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Thanks again to everyone who took the time to attend today's train-the-trainer session. For those who wanted to but were not able to make it, the recorded version should be available on-demand by tomorrow. Meanwhile, following are some additional resources and promised follow-up information ...

Follow-up topics:
There were a few questions I didn't have time to answer fully at the end of today's session, so following are those answers and\or links to content containing the answers:

- Generating random text in Word
type =rand(#paragraphs, #sentences per paragraph) and then press Enter to generate.
For example =rand(1,5) would return 1 paragraph with 5 sentences of the random text 'The quick brown fox ..."

- Deleting section breaks\changing section break types
Key points:
* a section break stores the page layout formatting for the section that precedes the break. So, for example, if you have a section in portrait orientation, followed by a section in landscape orientation, and you delete the break in between (that is, the break that follows the portrait section) -- the document will become landscape, because the break you deleted was storing the portrait formatting.
* the only formatting that does not apply to the above is the type of section break (i.e., the way the next section starts -- next page, continuous, etc.) Since the type of break refers to the way the next section starts, the section break type is controlled in the section that FOLLOWS the break. That is why, if you delete a continuous section break, for example, a next page section break that falls before it would become a continuous break -- because it's taking on the section start type of the next section.
* to change a section break's type (such as when a break type changes in the preceding example) -- click into the section after the break you want to change. Then, on the File menu click Page Setup and then click Layout. Change the Section Start type and click OK.

- Information about managing Outline Numbering in terms of it being stored in the Windows registry
Check out an earlier article on this blog that covers that topic, along with other tips for outline numbering: The psychology of outline numbered lists
Note for the person who requested this info ... if you were looking for more technical information than provided in the link here, just add a comment to this follow-up post and let me know, and I'll try to get you whatever info you're looking for.

- the lowdown on fields
Since we didn't get to discuss it today, I will include it in the second part of my train-the-trainer series this month, which will be on 2-23. Meanwhile, for those who want some 'how' and 'why' background on the value and simplicity of fields, check out this earlier blog post: Let's talk about fields, baby

- an extra note on the question that came up about merging cells in tables
For a few tips on editing tables that contain merged cells, along with some other troubleshooting tips on working with tables, check out a free excerpt from my book. It's one of a few of the MODD tip sheets that are excerpted on Office Online - this one is called Tips, Tricks, and Problem-Solving for Tables. If you have my book, and have installed the tools from the CD, you'll find this one and all 75 tip sheets\articles through the 'How Do I' button on the MODD toolbars.

... I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm forgetting one more topic I promised to follow-up on. If that topic was yours, please post a comment here and let me know what it was, and I'll add it asap. :)

Additional resources:

If you would like to review the how-to's to the stuff we looked at today from a trainer's perspective, check out an advanced Word webcast I gave last month on complex document production:

Advanced Tips and Tricks for Word Documents That webcast focuses on financial pitch books, which are one of the most complex types of Word documents -- so it's a good place for advanced folks to get some how-to tips.

I also think it's important for any software trainer or anyone responsible for supporting users on Microsoft Office to be aware of the Office Online Training courses ... there are dozens of courses on most Office programs -- covering either a single topic or a piece of a larger topic (I've written a series of courses on Word Tables that you'll find there ... also find links to those in the right-hand pane of this blog). It's a nice resource when you have a user who needs some help but can't make the training schedule, or just needs help with one topic that you don't have time to cover in detail during class. I do suggest that trainers look through any course themselves before recommending it to make sure that the approach provided coincides with the way you like to present a feature (and doesn't contradict any company standards or requirements you might have). But there are lots of very good courses -- and they're all free, brief, and self-paced. Just remember to check them out from a computer running Office 2003.

The next train-the-trainer session and upcoming VBA session

2nd part of train-the-trainer: Train-the-Trainer Advanced Tips & Tricks: Microsoft Office Document Production Made Simple (Level 300)
When you register for the 2nd half of the train-the-trainer that I'm giving this month -- don't be thrown by the fact that the registration page describes exactly what we did today. Notice that the title is very different. That session will NOT be a repeat of today.

I wil repeat a bit for those who didn't make today, but that session will be an advanced train-the-trainer on Office document production. We'll cover Word fields, since we didn't get to it today -- but we will be focusing on using the best program for the task and how to help your users be comfortable using elements from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint together to build great documents -- such as creating charts in Excel and diagrams in PowerPoint. Click the registration link below to sign up -- look forward to seeing you for that 90 minute session on the 23rd!

And please join me next week for an introduction to editing and writing your own VBA macros -- the focus will be in Word, but we will transition into Excel and PowerPoint as well during the 90 minute session: Using Simple VBA (Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications) Every Day Is Much Easier than You Might Think

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Meanwhile, have a great weekend everyone!

Posted by Stephanie

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