Microsoft Outlook Intermediate

Overview

Transform your inbox from reactive to proactive. Master advanced organization, automation, and management tools to streamline your workflow, manage complex calendars, and take control of your communication.

Target Audience:

Users comfortable with Outlook basics who manage high email volume, complex calendars, or need to optimize their workflow for efficiency.

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Implement advanced email organization and cleanup strategies.
• Manage complex meeting requests, voting buttons, and delegate access.
• Create and manage contact groups and electronic business cards.
• Utilize advanced search (Search Folders) and categorization for rapid information retrieval.
• Automate email management with sophisticated Rules and alerts.
• Configure AutoArchive and use Outlook effectively offline.

Outline

Module 1: Advanced Email Features and Organization

• Cleanup Tools: Using Clean Up Conversation, Ignore Conversation, and Sweep to manage email threads.
• Advanced Message Options: Setting importance, sensitivity, delivery receipts, and voting buttons.
• Quick Steps: Creating and using one-click Quick Steps to perform multi-action tasks (e.g., “Move to Project X & Flag”).

Module 2: Managing Meetings and Appointments

• Meeting Options: Scheduling online meetings (Teams), setting up presenter options, and using the Scheduling Assistant for large groups.
• Managing Responses: Tracking attendee responses and proposing a new time for a meeting.
• Calendar Delegation: Granting permissions for a delegate to manage your calendar and send meetings on your behalf.

Module 3: Using Advanced Contacts Features

• Contact Groups (Distribution Lists): Creating, updating, and using groups for frequent team communication.
• Electronic Business Cards: Customizing and sharing your digital business card via email.
• Linking Contacts: Linking multiple entries for the same contact (e.g., from an email and a meeting) to create a unified view.

Module 4: Categorizing and Searching Emails

• Color Categories: Creating and applying custom color categories to emails, calendar items, and tasks for visual organization.
• Advanced Find & Search Folders: Using the Search Tools ribbon to build complex search queries.
• Creating Search Folders: Setting up dynamic, virtual folders that automatically gather emails based on specific criteria.

Module 5: Setting Up Rules and Alerts

• Advanced Rules: Creating server-side rules that run even when Outlook is closed, using “AND/OR” logic for complex conditions.
• Desktop Alerts: Customizing desktop notification settings for new messages.
• Managing Rules: Editing, re-ordering, and troubleshooting existing rules for optimal performance.

Module 6: Email Archiving and Offline Management

• AutoArchive: Understanding and configuring AutoArchive settings to automatically move old items to an archive (.pst) file.
• Manual Archiving: Manually moving or exporting items to an archive file for backup or storage.
• Offline Use: Using Cached Exchange Mode, working offline, and managing OST files.