial training before enrolling in a formal class or certificate programs and certifications for individuals focused on getting licensed training for a specific application.

Enroll in In-Person Microsoft Office Classes

While there are live online courses available for training in Microsoft Office, some people simply feel more comfortable learning inside a classroom with a teacher standing right there in front of them. Learning in a classroom allows students to have direct, personal interaction with their instructors. While there can certainly be interaction with a teacher in a live online setting, there is something invigorating about sharing personal space, being able to pick up on body language, or simply experiencing the nuance of physical interaction that comes with occupying the same space. The biggest difficulty with enrolling in a course that takes place inside a classroom is getting there. Obstacles such as traffic, weather, or unforeseen events can make getting to a location for a class difficult. 

Microsoft Office has applications that can help people complete projects at work or from home. Office provides clients with infinite possibilities for creating documents, maintaining spreadsheets, and developing engaging visual presentations. Learning how to use Microsoft Office’s array of features and functions can help individuals and companies with organizing writing, designing and developing presentations, and visualizing data. Organizations use Office applications in several industries, including financial services, business, education, and technology.

Now known as Microsoft 365, Office software helps users get work done on site or remotely by being able to share files and documents online or through the cloud. Through Microsoft 365, users can access Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, Teams, and OneDrive on Macs and PCs as well as the cloud. Being able to work with these applications helps in creating an efficient and productive working environment for composing documents, designing presentations, and organizing spreadsheets as well as being able to integrate applications from anywhere. Knowing Office can contribute to finding work in a variety of career possibilities. 

Learning Microsoft Office applications can improve skills with tools for the workplace. With this in mind, Noble Desktop, located at 185 Madison Avenue, offers in-person and live online Microsoft courses in New York City that help students enhance skills with programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through training inside Manhattan classrooms taught by expert instructors, who can offer guidance and feedback on the spot. Microsoft Office helps work get done in workplaces everywhere. Office applications help users organize tasks that include designing and developing visual presentations using PowerPoint, visualizing and analyzing data with Excel, communicating through email with Outlook, and composing documents with Word. Knowledge in Office software can help with options for employment that include analyzing raw data, designing websites, organizing meetings, and working with databases.

People living in New York City can also attend NYC Career Centers, located at 185 Madison Avenue, Suite 1104, for the Microsoft Office Fundamentals Bootcamp. This four-session beginning-level bootcamp costs $749 for providing immersive and comprehensive training in the fundamentals of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook. Thorough knowledge of Office can help individuals and organizations better manage information related to working with a variety of digital technologies.

Anyone working in data analytics can enroll in the Microsoft Excel Series course available through Los Angeles City College, located at 855 N. Vermont Avenue in East Hollywood, which is a course that focuses on training for creating spreadsheets and data presentations in two sessions for $169. Lessons include learning about basic worksheets, entry techniques, cell references, using command groups and settings, formulas and functions, charts and graphs, and simple database operations.

Attend Live Online Microsoft Office Classes

Gaining skills with Microsoft Office applications can create options for finding employment related to web design, graphic design, computer programming, or data analysis. Virtual learning provides an alternative to having to get back out into traffic to find a classroom somewhere after a long day at work. Several education providers offer live online courses that give students the same level of education they would get from sitting inside a classroom without having to leave home. Participants can learn Microsoft Office applications without having to worry about facing heavy traffic or needing to hunt for a parking space. 

Microsoft Office is a suite of software applications used for tasks as varied as word processing, creating spreadsheets, or developing databases. Office software has been designed to handle a variety of work-related functions, including creating documents, building databases, organizing spreadsheets, and designing promotional materials. This includes Microsoft Word for word processing, Excel for spreadsheet functions that include charts and graphs, Access for creating and maintaining databases, and PowerPoint for designing and developing engaging visual presentations. Training in Microsoft Office can provide individuals with the core skills needed for help in finding the right profession. 

Live online classes take place in real-time and give students direct access to their instructors with the opportunity for getting feedback on assignments or answers to questions related to difficult concepts or topics. Virtual learning courses allow students to balance taking courses with working a job and other obligations. Live online training provides flexibility for those who would like to improve career skills but don’t have the wiggle room timewise.

For example, people interested in improving skills with Microsoft Office applications can enroll in the Office 365 Introduction live online single-day course offered through ONLC Training Centers for $345. ONLC provides live online training for a variety of technology-related subjects that allow participants to train from home or inside ONLC’s hundreds of training centers located throughout the United States. This Office 365 introductory course provides participants with an overview for using Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint that users can integrate for completing day-to-day tasks for work or personal projects. Office 365 is Microsoft’s cloud-based suite of software applications that can be used interchangeably for a variety of purposes. Training includes lessons on navigating the application suite that includes accessing email through Outlook as well as allowing users to work with documents and files from Word, Excel, or PowerPoint through Microsoft OneDrive for access through the cloud.

Anyone interested can enroll in a live online course like PowerPoint Introduction (Online) offered through Computer Training Source, Inc. This class trains students in creating text, charts, and graphs for use with presentations at work, in classrooms, or for marketing campaigns for $499. Lessons include working with slide masters and templates, creating objects, and using clip art. Training also includes applying transitions for building visual presentations.

Sign up for On-Demand Online Microsoft Office Classes

Most people interested in improving skills with Microsoft Office applications will usually enroll in either in-person or live online courses for training. However, a tight work schedule or other obligations can make fitting in time for attending any type of class difficult. Because of circumstances like these, some people decide to take on-demand courses. On-demand training offers an introduction for learning new skills on a variety of subjects. On-demand courses also provide an alternative that allows people who are more structured and motivated to train at their own pace. This is why on-demand training could help with improving skills with Microsoft Office software.

Now known as Microsoft 365, Office applications help users get work done inside workspaces and from home by being able to share documents and files online and through the cloud. Anyone working anywhere from corporate offices to freelancing to academic institutions uses Microsoft 365 for everything from basic workplace organizing to production design. This means that training in Microsoft 365 can deliver the skills required for designing, composing, editing, saving, printing, or uploading files and documents for helping with developing and maintaining a productive working environment. Microsoft 365 serves as the hub for working on site or remotely by facilitating being able to work on assignments seamlessly from one place to the other.

On-demand courses vary in how training gets delivered to students, giving anyone with a busy work schedule or other obligations the flexibility they need with scheduling for taking on training in Office applications. While many on-demand courses are taught using video recordings of lectures with practical exercises, others use digital modules that require hands-on exercises and traditional course workbooks. Because on-demand courses differ starkly from learning inside a traditional classroom or participating on a computer with live online training, those interested should research the various options available to make an informed decision about which on-demand training providers to enroll with.

On-demand training allows students to learn new skills at their own pace and on their own time, which allows them to slow down training if they come across something difficult or need to postpone a lesson because something else has come up that interrupts their day-to-day routine. Alternatively, a student may choose to speed up the pace of training to get ahead to make time for some other activity. However, on-demand courses require strong self-motivation to avoid the temptation of procrastination. It’s a good idea for students to set up their own syllabus to help with staying on pace with getting assignments turned in. In a nutshell, on-demand training provides a convenient and effective way of learning skills for Microsoft Office. 

Anyone curious about on-demand training can enroll with the online education provider Business Computer Skills, which offers the Microsoft Office—On-Demand Course that allows students to learn at their own pace through on-demand training and provides a comprehensive overview of Microsoft Office in a single self-paced course that can help individuals with contributing to efficiency and productivity in any working environment. This on-demand course costs $99 for a six-month license with 24-hour, seven-day-a-week availability along with unlimited repeats. Students will learn from expert instructors who lead training through hands-on lessons. Participants will be able to access the course at any time, which provides the most convenient class schedule possible at an affordable price to help students in achieving their learning goals. 

This self-paced course provides training in fundamental Office applications. Upon completing this course, students will have comprehensive knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook. 

SkillsPath offers the Mastering Microsoft Excel for Office 365 Level 100 on-demand training course. This course offers training in the how-tos for learning about spreadsheets, forecasts, graphs, and financial reporting that includes time-saving shortcuts and techniques. Students can use this course for updating skills with Excel spreadsheets from video tutorials that provide content written and taught by Certified Microsoft Office Specialist Masters. This course provides nearly three and a half hours of on-demand training through a one-year single user license that costs $199. These videos offer tips, tricks, and shortcuts for gaining insight for using Excel in a variety of capacities. This fundamental yet comprehensive training in the spreadsheet application provides hands-on lessons for creating PivotTables, building datasets, learning conditional formatting, and analyzing data.

Upon completing this course, students will have comprehensive knowledge in the fundamentals of Microsoft Excel from learning at their own pace and on their own time. The link for participating in this on-demand course will be delivered in a separate email after enrollees receive their order confirmation.

Watch Free Microsoft Office Tutorials

While many people would love the opportunity to learn more about using Microsoft Office applications, work schedules or other obligations may not afford them the time for enrolling in a traditional class. However, free options are available for anyone interested in picking up better skills for Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office software. Many online education providers offer free seminars, YouTube videos, and blog posts.

People who want to learn more about Microsoft Office may decide to teach themselves about how to use its variety of applications. There are resources available, including online tutorials and videos, for learning the fundamentals for operating applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook. Watching free video tutorials and experimenting with any of the software can help people teach themselves about the basics related to composing documents, organizing spreadsheets, and creating slideshows.

For example, for those who don’t feel ready to handle a fully loaded Office training course, there are free tutorials available, including Top 10 Beginner Excel Tricks You Need to Know from Noble Desktop, which provides advice for newcomers such as timesaving tips for using the spreadsheet application for everyday tasks for work or at home. This free recorded webinar helps users optimize using Excel with lessons on shortcuts for applying autofill, charts, inserting screenshots, and creating links. Noble Desktop also offers the free PowerPoint Presentation Design seminar that provides training for creating engaging visual presentations for work or school.

Students may go on to teach themselves more advanced features for Word, PowerPoint, or Excel, particularly about integrating functions among the applications. New learners may also seek out friends, professionals, or experts who have knowledge and experience from using Office software who can offer helpful advice that can clear up confusion on complicated techniques.

Anyone interested can also find other education providers that offer free or low cost online Microsoft Office training. For instance, Udemy offers a collection of free Microsoft Office courses that can fit what some individuals may be looking for with basic lessons on a variety of applications for training on Office features and interfaces, including how to perform basic tasks for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Microsoft Office provides features and tools that allow users to organize tasks such as creating presentations with PowerPoint, analyzing and visualizing data with Excel, communicating through email with Outlook, or composing documents using Word. These are just a few examples of the programs and features that have made Microsoft Office an essential tool for professionals around the world.

Explore Microsoft Office Certificates & Certification

Several education providers offer Microsoft certification courses that provide certificate training for Microsoft Office applications that include Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access. These courses are available for both in-person and live online training. Virtual learning courses allow students to balance their class schedules with being able to work their job or take care of other obligations like parenting or volunteering services. 

While having skills for a Microsoft Office application alone does not usually provide a foundation for a professional career, gaining Microsoft certification could. For example, certification in Excel could help in securing a career as a Data Analyst, which requires expert data management and analytical skills along with applying Excel’s advanced functions and tools like PivotTables, VBA, and macros. Excel has become a popular tool in several industries, particularly for data analysis. 

While not as crucial as securing a profession as an Excel certification, PowerPoint certification can provide options for supplementing a user's other skills, especially with something like work involving graphic design, marketing, or advertising. Enrolling in a certificate program offers a good option for acquiring skills that can help with advancing in any career. 

Certificate programs offer detailed training in a variety of subjects that typically takes weeks or months to complete. Certificate programs prepare individuals with training that allows them to move directly into their new career by certifying their skills for working in a specific area. Several online education providers have certificate programs that cover a variety of disciplines.

Live online training provides flexibility for anyone looking to improve on skills with Office applications for bettering career options for people who don’t have the wiggle room for finding time to travel to a classroom. With that stated, many people do prefer the atmosphere of learning inside a classroom for interacting with instructors and classmates, which is an option for people living in cities throughout the country like Los Angeles, Houston, Boston, and Atlanta.

It should be noted that certificate programs are not the same as certifications which verifies specific skills within a specific discipline that is usually achieved through passing an exam. While a certificate program may not be the same as getting certification, enrolling in a certificate program may help with passing a certification exam.

How Difficult is It to Learn Microsoft Office?

Many people who have not considered improving on skills with Microsoft Office may not realize the potential available through acquiring in-depth knowledge of its various applications. While there will be a certain degree of difficulty with learning anything, the fact that many people use Office software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint regularly should logically make them more comfortable with learning some of the more complicated functions and features. Learning more about Microsoft Office applications depends on a person’s goals. Is that person working in an office or collecting data? Has that person been assigned the task of creating a visual presentation? Depending on the task, additional training in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint may be the right move.

Because many people may feel complacent about using Office software due to familiarity from day-to-day use, learning skills for advanced features and functions might strike some as unnecessary. However, a deeper understanding and knowledge of Office could help with handling basic tasks like writing documents, analyzing data, or designing visual presentations. Additionally, a strong foundation in math can help people understand and learn Excel formulas or shortcuts more effectively in using the spreadsheet software. Therefore, becoming more proficient with advanced Excel functions for collecting data could help a person more efficiently crunch numbers or gather information for any organization.

People may also benefit from getting familiar with Microsoft 365 for being able to integrate Office applications online or in the cloud. PowerPoint allows users to create engaging visual presentations while Access provides a valuable tool for data management, especially when paired with Excel. Microsoft 365 facilitates collaborating in the workplace that includes coworkers being able to work simultaneously on the same document in a cloud computing environment.