by Greg Creech, MCT, CompTIA CTT+
IAAP TEC16 Speaker

Let’s win with Word! In this intermediate Word session at IAAP TEC16, we will learn how to create custom styles and headings, insert a Table of Contents, use Indexes, perform Mail Merge, and develop tables. With creating and using styles we will develop a large word document with structure and attractive appearance. With our styles and headings in place, we will create a Table of Contents and an Index. We will perform Mail Merge for letters, contracts, certificates, and labels.

Headings and Styles: Never out of style nor out of productivity

I love using Styles from my styles gallery on the Home tab of Word’s Ribbon; however, being creative, I really love creating my own look and format of a style, especially for headings. Styles and headings go hand-in-hand and offer tons of productivity. Headings 1, Headings 2, and so on are in your Style gallery. You select the text you wish to apply the style and click the style you want from the Styles Gallery and Word changes the format for you plus with a heading style Word performs background magic for you.

A Head of the Class: Why headings?

Headings have much power and are easy to use. You should incorporate headings in all of your documents for these reasons:

• Develops a structure and outline of your manuscript,
• Used on most web pages,
• Collapses and expands in Word 2013 and 2016 to move, copy, or delete large amount of text (Be careful with deleting a collapsed heading because ALL of the text deletes with the heading – get ready to undo, undo!,
• Create Table of Contents using headings,
• Makes an attractive look.

Styling – Creating your style

I encourage you to create your own styles particularly for headings to use your creativity and to brand/market your document using your organization’s font, color palette, and other style guidelines. Be cautious in modifying existing styles, because you may want to use this style later. Here are the steps to create your own style for Heading 1.

1. First, use a style from your gallery to format your text. I am using Heading 1 on my text.
2. With your Heading 1 text selected, in 2010, 2013, and 2016 using your Styles Task pane you may click the New Style button at the bottom of the pane. Or in 2013 and 2016 Word click the Styles More arrow at the end (right) of your styles gallery and from the menu click Create a Style.
3. In 2010 Word, the Create New Style from Formatting pane appears for you to name and change your formatting. In 2013 and 2016 Word From the Create New Style from Formatting pane, name your style (I am naming my style Greg’s Heading 1). This pane displays your current style format.
4. After naming your style, click the Modify Button in 2013 and 2016 Word,
5. The Modify Style pane appears for you to change your font, color, size, line spacing, and so much more, this is very similar to Word 2010 Create New Style from Formatting Pane. Also, in all Word versions, I click Automatically Update, so anytime I change the format of one heading using this style, Word updates all occurrences of this style in your document like magic. Be cautious in using Automatically Update for bullets and numbering.
6. Next, decide if you want this style for your current document or all documents based on your current template.
7. Finally, click OK and your style appears in your Styles Gallery for you to use.

You can always change your style by right clicking your style in the Styles gallery and from the shortcut menu choose Modify which reactivates your Modify style for you to make your formatting changes.

Greg Creech, MCT, CompTIA CTT+ began his corporate career at Southern Bell on January 5, 1981 as a Steno clerk. After leaving AT&T gracefully, he certified as a Microsoft Office Master Educator and has a 10 book Microsoft Office series entitled The Better Business Management series for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook. In 2007, he received the top honor from the University Continuing Education Association for having the top non-credit programs for ALL continuing education universities and colleges in the south, for his Microsoft Office Suite courses. In 2009, the Association of Continuing Higher Education honored Greg with the Faculty Award for his work at Emory University.