Ask just about any computer user if they use or have used Microsoft Word and you can confidently expect the answer "yes". Word is everywhere, even on Apple Mac. So, most bosses automatically assume that their people know how to use it and they do, up to a point. But many casual Word users make some pretty basic mistakes. This article looks at the most common.
* When creating a document to be printed on a particular type of stationery, such as letter-headed paper, many Word users have the habit of using the Return key to create space at the start of the document. What they should be doing is changing the top margin. To change the margins in Word 2007, click on Margins then Custom Margins in the Page Layout tab on the ribbon. In previous versions of Word, choose Page Setup from the File menu.
* The habit of putting two spaces after a period goes back to the days of typewriters and monospace (fixed-width) typefaces like Courier where having two spaces after a period made the end of each sentence easier to detect when reading. Since modern computer-generated typefaces are proportionally spaced, the extra space is superfluous and should not be used.
* A lot of Word users also like to press the Return key twice after each paragraph. This tends to create too much space. It's better to use just one Return then adjust the paragraph spacing by choosing Format - Paragraph (in Word 2003 and earlier) or clicking on the Page Layout tab (in Word 2007) and entering the desired amount in the box marked Spacing After.
* People who have never had any formal Microsoft Word training can perhaps be forgiven for not fully understanding how tabs work. You will even see some users attempting to align elements by using the space bar and, of course, when they print the document, nothing is properly aligned. As experienced users will know, the Tab key should be used; not the space bar.
* Although you can get away with pressing the Tab key to create columns of text without actually setting any tabs, it's not usually a good idea. This method uses Word's default tabs and means that the user often inserts a varying number of tabs between columns. It's much better to set up your own tabs by clicking on the Word ruler. That way, you will only ever need to press the Tab key once between columns.
* Some Word users, even experienced ones, are so seduced by the Format Painter, that they rely on it to maintain consistency of formatting throughout a multi-page document. It is much better to use Microsoft Word's styles to make your text formats consistent. With styles, at any time, you can go back and change the attributes associated with a style and your changes will update all text in that style.
* Word AutoCorrect and other text optimisation features can sometimes seem a bit too much to some users but many people do nothing to adjust the way these features work. In Word 2007, the AutoCorrect and other settings can be changed at any time by clicking on the Office Button and choosing Word Options. The equivalent in Word 2003 and earlier is Tools - Options.
The author of this article has been teaching Microsoft Word training courses for many years. He is a trainer with Macresource Computer Solutions, an independent IT training company based in London. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.
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