– by Ayanda Radebe
In today’s digital age, becoming equipped with essential digital tools, such as Microsoft Word and Excel, has become a fundamental skill. Whether you are a student, a business owner, or a business professional, having a solid understanding of these programmes can effectively enhance your productivity within any industry. We recently hosted a group on the Microsoft (MS) Word Basic and Microsoft (MS) Excel Basic programmes, which Lwazi Shongwe facilitated. Lwazi is a social and market research, monitoring and evaluation, and business communications specialist at the School of Applied Human Science at UKZN.
He began by introducing both MS Word and MS Excel as they are powerful software. MS Word is a word-processing software that offers flexibility when creating professional reports, letters, contracts, and other documents. Microsoft Excel is a programme that enables users to analyse and visualise data effectively. Mr Shongwe took the delegates through practical exercises in which they gained a handful of benefits, such as:
- The ability to format text
- Styles to maintain consistency
- Merging data from spreadsheets
- Setting up data
- Understanding basic formulas
Understanding the fundamentals of Microsoft Office programmes provides a wide range of skills contributing to various aspects of one’s career. Furthermore, Mr Shongwe spoke on how mastering the skill offers increased efficiency, allowing one to accomplish more in less time. The programme was heavily structured around practical exercises, allowing delegates to apply skills as learning is more than just theory. Understanding the various features both platforms provide to use successfully is essential.
For more information on the programme, please click here.