Microsoft Excel
Copilot in Excel can create PivotTables in seconds, and that is great for basic summaries. But when you need calculations that go beyond what a PivotTable can show — median, second highest, third highest — functions are the better approach. Here is how to use Copilot for both, and when to choose
public speaking
I'll be presenting in-person on M365 Copilot at the APC Conference on September 13-16, 2026, in Nashville, TN. Updated on 4/13/2026
Videos cover M365 Copilot, Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Teams
Microsoft Teams
By default, pressing Enter in a Microsoft Teams chat sends the message immediately. If you have ever accidentally sent a half-finished message, there is now a setting to change this behavior so Enter starts a new line instead. The Default Behavior In the default Teams configuration, typing a message and
Was originally scheduled for April 15, 2026. Moved to May 16, 2026
Microsoft Word
The Word Agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot can do more than create documents from scratch. It can also clean up and fix existing documents, including inconsistent heading styles. Here is how to use Word Agent Mode to make all your Heading 2 styles consistent in a single prompt. Finding the
Microsoft Word
Microsoft is making major updates to Copilot, and one of the most significant changes is how you create new documents in Word. There are now two distinct Copilot experiences: Edit with Copilot for modifying existing content, and the Word Agent in M365 Copilot chat for creating brand-new documents from scratch.
MVPSummit
Redmond, Washington | March 2026 | Evergreen Post — Last updated: March 29, 2026
OneNote
If you use tags in Microsoft OneNote, you already know how helpful the To Do tag is for tracking tasks. But what happens when you have tasks scattered across multiple sections of a notebook? Manually clicking through each section to find your open items is tedious and easy to miss.
Thoughts, stories and ideas.
Microsoft Word has a built-in feature that converts plain text into a structured table — and vice versa. This is useful when you receive unformatted data (from an email, a PDF, or a text file) and need to organize it into columns and rows. In this tutorial, Chris Menard demonstrates both
Microsoft has added a built-in TRANSLATE function to Excel that lets you translate text between languages directly in your spreadsheet — no copy-pasting into Google Translate or third-party tools. In this tutorial, Chris Menard demonstrates how to use this powerful new function. YouTube Video How the TRANSLATE Function Works The syntax
Live Stream on M365 Copilot Function and Formula Completion in Excel. Registration is NOT required. Just join at noon ET on 03/18/2026
If you're an IHG One Rewards member, you might be leaving serious money on the table by paying cash for hotel rooms. Let me walk you through a real example where I saved over 50% — more than $1,900 — on a four-night stay at one of Washington, DC&
Microsoft 365 Copilot in Excel just received a meaningful update. What was previously called Agent mode is now called Edit with Copilot — and the big news is that it now works on local Excel files, not just files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. Open Edit with Copilot in Excel Start
The UI "Premium" and "Basic" are showing up now!
If you have a website you visit frequently, you can pin it directly to your Windows taskbar using Google Chrome. No extensions or third-party tools needed — just a few clicks. Step 1: Open the Website Start by navigating to the website you want to pin. Open it in Google Chrome
If you’ve ever started typing a message in Microsoft Teams, got interrupted, and then completely forgotten where that draft went — you’re not alone. The good news? Microsoft is fixing this. A new Drafts quick view in Microsoft Teams is rolling out that makes it easy to find, finish,
Excel's desktop version now has Agent Mode in Copilot, and it is incredible. I've already used it to build a complete dashboard automatically, and now I want to show you how it can clean messy data with a single prompt. Identify the Data Problems In this
I am incredibly excited to share that I’ll be attending the Microsoft MVP Summit in person this year from March 24–26, 2026 — and this one is extra special because it will be my first time attending the Summit in person as a first‑year Microsoft MVP! Being named
Scheduling meetings in Outlook often means checking each person's calendar, guessing at available times, and sending back-and-forth emails. Outlook's new Time Suggestions feature eliminates that friction — it uses Exchange to scan everyone's calendar and automatically surface the next five times all attendees are free.
Live Stream on YouTube and LinkedIn - March 18, 2026
