(DP) Productivity Tools Lesson

Productivity Tools

Productivity is defined as: " the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services." Therefore, we might define productivity tools as processes that help you generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods (in this case documents) in an efficient, timely manner. Word processing itself is a productivity tool, but within each word processing program are a number of applications that further improve efficiency. Here is a short list of some tools that are available in some word processing software.

  • Enhanced Document Navigation and Citations- These applications help you to create headings, references, end-notes, footnotes, and even a table of contents with just a few key strokes.
  • Collaboration Tools - Many times it is necessary for two or more people to work on a report together. Collaboration tools allow you to comment, track changes, accept or reject changes, and restrict what may be edited within a document.
  • Links Outside the Document - With so much information on the Internet, it is often useful to be able to place a link to information within a document. Word processing software programs provide the means to create these hyperlinks.
  • Page Layout Enhancements - Not only can you change margins, set tabs, and adjust line spacing, most word processing software allows you to create columns, page breaks, and tables with little effort. With a few clicks you can position images on a page, wrap text around it, bring an image forward or move it back, and add page borders.
  • Mail Merge - What would you do if you had to send the same letter (or email) to 100 people? Would you type it over 100 times? Would you copy and paste it 100 times, and change the address each time? Hopefully you would utilize mail merge. With mail merge you set up the original document and you set up a mailing list in a specified way that allows the software to pull in the information needed for the address. Once merged, each letter will have its own address, but the body will be the same for each one. You can also create an envelope or mailing label from the address list.

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