Are you using Microsoft 365 to its full capability? Advice from an expert.

Word is the third most-used application in the Microsoft 365 suite, but a quick poll in any organization will find users who don't know about Styles--a fast, consistent formatting tool you can use across your entire document. Styles allow for easy navigation and instant reordering of sections. Their biggest advantage is time and consistency: one change updates every heading — no manual fixes required.

Word tip: Apply styles to your document

How to do it:

1. On the Home tab, use Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3 for titles and subtitles.
2. Jump and reorder with the Navigation Pane:
   • Open it from View Navigation Pane (Windows)
   • Click a heading to jump to that section
   • Drag a heading up or down to reorder — the whole section moves
3. Update the heading look:
   • Format a heading the way you like
   • In the Styles gallery, right-click Heading 1 Update Heading 1 to Match Selection
   • Repeat for Heading 2 and 3 as needed
   • All matching headings update automatically

Penman emphasizes that you should never individually format your headings. "Using styles saves hours and keeps your document perfectly consistent."

If you've ever scrambled to draft and send an important email because it slipped your mind or got buried under other tasks, you're not approaching email strategically. Using Outlook intentionally can help you work more effectively with your inbox.

Outlook tip 1: Schedule drafting an email directly into your calendar

If an email requires focused time, schedule it directly into your calendar.

How to do it:

1. Drag the email onto your Calendar in Outlook
2. Choose the date and time you want to work on it Save and Close
3. Use categories to colour-code and distinguish it from meetings

Outlook tip 2: Pre-schedule your emails to stay productive

Queue messages to send later so you don't break your flow. If you draft emails in the evening or on weekends, schedule them to send the next business morning.

How to do it:

1. Outlook Classic: Options More Options Delay Delivery, then set "Do not deliver before"
2. New Outlook: Click the arrow next to Send Schedule Send, then choose a date and time

Explaining why this improves productivity, Penman says, "It reduces context switching, lets you batch communications, and keeps your work moving without interruptions."

Microsoft Teams isn't just for meetings or quick chats. Penman suggests using Teams Channels to keep work organized and collaborate more effectively across teams and departments.

Teams tip: Make Microsoft Teams your team's home base

Channels keep each project or topic in one place — conversations, files, meeting notes, and recordings — making everything easier to find.

How to do it:

1. Create your team and add members
2. Create channels for your key projects or focus areas
3. Use each channel for its conversations, files, and meetings

Often, the quality of Copilot's response depends on the quality of the prompt. If you receive weak suggestions, it's usually because Copilot lacks clear instructions or context. As AI becomes more integrated into work, learning to use it effectively can significantly boost productivity and career prospects.

Copilot tip: Use effective prompts

Clearly state your goal, provide context, specify the desired format or tone, and indicate the source to review.

How to do it:

Use this four-part checklist from Microsoft to get better results:

1. Goal: What do you want it to do? (e.g., "Summarize this email")
2. Context: Add background information (e.g., "from the last two weeks")
3. Expectations: Specify format or tone (e.g., "as a formal proposal")
4. Source: Tell it where to look (e.g., "based on the attached document")

Penman explains, "Copilot is powerful, but it is literal. If your request is vague, the result will be too."