Computers Tips and Notes

Which version of Excel?

As to the size of the class, somewhere between five and ten people can usually be accommodating in a training room with reasonable facilities. You will need to ensure that you have a conference or training room equipped with a computer for each delegate and a projector which can be connected to a computer used by the trainer to demonstrate each technique.

A general rule of thumb is that the bigger the leap you are asking people to make, the smaller the class needs to be. For example, if you decide to get your staff trained on the use of Excel macros and none of them have ever done any programming, then you should restrict the size of the group to between three and six people. By contrast, if you have a group of people who have been using the program for some time, but have never been formally trained and need to be given a better idea of what the program can do, you could probably have a larger group of, say, between seven and ten people.

Which topics should be covered

As to the size of the class, somewhere between five and ten people can usually be accommodating in a training room with reasonable facilities. You will need to ensure that you have a conference or training room equipped with a computer for each delegate and a projector which can be connected to a computer used by the trainer to demonstrate each technique.

One feature that you should almost never omit in an Excel training course is formulas and functions. Functions are the lifeblood of Microsoft Excel. They allow the program to carry out complex calculations and produce useful results in a variety of different areas including statistics, engineering and the financial arena. Be sure to give the training company a good idea of the type of data your people work with and the information they need to obtain. This will enable the trainer to include coverage of functions which can help increase your productivity and get the most out of Excel.

Who should attend

The obvious answer to this question may seem to be “the version that we are currently using”. However, because of the significant difference between Excel 2007 and previous versions, if you are currently using Excel 2003 but plan to upgrade within the next year or so, it is definitely worth making sure you upgrade before getting your staff trained.

Class sizes

Who should attend

A general rule of thumb is that the bigger the leap you are asking people to make, the smaller the class needs to be. For example, if you decide to get your staff trained on the use of Excel macros and none of them have ever done any programming, then you should restrict the size of the group to between three and six people. By contrast, if you have a group of people who have been using the program for some time, but have never been formally trained and need to be given a better idea of what the program can do, you could probably have a larger group of, say, between seven and ten people.

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