Global

Excel essentials for everyday work

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 9 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
45 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
At onboarding for office roles, before a reporting cycle
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Everyday functions and their traps: SUM, IF, COUNTIF and lookups
What would you do?

New rows were added below the total and the SUM range stops short

Try it: this is one of 21 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 45 minutes
  • Process, scenario, flashcards, sorting activity and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 12 slides
  • Quiz, poll, word cloud, scale slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 184.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessmentnoneWhole course
SO 184.1Navigate a workbook and format cells, rows and columns for readabilityBest practiceWhole course
SO 184.2Enter data cleanly so that sorting, filtering and formulas workBest practiceWhole course
SO 184.3Build formulas with correct cell references, including fixed (absolute) referencesBest practice; suite documentationWhole course
SO 184.4Use SUM, IF, COUNTIF and a lookup function and predict their resultsBest practice; suite documentationWhole course
SO 184.5Sort, filter, chart and print a report, and check it before sendingBest practiceWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 9 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 45 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

A messy monthly report: workbook layout, cells, rows and formatting

3 pages

9 min
Before you beginNoteList
An invented storyTextImage
Name the partsFlashcardsSorting activityQuiz
2

Entering and formatting data cleanly

3 pages

9 min
Clean data rulesAccordion
Format for the readerTabs
Spot the problemSorting activityChecklistMulti-select quizMatching quiz
3

Formulas and cell references

3 pages

8 min
Build a formulaProcess
Relative and fixed referencesTimelineText
Predict the resultFlashcardsQuiz
4

Everyday functions and their traps: SUM, IF, COUNTIF and lookups

3 pages

8 min
ScenarioScenario
ScenarioScenario
ScenarioScenarioYour infoMatching quiz
5

Sorting, filtering, tables, charts and printing a report, and where to get help

3 pages

8 min
Sort and filter safelyProcessChecklist
Charts and printTabs
Who to askProcessYour infoYour infoYour infoYour infoQuiz
6

Final assessment

1 page

3 min
PracticeQuizYour info

Live deck and surveys

12 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda
PollWhich spreadsheet task takes you longest?
Word cloudA spreadsheet job I would love to automate
ContentAnatomy of a formula and a cell reference
Quiz=SUM(B2:B4) with 10, 20 and 30 shows… (60 ✔)
Quiz=IF(B2>50,"Check","OK") with B2 = 40 shows… (OK ✔)
QuizA formula =B2$F$1 is copied one row down. It becomes… (=B3$F$1 ✔)
Content · customiseCustomise: our tool {{OFFICE_SUITE_IN_USE}} and team template {{TEAM_WORKBOOK_TEMPLATE}}
ScaleHow confident are you writing a formula without help?
Open-endedOne report I will rebuild with what I learned today
Q&AAsk the trainer anything
Content · customiseClosing {{IT_HELPDESK_CONTACT}}, {{COURSE_URL}}, {{SURVEY_1_URL}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. Estimated time saved per week on spreadsheet tasks after 30 days (hours) short text
  6. Which functions have you used since the course? multiple choice
  7. Since the course, have you checked a total against its source before sending a report? multiple choice
  8. I would tell my manager if I found a mistake in a spreadsheet I had sent. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the team workbook template and the IT helpdesk? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

9 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Office suite in use{{OFFICE_SUITE_IN_USE}}
  • Team workbook template{{TEAM_WORKBOOK_TEMPLATE}}
  • Data classification policy link{{DATA_CLASSIFICATION_POLICY_LINK}}
  • It helpdesk contact{{IT_HELPDESK_CONTACT}}
  • Security incident route{{SECURITY_INCIDENT_ROUTE}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
Show all 9 fields
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run excel essentials for everyday work training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

At onboarding for office roles, before a reporting cycle, or as a skills refresher for a team.

Who needs this training?

Office staff, finance and operations support who use spreadsheets daily; run by L&D with finance or operations leads.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck