Which Microsoft Outlook Training Format Is Right for Me?

Microsoft Outlook is among the most widely used email services on the planet. However, Outlook provides more than email access. Outlook offers functions and features that help with managing and organizing the workplace. Outlook also serves as an app manager for interfacing with Office applications available through Microsoft 365 that allows users to compose documents, analyze data, or create presentations for work across a spectrum of industries or for personal projects.

When comparing different training options for improving the use of Outlook, there are several factors to consider. It’s important to acknowledge that people have different ways of learning, which means that finding the right training method for an individual is crucial for getting lessons to stick. With finding the right path for training to improve on using Outlook, there are several factors to consider. Everyone learns differently, and choosing the right approach to training is crucial.

The information presented below should help find methods for improving skills with Microsoft Outlook. When comparing options, it’s important to decide on the right approach for you.

What is Microsoft Outlook?

Microsoft Outlookis among the most used email servers on the planet. However, Outlook provides more than email access. Outlook facilitates email communication, setting up contact lists for your organization, and using the calendar to organize business meetings and other events. It also serves as a web app manager that allows coordinating and integrating Microsoft Office applications like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel for the workplace or personal use. Also, Microsoft Outlook does not share data collected for integrating Office applications within Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Outlook began as Hotmail in 1996 without any connection to Microsoft before the company purchased the email site and renamed it MSN Hotmail and eventually Windows Live Hotmail. The product became Outlook.com in 2012. As stated, Microsoft provides Outlook as the center for managing its software applications for mainly work settings and personal use. Outlook allows users to conveniently access the software needed for establishing an efficient working environment, allowing an organization to communicate through email or share content using the Web or the cloud through Microsoft 365. This includes sharing content from the Office software bundle that offers a variety of functions for word processing, building databases, organizing spreadsheets, or designing promotional material.

Read more about what Microsoft Outlook is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Microsoft Outlook?

Microsoft Outlook is mainly considered an email facilitator but also functions as an application manager for Office software programs provided through Microsoft 365. Outlook allows users to control emails using filters and folders, locate names in the address book, or schedule emails to respond automatically when the user is unavailable. Outlook also provides a calendar for organizing meetings, events, or project deadlines.

With being able to interface with other Microsoft Office applications, Outlook functions for tasks as wide-ranging as accounting, data entry, word processing, or presentations through access to software like Excel, Access, Word, or PowerPoint. Outlook provides an efficient tool for any workplace, academic institution, or home.

In addition to many using Outlook for their personal email, business corporations, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations use Microsoft Outlook for getting projects done in addition to email communication and organizing schedules. Outlook provides an assortment of features and functions for getting work done efficiently:

• Outlook offers a variety of options for sending, receiving, and forwarding emails, as well as navigating the inbox and folders.
• Outlook interacts with other Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Microsoft Outlook users can collaborate with coworkers by exchanging Microsoft Office content easily.
• Companies and organizations can share Outlook calendars among staff members to optimize collaboration in the workplace.
• Users can sync personal data using Microsoft Outlook on computers, smartphones, or tablets.
• Outlook allows entering information into the calendar that syncs with a variety of devices.
• Personal data can be integrated into Outlook, including virtual sticky notes, calendars, address books, and to-do lists.
• Microsoft Outlook can integrate with other online services and apps, including Uber, Google Play, Facebook, Yelp, Skype, Boomerang, and Evernote.
• Microsoft Outlook has font options for professional-looking formatting and various color themes.
• Users can set the Microsoft Outlook calendar for daily, weekly, or monthly schedules to keep track of important appointments and meetings.
• Users can send out meeting requests to people listed in their contact list through the calendar feature.
• Outlook also provides security features, including data encryption for a user's mailbox after sending an email.
• Premium Microsoft Outlook automatically deactivates unsafe links containing viruses, malware, or phishing scams and can recover important files from Microsoft OneDrive.
• Users can run Skype directly through Microsoft Outlook for online chatting in real-time.

Training Formats for Microsoft Outlook

Learning in a classroom setting allows students to have a direct and personal interaction with an instructor and other students. While there can certainly be interaction with a teacher when learning online, there is something richer about sharing personal space, being able to read body language, or simply experiencing the nuances of the physical interaction that comes with occupying the same physical space. However, the biggest obstacle to taking a course inside a classroom is getting there. Problems, including traffic, weather, or unforeseen events, can make getting to the location difficult.

In-Person Microsoft Outlook Training

While there are live online courses available for improving skills with Microsoft Outlook, some people simply feel more comfortable learning inside a classroom with a teacher standing right there in front of them. Learning in-person allows students to interact directly with their instructors and classmates. While there can certainly be interaction with a teacher in a live online setting, there is something different about being in the same room as your teacher and classmates.

Live Online Microsoft Outlook Training

There are several live online courses for improving skills with using Microsoft Outlook that can help with being able to optimize Outlook functions and features or integrate Office applications from Microsoft 365 to help with creating efficiency in the workplace. Because many people use Outlook as their email, they may take the software for granted due to familiarity with day-to-day use. Noble Desktop offers a variety of online Microsoft Outlook courses that can fit your purpose, whether it’s workplace duties or personal projects. These courses provide expert instruction in real-time for students eager to improve on skills with Outlook for organizing calendars or to-do lists, interfacing with Outlook applications like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, or managing contacts and other advanced functions.

Free Online Courses & Tutorials

If you don't feel ready to take on a fully loaded Microsoft Outlook training course, online education providers offer free or low-cost classes for learning skills with email software. For example, Udemy offers the relatively inexpensive Get Started with Microsoft Outlook that provides step-by-step instructions for people with little to no experience with Microsoft Outlook with training on how to use the application's essential email functions or how to integrate Office applications.

You can also find YouTube channels or other video outlets to pick up lessons on fundamentals for using Microsoft Outlook.

Read about more free Microsoft Outlook videos and online tutorials.

On-Demand Classes

Noble Desktop provides other ways to improve skills with Microsoft Outlook, including options for on-demand training. Unlike live online courses, on-demand classes allow students to learn at their own pace on their own time, avoiding the stress of conflict with work or other commitments. There are options for on-demand training with Microsoft Outlook that provides beginners or advanced students with courses from several online education providers. For example, ONLC Training Centers offers Outlook 2019 On-Demand: Comprehensive (Part 1 & Part 2) Course Outline, which is an on-demand self-study course.

Comparison of Microsoft Outlook Training Formats

There are three main ways to find training for improving skills with Microsoft Outlook: in-person classes, live online courses, and self-paced tutorials, usually videos. Depending on personal preference, including where a person lives, an individual has choices for learning how to improve on skills more effectively using Outlook. 

Noble Desktop currently offers a variety of in-person and live online Microsoft Outlook courses in New York City that are taught inside Manhattan classrooms or through virtual learning options. Of course, the benefits of getting face-to-face training inside a classroom allow students to interact personally with their instructors and classmates. The Manhattan classroom also provides computers and software for each course.

Enrolling in a live online course for improving Microsoft Outlook skills can provide its own benefits. This includes the convenience of being able to train from the comfort of your own home, which can be especially advantageous following a long day at work. Noble Desktop’s online courses provide training through video conferencing software that gives enrollees the same hands-on experience and interaction that they would get from sitting inside a classroom.

Self-paced on-demand training can help individuals improve their skills in using Microsoft Outlook, which includes operating and coordinating Office applications available through Microsoft 365. Students have choices ranging from free basic online tutorials to taking advanced online courses from Noble Desktop or other online education providers, which include video tutorials.

Is it Possible to Teach Yourself Microsoft Outlook?

People wanting to learn more about Microsoft Outlook may decide to teach themselves about the functions it offers beyond sending emails. There are resources available, including online tutorials or videos, for learning to take advantage of Outlook’s calendar feature for scheduling meetings and assignments or integrating fluidly with Office applications available through Microsoft 365 such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project.

Students may go on to teach themselves the advanced features associated with Outlook. New learners may also seek out friends, professionals, or experts who have knowledge and experience with these applications and can offer helpful advice with learning that can clear up difficulties.

How to Decide the Best Way to Learn Microsoft Outlook

Because so many people use Microsoft Outlook in their day-to-day activities, many of them may not realize the capabilities that its features and functions provide. While those same people may not want to spend any money for learning something they believe they already know, taking a free online class or watching an online video that gives them tips for working with Outlook could unlock possibilities with an application they use every day that includes applying new techniques for interfacing with Office applications. 

Learning how to coordinate Microsoft Office applications through Outlook allows users to operate efficiently in any type of workplace, along with being able to manage calendars, contacts, and other tasks. While possessing knowledge of Outlook alone cannot provide the foundation for a career, a deeper understanding of email and app management software can lend strong support to whatever occupation a person chooses. Noble Desktop offers live online Microsoft Outlook courses that train individuals for between $119 and $1,228.

Some people may feel that additional training for Microsoft Outlook is unnecessary or too expensive. However, there are less expensive alternatives for improving skills with Outlook, including video tutorials or low-cost classes. For example, Accelerate Computer Training offers Outlook: Organize Your Mail, Schedule, Contacts, and Tasks as an in-person course in Los Angeles or live online for $99.

Learn Microsoft Outlook with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

If you’re looking to improve on knowledge of using Microsoft Outlook, Noble Desktop has courses that provide training for a better understanding of the software application. This includes in-person classes available in New York City, along with live online courses offered at times that may fit your schedule at varying costs.

Noble Desktop offers in-person and live online Microsoft Office courses that provide hands-on training from expert instructors. These courses provide training that includes lessons for Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Project, and Outlook, which serves as the hub for access to this bundle of integrated Microsoft Office applications. These classes can be taken inside a classroom or live online. 

Students can enroll in Microsoft Outlook Level I for lessons on the fundamentals of the application. This one-day course focuses on teaching participants about using Outlook efficiently with lessons on setting up email folders, automating email, managing calendars and to-do lists, or organizing schedules and contact lists that can all contribute to improving workflow.

People may elect to take the Microsoft Outlook Level II class. This follow-up course builds on the training established in the Level I course. Level II emphasizes lessons for configuring email accounts, performing advanced searches, filtering spam, learning about working with advanced calendars, and handling contact lists.