Creating Reader-Friendly Spreadsheets

In this presentation, author and Excel expert David H. Ringstrom, CPA, will guide you through the essential techniques for creating reader-friendly spreadsheets using Excel for Windows. You'll learn how to enhance your Excel documents by creating and applying cell styles, customizing theme colors and fonts, and managing borders and column widths for optimal clarity. David will also demonstrate how to format cells based on specific values, add total rows to Excel tables, and use text boxes to clarify content. Additionally, you'll explore features like the Accessibility Checker, Freeze Panes, and methods for protecting your worksheets from unwanted edits. Join us to elevate your Excel skills and make your spreadsheets more accessible and visually appealing!

David H. Ringstrom, CPA, has more than 30 years of experience as a spreadsheet and accounting software consultant and speaker. He has presented over 2,500 live webinars and is the author or co-author of ten books, including “Microsoft 365 Excel All-in-One for Dummies”, “Microsoft 365 Excel for Dummies”, “Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures”, and “QuickBooks Online for Dummies”.

In his webinars, David demonstrates every technique twice: first on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps and then live in Excel for Microsoft 365 for Windows. He highlights any differences in Excel 2024, 2021, or 2019 during the presentation and in his detailed handouts. Attendees also receive an Excel workbook containing most of the examples he uses, making it easy to follow along and apply the techniques later. David additionally supports Excel for Mac users by answering their follow-up questions via email.

Who Should Attend
Professionals seeking to enhance their Excel skills for creating accessible, visually appealing spreadsheets and effectively presenting data.

Topics Covered

• Formatting specific words within a column of text using Conditional Formatting
• Customizing table styles in Excel
• Creating reusable cell styles for consistent formatting
• Most features and functions work in Excel for Mac as well but expect differences
• Freezing rows to keep headings visible while scrolling
• Transforming dates and numbers into various formats without retyping by way of custom number formats
• Securing worksheet logic by protecting cells that are hidden, preventing both edits and formula visibility
• Avoiding the need to retype data or clunky formulas by way of Excel’s Text to Columns command
• Grouping related rows and columns to allow quick collapse, expansion, and simplified worksheet views
• Contrasting using menu commands and keyboard shortcuts for applying formatting
• Avoiding the need to merge cells—use the Text Box feature for paragraphs of text instead

Learning Objectives

• Recall which command enables you to import cell styles from another open workbook
• Identify the location of the Accessibility Checker within the ribbon in Excel 2019 and later
• State which menu in Excel contains the Custom Views command

Level
Basic

Instructional Method
Group: Internet-based

NASBA Field of Study
Computer Software & Applications (2 hours)

Program Prerequisites
None

Advance Preparation
None