Microsoft Outlook Prerequisites

Microsoft Outlook serves mainly as an email server for business and personal use. However, Outlook provides more than simply email communication. Outlook provides a calendar that lets users schedule meetings or set deadlines for assignments. Microsoft Outlook also serves as the anchor for Microsoft 365 and helps with integrating Office applications for composing documents, visualizing and analyzing data, or creating professional-looking presentations. Training to improve skills with Outlook can give anyone an advantage in the workplace by helping them coordinate Word, Excel, or PowerPoint to create a more efficient working environment. 

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 isand 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.

• The premium version of Microsoft Outlook automatically deactivates unsafe links that may contain viruses, malware, or phishing scams and can even recover important files from OneDrive.
• Users can run Skype directly through Microsoft Outlook for online chatting in real-time.

Is Microsoft Outlook Easy to Learn?

Deciding to learn more about Microsoft Outlook will depend on an individual's ambitions or goals. Many people may not have considered improving their skills with Microsoft Outlook because they may not realize the potential of having firmer knowledge of this email and app management software. While it's clear that there will be a certain degree of difficulty with learning almost anything new, the fact that people use Outlook with other applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint should make them more comfortable about learning new functions.

Because many people may be complacent about using Microsoft Outlook, learning how to better integrate Office applications with Outlook can provide users with a better understanding of using related Microsoft software. This includes basic tasks like composing documents, analyzing data, or creating professional-looking presentations. Users may also benefit from becoming familiar with Outlook because it serves as the gateway for Microsoft 365, which provides a selection of Office applications for work or personal projects.

Read more about how difficult it is to learn Microsoft Outlook.

What to Know Before Learning Microsoft Outlook

Because Microsoft Outlook provides email communication for users as well as integration with Office applications available through Microsoft 365 for word processing, creating presentations, or organizing spreadsheets, some people may seek additional training to learn efficient ways to use this software in the workplace. Noble Desktop provides in-person and live online Microsoft Outlook courses focusing on basic uses with email and app management software, such as managing calendars and contacts and integrating Office applications available through Microsoft 365. Other options available include Microsoft Outlook Level I and the Microsoft Outlook Level II courses.

One of the keys to learning the most about Outlook is realizing that the application is more than simply an email server. Microsoft Outlook also allows scheduling and coordinating meetings and assignments, along with being able to integrate Office apps. Below are a few tips for training related to Microsoft Office:

Consider Goals for Training in Microsoft Outlook

• Try to figure out how to improve on skills with Microsoft Outlook for sending and receiving email as well as scheduling meetings, events, and assignments.
• Outlook can also be used to integrate Microsoft Office applications available with Microsoft 365, which includes creating multimedia presentations with video or audio enhancements using PowerPoint or analyzing data with Excel.

Get Familiar with Shortcuts

• Picking up shortcuts for Outlook could help with getting projects completed more efficiently.
• Learning shortcuts such as locating a specific email or name in a contact list could speed up completing a project.

Practice Using Applications

• Outlook facilitates integrating Microsoft Office applications and is especially helpful with accessing apps like Word, PowerPoint, or Excel, which are the industry standard for word processing, presentations, and spreadsheets.
• An effective course can train students in how to effectively use applications. 

Key Insights

• Microsoft Outlook serves mainly as an email provider for business or personal use. However, Outlook provides more than simply email communication.
• Microsoft Outlook began its life independently as Hotmail back in 1996 before being purchased by Microsoft.
• While Outlook is an email facilitator, it also functions as an app manager for Office software programs available through Microsoft 365.
• The Outlook calendar feature allows users to schedule meetings or deadlines for projects and assignments.
• Microsoft Outlook contributes to an efficient working environment.
• Because many people may feel complacent about using Outlook in their day-to-day lives, some may not believe that additional training is necessary.
• Noble Desktop offers courses that provide training for a better understanding of Microsoft Outlook.

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.