Over the past few years we've noticed more and more of our clients using Microsoft Excel to create spreadsheets filled with text rather than numbers. Have you noticed it, too? Our first inclination when creating comparative lists is to design a multicolumn table using Microsoft Word because we much prefer looking at rows and columns filled with words in a Word document rather than an Excel spreadsheet.

But it really doesn't matter what we like, does it? It's all about what our clients want. And since many of them want Excel spreadsheets, we had to learn how to use Excel as effectively as possible. Here are a few tips we'd like to share. 

• Before you start a project in Excel, take some time to play around with an empty spreadsheet and explore the options. Click your mouse randomly on some of the commands just to see what happens. Doing this when you aren't under a deadline will relieve some of the unease you might be feeling about using the program.
• We like to begin by making sure the spreadsheet is formatted to handle any kind of information. In the top toolbar go to Cells, Format, and at the bottom of the dropdown menu, click on Format Cells. Click on the Number tab at the top then highlight the General category. We use this whenever we are not inputting numbers. You can also get to the Format Cell command by highlighting the cell, then right clicking. The Format cells command appears about three-quarters of the way down in the dropdown menu.
• When filling spreadsheet cells with words, you'll need to adjust column widths. One way to do that is to place your cursor on the vertical line between 2 columns in the column header at the top of the spreadsheet, for example, between columns A and B. You'll see that the cursor changes to a double-sided arrow. Left click and drag the mouse to the right to enlarge the column. You adjust row heights by following the same process in the row header on the left side of the spreadsheet.
• You can also format cells to be a fixed size. Highlight the cells you want to change. In the top toolbar, go to Cells, Format, and you'll see a dropdown menu with options for row width and height. Click on Row Height or Row Width and a popup box with a number appears. Changing the number changes the dimension. The higher the number the bigger the cell.
• When using Excel for words not numbers, be sure to wrap text so that no text in the cell is hidden. Highlight the cells you are interested in. In the top toolbar, go to Alignment. You will see several icons. In Excel 2007, the icon on the top far right is the Wrap Text icon. Click on it and all the content in those cells becomes visible as it is displayed on multiple lines.
• If you want to change the copy in a particular cell, highlight the cell, and double left click it. You will then be able to revise the text.
• Need to insert a row between rows that are already there? Highlight a cell in the row BELOW where the new row will go. Right click, choose Insert from the menu, and follow the commands. Once a new row is inserted a paintbrush icon appears to allow you to format the cells the way you want.

If you've never worked in Excel, it can be daunting, but don't worry. This program is just like any other. Once you've used it for a while, you'll become more confident and skilled. And, of course, there are several books and You Tube videos on how to use Excel, including Excel 2007 For Dummies and Excel 2010 All-in-One For Dummies.