This is a "Best Of" presentation of materials from my webinar/session collaboration with Tom Duff (@duffbert) in which we share our favorite productivity tips from Office 365 and the Microsoft Office productivity suite. This presentation was shared at the SharePoint Saturday Los Angeles (#SPSLA) in Playa Del Rey, California on September 28th, 2019 at the MIcrosoft Offices.
For more content like this, be sure to subscribe to the CollabTalk YouTube site at https://youtube.com/c/CollabTube
Top 20 Tips for Office 365 Productivity -- SharePoint Saturday Los Angeles Edition
1. Top 20 Tips for
Office 365 Productivity
Christian Buckley
Founder & CEO of CollabTalk LLC
Microsoft RD & MVP #SPSLA
2. Christian Buckley
Founder & CEO of CollabTalk LLC
Microsoft RD + MVP
cbuck@collabtalk.com
www.buckleyplanet.com
@buckleyplanet
3.
4.
5. Lock your Word document
We focus so much on admin control at
the site or site collection level that we
often forget about some of the simple
protections that we, as end users, can
apply to our files directly.
When working with sensitive information,
Word has several options to protect a file.
To see these options, go into
File > Info > Protect Document
Options include:
Always Open Read-Only
Encrypt with Password
Restrict Editing
Restrict Access
Add a Digital Signature
Mark as Final
Some of the options require additional
steps, but all of this is driven by the user
and does not require admin oversight.
6.
7. Adding interactive Microsoft Forms to PowerPoint
While not brand new, Forms is an
underutilized resource that allows you to
quickly and easily publish surveys and snap
polls within your organization – or to
external users and partners.
Creating your surveys is easy, as is
changing the question types, adding or
removing answers, and rearranging the
layout before or after you push it live.
Additionally, as the survey author, you
have access to real-time stats, and can
share the results with your management
team or respondents.
https://forms.microsoft.com
8. Adding interactive Microsoft Forms to PowerPoint
Microsoft Forms is now integrated with
PowerPoint for Office 365, providing a
seamless way for speakers, trainers,
and educators to connect and interact
with participants. As shown in a
Microsoft Tech Community blog post,
presenters can get real-time audience
feedback via forms and quizzes
without asking them to leave
PowerPoint.
To get started, in PowerPoint under
Insert, click the Forms icon to create a
new form/quiz or insert one you’ve
already created.
Please note that this feature is
currently only available for PowerPoint
Windows 32
9. Adding interactive Microsoft Forms to PowerPoint
To see the responses to your form or quiz,
sign in to your Office 365 account at
https://forms.office.com/
Open the appropriate form from your My
forms page, and then select the Responses
tab at the top of the page.
10. Adding interactive Microsoft Forms to PowerPoint
To create a quiz, check out the
article at https://support.office.com/en-
us/article/create-a-quiz-with-microsoft-
forms-a082a018-24a1-48c1-b176-
4b3616cdc83d
11.
12. Add protection with OneDrive Personal Vault
With the growing presence and sophistication of
online threats, it’s increasingly important to have
the right protection and tools to help safeguard
your devices, personal information, and files from
being compromised.
Personal Vault is a protected area in OneDrive that
you can only access with a strong authentication
method or a second step of identity verification,
such as your fingerprint, face, PIN, or a code sent to
you via email or SMS.1
Your locked files in Personal Vault have an extra
layer of security, keeping them more secured in the
event that someone gains access to your account
or your device.
Just enter a PIN, or use your fingerprint, face, or a
code delivered by email or SMS1 to unlock and
access your files—no need to remember multiple
passwords. Additionally, Personal Vault can be
unlocked with the Microsoft Authenticator app.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-
365/blog/2019/06/25/onedrive-personal-vault-added-security-
onedrive-additional-storage/
13. Add protection with OneDrive Personal Vault
You can use the OneDrive for mobile app to scan
documents, take pictures, or shoot video directly
into your Personal Vault, keeping them off less
secure areas of your device—such as your camera
roll.
On Windows 10 PCs, OneDrive syncs your Personal
Vault files to a BitLocker-encrypted area of your
local hard drive. And like all files in OneDrive, the
contents of your Personal Vault are encrypted at-
rest in the Microsoft cloud and in-transit to your
device.
Personal Vault automatically relocks on your PC,
device, or online after a short period of inactivity.
Once locked, any files you were using will also lock
and require reauthentication to access.
Personal Vault began rolling out earlier this month,
and should be available on your tenant by October.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-
365/blog/2019/06/25/onedrive-personal-vault-added-security-
onedrive-additional-storage/
14.
15. Planner and To-Do Integration
Planner is your out-of-the-box Kanban-based
project management tool. Microsoft has finally
taken steps to align this great tool with
Microsoft To-Do.
Users can see all of their tasks across Microsoft
365 in To-Do, including flagged emails in
Outlook and tasks assigned in Planner. View
your tasks, deadlines, and details, and plan to
get more done throughout your days.
To get started, update your To-Do app and click
Show List when prompted to Track tasks
assigned in Planner.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-
365/blog/2019/05/29/new-to-microsoft-365-
april-streamline-compliance-collaboration-
inclusive-engaging/
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Micro
soft-To-Do-Blog/Planner-and-To-Do-
integration-bringing-you-a-more-cohesive-
task/ba-p/552740
16.
17. Send attachments as links in Outlook
https://support.microsoft.com/en-
in/help/4011261/how-to-set-attachment-
preference-for-attaching-a-cloud-file-in-outlook
Send links, not files!
When working with cloud files
(SharePoint, OneDrive) you can set
the default attachment state to a
link rather than always attaching a
copy of a file.
To get started, in your Outlook
desktop app go into Files, and then
Options, and look within the
General section for Attachment
Options.
Select Always share them as links
and click Ok.
18. Send attachments as links in Outlook
Next, open a new email
message and select Attach
File. Navigate to the relevant
cloud-based file and attach.
The file will attach with the
cloud icon, and by default,
will say Anyone can edit. As
your recipients open this file,
they will be viewing and/or
editing the document from
within your cloud
environment.
19. Send attachments as links in Outlook
Click on the right arrow on
your file to see additional
options, such as removing
the attachment, or changing
the permissions.
For local files that are not in
the cloud, you can attach
them to your email per
normal steps, then select the
right arrow on the file to
save it to the cloud (you’ll
see all of your available
options), allowing you to
manually change an
attachment to a link.
20.
21. Getting notified when you do a "mass deletion" in
SharePoint Online or OneDrive
It's a nightmare of mine… someone pings me and says that hundreds of files are missing from a
document library, and they're not in the recycle bin either. If you're lucky, you figure out who deleted
the files, and often they didn't realize they did that. Now in SharePoint Online and OneDrive,
Microsoft will notify you via email if you've done a "mass deletion" of data. Here's what happens…
Here I have a document library in SharePoint Online, and I have a folder with 427 files in it:
22. Getting notified when you do a "mass deletion" in
SharePoint Online or OneDrive
I delete the folder, and I get a chance to confirm I want to do that. But let's pretend I didn't read it
carefully or I clicked Delete without meaning to… Hey, I've seen it happen…
23. Getting notified when you do a "mass deletion" in
SharePoint Online or OneDrive
In about 15 minutes, I get the following email from Microsoft letting me know it detected the mass
deletion, and giving me one more chance to make things right if I shouldn't have done that…
24. Getting notified when you do a "mass deletion" in
SharePoint Online or OneDrive
I know the first question will be "so how many documents need to be deleted to trigger this feature."
The answer is "we don't know, and it depends." As Sarah Haase states:
The tricky part is determining how many files must be deleted before these automated notifications
take place. According to Microsoft, “Notifications are sent to users when a higher than usual number of
files are deleted per hour.” No additional information has been provided on how the ratio of file
deletions is measured or what percentage increase in file deletions is enough to meet the notification
threshold. As Microsoft calls out, “This is not to be considered a fail-safe file recovery solution – it is a
continuation of best efforts we are making to protect your files from accidental loss.”
So… this isn't a hard-and-fast feature that you can count on every time. My threshold may well be
different than yours. But it's nice to know that the days of deleting large amounts of data
unknowingly will be fewer and farther between now.
25.
26. Adding an Email as a Task in Outlook and To-Do
To-Do is quickly becoming
“the” default task management
solution within Office. Within
Outlook, did you know that you
can drag-and-drop an email into
To-Do via the Tasks icon?
Most of us are used to dragging
and dropping emails into
Calendar to set up reminders
and schedule meetings, but you
can follow the same process to
define tasks.
Just grab an email and drag it
down to the Tasks icon at the
bottom left of Outlook.
https://todosupport.helpshift.com/a/microsoft-to-
do/?s=tips-tricks&f=adding-an-email-as-a-task-in-
outlook-on-windows&l=en&p=web
27. Adding an Email as a Task in Outlook and To-Do
A task dialog will open up, with
task details at the top and the
body of the email below. From
here you can set due dates,
reminders, assign it to
someone on your team, push it
to OneNote, and more.
28. Adding an Email as a Task in Outlook and To-Do
Click on the calendar icons to
pick your start and due dates.
Change the status and priority,
as appropriate.
29. Adding an Email as a Task in Outlook and To-Do
Once you have defined the
start and due dates, it is always
wise to set a reminder, IMO.
30. Adding an Email as a Task in Outlook and To-Do
Within the Tasks view of
Outlook, you can quickly view
all of the tasks created within
Outlook – as well as task lists
created in the To-Do app
(Windows or mobile)
For additional productivity,
there is much more than you
can do with To-Do integration
to your mobile device and
other smart speakers, and
automate using Microsoft Flow.
We’ll cover more of those
examples in future tips…
31.
32. Text Annotations in Office Lens
Office Lens trims, enhances, and makes pictures of whiteboards
and docs readable. You can use Office Lens to convert images to
PDF, Word and PowerPoint files, and you can even save images to
OneNote or OneDrive.
You can now
add text to highlight a part of a document
add a watermark of your brand text before sharing
add a caption that stays intact with the image wherever it
goes and communicates your idea to your colleagues
After taking your image, simply tap on the ‘T’ icon and easily add
text while on the go and in the moment. You can select a
style/template, change text color and position, and then share!
Currently available on both Android and iOS, but no word about
support for Windows Phone, Blackberry, Palm OS, or Kin
(fun article on why Windows Mobile failed that’s worth a read)
35. Adding to OneNote Meeting Notes via Mobile
Within any new meeting, you have
the option to add OneNote meeting
notes to any outgoing meeting
invite.
From the Appointment menu,
simply select Meeting Notes.
Next, select either Share Notes with
the Meeting or Take Notes on
Your Own
36.
37. Ink Analysis in PowerPoint
Announced in April 2018, Microsoft has
expanded the inking capabilities in
Windows and the Office suite, now
leveraging shape and text recognition in
PowerPoint, allowing you to more quickly
markup and edit your presentations using
handwritten notes and touch screens to
write, select, and convert text and shapes
into clean, professional images and
drawings.
April 2018 announcements
38. New AI-Powered Inking Features
As of October 2018, there are several new AI-powered Inking capabilities in Word and PowerPoint.
You can now use a touch-enabled device and digital pen to ink your ideas and transform them
into perfectly formatted content. You can also choose from 30 new 3D models with built-in
animations to bring your content to life.
39.
40. Automating Microsoft To-Do with your Smart Speakers
Households are increasingly using smart speakers and IoT devices to automate
various aspects of our lives and increase productivity, but did you know that you
can sync these services to Microsoft To-Do?
To use Siri with Microsoft To-Do, you begin by connecting your Outlook.com or
Exchange account.
Go to your iPhone's settings, select Accounts & Passwords and then Add
Account. Then select Exchange or Outlook.com and simply follow the
prompts to add your account.
Once you’ve added your account, enable Reminders for that account by
selecting Accounts & Passwords once more and then either Exchange or
Outlook.com. Then make sure that Reminders is toggled on for that account.
Once your Microsoft Account has been connected, set your default
Reminders list to one in your Outlook or Exchange account by opening your
iPhone's settings, tap Reminders > Default List and then select the desired
list.
Once set up, all you need to do is say 'Hey Siri, remind me to...' and it will be
synced to your Microsoft To-Do list. Using Siri and Reminders with Microsoft To-Do
on iOS11 and iOS12
41. Automating Microsoft To-Do with your Smart Speakers
For more details, check out the following:
Using Siri and Reminders with Microsoft To-Do on iOS11 and iOS12
Using Ok Google with Microsoft To-Do
Using Apple Watch with Microsoft To-Do
Additionally, there are many many many integrations available through services like
IFTTT (If This Then That) and Zapier to help connect your smart speakers and smart
phones to Microsoft apps and services, such as
Connecting Amazon Echo To-Do to OneNote
42.
43. Change your Outlook mobile swipe options
If you use the Outlook mobile app, you have
some options available for how you manage
your email experience.
Personally, I don’t want to deal with folders
and multi-step actions within my phone, and
prefer to manage more complex actions
through the desktop app.
My preferred swipe actions are to Delete and
Mark as Read/Unread.
To change the swipe options, go into the
gear settings for your account and select
Swipe Options, and select from the options
for left and right swipe.
44.
45. Making quick video recordings in OneNote
Let's say you want to create a quick video of yourself, either to let your team know something, or perhaps
just as a reminder to yourself to take care of some items. OneNote has a basic video recording function
built in, and it's perfect for those basic types of videos (not screen captures… just whatever your vidcam is
picking up). Here's how it works…
First off, go to your OneNote Options (File > Options), select Audio & Video, and make sure you have
the right audio and video devices selected to record yourself:
46. Making quick video recordings in OneNote
Once that's done, go to the Insert tab, add a new page, place the cursor where you want the recording to
be, and click Record Video:
47. Making quick video recordings in OneNote
The video will start recording immediately, and you'll have a Recording tab in the Ribbon Bar that will
have the controls to Pause and Stop the recording:
48. Making quick video recordings in OneNote
When you're done, just click Stop and everything is stored automatically. If you want to replay the recording, click Play:
49. Making quick video recordings in OneNote
What's also a nice touch is that you can also right-click on the video icon and save it to a different
location if you need it to reside outside of OneNote:
50.
51. Insert Data from Picture into Excel
With Insert Data from Picture, you can take a picture of a
printed data table with your Android device and convert that
analog information into an Excel spreadsheet with a single
click.
New image recognition functionality automatically converts
the picture to a fully editable table in Excel, eliminating the
need for you to manually enter data.
Available in Excel for iPhone, Excel for Android tablets, and
Excel for Android phones.
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/insert-data-from-picture-3c1bb58d-
2c59-4bc0-b04a-a671a6868fd7
52.
53. Using the Read Aloud feature in Outlook
Have you ever gotten an email from someone that looks more like a novel than a request? Have you
wished you could just have someone read it to you while you focus on something else? Well, with
the Read Aloud feature in Outlook, you can now do that! Here's how…
First of all, you need to turn the feature on in your Outlook Options panel. Go to Ease of Access
and select the Show Read Aloud setting:
54. Using the Read Aloud feature in Outlook
Now when you open an email, you'll see the Read Aloud Speech option. When you click that
option in the Ribbon Bar, a speech toolbar will appear and you'll start to hear the email being read
aloud. The toolbar allows you to Rewind, Pause/Start, Fast Forward, set Options, and Stop:
55. Using the Read Aloud feature in Outlook
With the Options setting, you can alter the speed of the narration, as well as the voice used. David is
a lower-pitched male voice, while Mark has a higher-pitch. Zira is the female voice:
While this isn't something I'd necessarily use all that often, I can see it being useful for long emails with a
ton of text. It could also be extremely useful in the case of people who have vision issues that make it hard
to read and/or digest longer emails.
56.
57. AI-Powered To-Do Tracking in Word
Editor—Word’s AI-powered writing assistant—is
an indispensable tool for the written word. But
sometimes you need to leave a placeholder in
your document and come back to it later to stay
in your flow.
Word now helps users create and fill in these
placeholders without leaving the flow of their
work.
For example, type TODO: finish this section or
<<insert closing here>> and Word recognizes
and tracks them as to-dos. When you come back
to the document, you’ll see a list of your
remaining to-dos, and you can click each one to
navigate back to the right spot.
58. AI-Powered To-Do Tracking in Word
Once you’ve created your to-dos, Word can also
help you complete them. If you need help from a
friend or coworker, just @mention them within a
placeholder. Word sends them a notification with a
“deep link” to the relevant place in the document.
Soon, they’ll be able to reply to the notification
with their contributions, and those contributions
will be inserted directly into the document—
making it easy to complete the task with an email
from any device.
Over time, Office will use AI to help fill in many of
these placeholders. In the next few months, Word
will use Microsoft Search to suggest content for a
to-do like <<insert chart of quarterly sales
figures>>. You will be able to pick from the
results and insert content from another document
with a single click.
Currently in preview with Office Insiders.
59.
60. Reuse existing slides in new PowerPoint presentations
Instead of recreating slides from scratch,
quickly find and reuse slides from your
files or from others in your organization
with the help of Microsoft AI in
PowerPoint.
Simply click the Reuse Slides button on
the Home tab to surface existing
PowerPoint decks in the sidebar to browse
through recommended PowerPoint decks
that you have access to, view the slides in
each presentation, and insert them into
the deck you are creating.
This feature is available for all Office 365
subscribers.
61.
62. Jumpstart your notetaking
with OneNote Templates
And yes, you can create your own templates!
If you have spent countless hours building a format that
you reuse for new projects and meetings, simply open
the template console and select Create New template…
and save your format as a template.
63.
64. Export PowerPoint to Video
You’ve spent time creating your
presentations with animations and
transitions to tell a story, and want to
save your file in a more consumable
format.
Export, Save as Video
You have the ability to create a quick
video using set timing, or create
custom timing and transitions, and
even annotate with video so that you
can walk through each slide and talk
about the content that is being
shown.
65.
66. Checking for gender-inclusivity when using Word
If you're old like me, words like "policeman" and "fireman" just want to roll off your tongue, as that's
what you grew up with. But today's communication often requires a more gender-inclusive word
selection like "police officer" or "fire fighter." Microsoft Word has an option that will allow you to do
grammar checks for that very scenario. Here's how to activate that…
In Word, go to Options > Proofing > When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, and click
on the Settings button after Writing Style: Grammar & Refinements:
67. Checking for gender-inclusivity when using Word
Scroll down to Inclusive Language, and select the option for Gender-Specific Language:
73. Be sure to register and spread the word for two upcoming SharePoint Saturday Events
Ensenada
Saturday, October 12, 2019
CETYS University, Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior, Ensenada, B.C 22860, Mexico
#SPSENS - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sharepoint-saturday-ensenada-2019-tickets-
63037372478
Denver
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Microsoft Technology Center - Denver, 7595 Technology Way #400, Denver, CO 80237
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sharepoint-saturday-denver-2019-tickets-
63298384171?ref=estw
74. We have two awesome User Groups here in Los Angeles check out their meetups!
LA SPUG: https://www.meetup.com/Los-Angeles-SharePoint-User-Group-Meetup/
LAExUG: https://www.meetup.com/LAExUG/