Word – Essentials

Overview:

This practical session is the foundation for the other Word webinars and is ideal for council staff who want to build confidence. It is especially helpful for those who feel they have suffered when Word behaves badly, helping to fix common frustrations and make everyday documents such as letters, agendas, and reports much easier to manage. 

Key Topics:

• Paragraph formatting – spacing, indents, tabs, bullets and numbering  
• Working with layout – margins, orientation and page setup  
• Learn quick shortcut codes – resolving formatting issues without leaving your keyboard 
• Tables – creating, formatting and managing tables effectively  
• Be confident when sharing council documents 
• Word tools and settings – AutoCorrect, AutoText, toolbars, spelling and accessibility 
• Using Copilot AI Prompts 

These practical scenarios show how the skills from this session apply to everyday council documents and common Word frustrations. 

Scenarios:

1. A council officer is creating agendas, letters, or reports and needs paragraph spacing, indents, tabs, and bullets to behave consistently. 

2. Staff waste time manually reformatting documents and want to explore whether there are any shortcuts to save time on these repetitive tasks. 

3. A clerk needs to change margins, orientation, and layout so a council document prints clearly, looks professional, and can be saved as a template for future documents. 

4. A table in meeting notes or a register keeps splitting badly across pages and needs to be controlled properly. 

5. A clerk receives a typed list of allotment contacts, plot numbers, and payment status in plain text and needs to quickly convert it into a table for easier sorting, formatting, and checking. Later, they need to turn the table back into plain text to paste into an email or another system. 

6. A clerk needs to inspect the document for spelling, revision markings, confidential data, and accessibility settings before sharing it with the public. 

7. A clerk is new to Copilot in Word and wants help drafting, rewriting, summarising, or improving a council document. 

Who Should Attend:

Ideal for clerks, administrators, and council staff who prepare documents regularly and want to feel more confident using Word. This session is especially useful for those who are self-taught, frustrated by formatting problems, or looking for a stronger foundation for everyday document work. 

Pricing:

• Free for CloudyIT customers using a training credit 

• £65 for non-CloudyIT customers (read T&Cs) 

Continue Your Digital Learning Journey:

Take the next step with Word – Better Documents, Less Formatting Stress or Word – Accessibility to build stronger structure, reduce formatting frustration, and create clearer council documents. 

Keep Building Your Digital Confidence:

• Try the Microsoft 365 Digital Skills Audit Tool
• Join an AI in Local Government Members’ Day
• Come along to a DisGovery Day in person