Turn Word woes into Word wins
I love Microsoft Word. At its core, it helps us write down our ideas and share our work with others in a simple format. But it also has the power to do so much more than that - it can help us to bring order to a narrative, to write better and boost engagement and impact.
Having worked for many years in organisations where the long report, written in Word, is the main product, I know that it can be an anxiety- and rage-inducing piece of software. And I also know that fixing the quirks and bugs that routinely appear in Word documents are often left until the eleventh hour, with proofreading and formatting budgets squeezed, in a frenzy of frustration that takes all the joy out of completing a major piece of work.
As a self-confessed Word-nerd who has spent a significant amount of time tinkering with (or, let’s face it, entirely reformatting) Word documents, I think there are several ways that even the biggest Wordphobes can get the most out of what this piece of software has to offer.
Familiarise yourself with the basics of formatting best practice
Now, this probably doesn’t sound like the most exciting way to spend an hour, but it really will pay off in the long run! From personal experience, I didn’t really know how to use Word properly until I started working in an office. Sure, I knew how to use the spellchecker, had experimented with SmartArt and could put in a header and footer, but anything more than that was beyond me. Once I actually had to start formatting documents, I found that there were some really simple ways to do it well.
Use built-in styles
Using styles for headings and content can save hours of formatting. Highlighting individual sentences to change the size, make them bold or recolour them will be a thing of the past!
You can find the default Word styles in the ribbon at the top of your screen. If you don’t like these, you can modify or create your own.
Using heading styles will also save time when you come to insert your table of contents - one of the most common points of frustration I see in Word docs!
Use page and section breaks
Using page and section breaks can help bring order to a document. A lot of the problems I see with Word result from either not using breaks, or using them incorrectly.
Page breaks - should be used when you want to start a new page. Resist the urge to press ‘Enter Enter Enter’ until you get to a new page! This way, if you go back and add more content while you’re editing, you won’t have to press ‘BackSpace BackSpace Backspace’ to fill any gaps!
Section breaks - particularly handy if you want to start page numbering from ‘1’ again, or want to change a page from portrait to landscape. The usefulness of the section break should not be underestimated!
Turn on the Show/Hide mark
Turning this mark on will show any hidden formatting symbols - including where you’ve inserted your breaks.
Agree on format from the beginning
It’s unusual in my line of work to have just one person working on a big report, and this, I think, is the cause of a lot of Word woes. The old exam adage ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ applies here - a writing team should agree from the start how they are going to format their document. If you’re working for an organisation with a document template make sure everyone has the most up to date version and then make sure you use it! This will make life much easier when different sections are combined and helps to stop pesky bugs sneaking in from other documents or Word versions. Even if you’re not familiar with headings and styles (but you can be if you use the links above), simply writing in a template that has everything set up for formatting later will make a huge difference.
If you don’t have a style guide and template to work with, agree on the fiddly things that take time to go back and fix later on. Some of the most common issues include:
Inserting lots of diagrams and tables. Save yourself from having to manually number them by right-clicking on your mouse and choosing ‘Insert caption…’ If everyone does this, they’ll automatically update once everything is combined.
Page numbers restarting randomly or disappearing altogether. This is a very common problem and is usually a very quick fix - check your breaks! A section break can sometimes cause page numbers to change involuntarily.
Pasting from other Word docs and other sources (such as websites). These can bring unwanted formatting code into your whole document and cause a major headache. Agree, as much as possible, to paste through ‘keep text only’ (the best way in my opinion as it strips out any other formatting) or ‘merge formatting’.
There are other ways to make sure everyone is on the same page, particularly in our digital, remote-working era. Shared online versions of Word, such as those through Teams or SharePoint, can be worked on by multiple people simultaneously - just remember to ‘Open in desktop app’ rather than trying to do everything through the online version as it’s easier to format.
Keep an eye on your content
Budgets and timelines for proofreading and formatting often get squeezed. I will always champion protecting these budgets - reputation and impact can be seriously damaged by a document that looks messy, has spelling mistakes and reads poorly. Self-editing and formatting can be tricky if you’ve been working on a document for weeks and a deadline is looming. A second pair of eyes will spot the mistakes you’re too involved (or tired) to see.
A final proofread should always be done by a human professional before any report is submitted, but you can help them to use their time, and your budget, as efficiently as possible. Using a few simple tools while you’re writing can leave you in a good place for your final proof:
Follow a style guide. If the organisation you work for has a style guide, use it! It will tell you things like how they spell certain words, how they write their bullet points and what phrases and words they do or don’t use. If there isn’t a style guide, agree on a few basics - UK or US English and keywords or phrases for your context (for example, people living in poverty rather than 'poor people’). A proofreader will use the same style guide or principles when they look at your work - help them by following the same rules.
Turn on more proofing options in Word. Word’s inbuilt settings can do so much more than highlight spelling mistakes through its Grammar and Refinements setting. It can highlight where you’ve used cliches or slang, where you could use more inclusive language, vagueness and even ‘superfluous expressions’. The list is long and if you tick every box your screen will become indecipherable with squiggles - so think about where your writing could be strengthened and prioritise those options.
Use a grammar and spelling app. You can go one step further than Word’s inbuilt settings with an app like Grammarly or Microsoft’s own Editor (depending on your version of Office, you might already have Editor installed - check the top right of your Word ribbon). Both of these apps flag grammar and spelling mistakes, autocorrect as your type and can identify where your writing could be strengthened (for example for clarity). They can even be used for social media posts and emails so you’re always on top of your grammar game.
A proper proofread takes time - something which in my experience is often underestimated and can come as a bit of a surprise to writers. Help this time be used as efficiently as possible by making the most of what Word has to offer - and using apps and guides to support you along the way. You’ve done all the hard work to get to this point - don’t fall at the last hurdle!
Word is a wonderfully powerful tool, but after many hours spent writing, proofing and formatting documents I know it can be incredibly frustrating. But, you really don’t need to know your macros from your margins to get Word working for you - get familiar with some of these useful features and you might just find that it’s the beginning of the end for all your Word woes.
Insightful\Exchange provides Word training for individuals and groups and can be tailored to your organisational needs. We also provide writing, proofing and formatting services. Find out more about our Writing and Editing or contact us.