I’ve been publishing my ExcelTips newsletter for quite a long time now, approaching 17 years. Every week, without fail, I’ve published tips on how to use almost every aspect of Excel.
During that time, I’ve also conducted various seminars on teaching people how to use Excel. I’ve also developed a good number of e-books and real books about how to use Excel.
One thing that I haven’t done, however, is to create any video-based training materials about Excel. I’ve had people ask about them, but I’ve always shied away from them because of, I guess, being a harsh critic of myself.
Well, I’m thinking of changing that situation and coming up with a new online course about how to create macros. The course would be geared toward beginners—those who haven’t ever created their own macros before. (I may do a more advanced macro course later, but it is generally best to start at the beginning.)
Like I said, I’m still toying with the idea; trying to get my head around what the course would (or should) contain. This is always the toughest part for me—figuring out what to include and what to leave out.
Do you think offering such a course would be a good idea? Do you have thoughts as to what such a course should cover? If so, I’d love to have a bit of feedback. Please, let me know below what you think.
Hi Allen,
Perhaps videos could help beginners but for advanced users of Excel and VBA, I would suggest that you expand into the use of VBA for Outlook and Word. I would like to see how users of Excel could send emails using Outlook from an Excel Worksheet, how Outlook Email contacts could be created and updated from Excel, how a letter could be created in Word from Excel merging addresses, and modifying parts of the letter all based on data held in an Excel sheet… why not go all out and show us how VBA can be used interacting between all applications of Microsoft Office? I am sure that many other Excel Users have similar needs and could share them with you and people like me who appreciate what you are doing. Thank you.
That’s *definitely* in the “advanced” category, Jay. I’ll keep the suggestions at hand for when I get to that point.
Thanks for the feedback.
-Allen
I definitely agree with Jay Tardif’s comments of July 11, 2015. Integrating Word, Excel and Outlook using VBA will be very powerful and increase productivity in almost all business environments.
I wouldn’t do a beginner’s course, but what you describe here would be interesting. On my latest computer, I am using Outlook (as of this morning just before reading this blog) for just that kind of purpose.
Sounds like a good idea. Ten year ago I would have been excited about it but now I am only slightly interested.
Ernie
Great idea. Only problem I see is gearing it to people with different abilities and different amounts of time.
I have tried a couple of things, eg John Franco, but get left behind and the info. is lost.
I’m not a fan of video-based training materials. Unless I’m completely lost, I want something that moves faster and let’s me zoom in on the issues that I’m interested in. I’ve had one video base training that worked for me – that was on happiness.
Hi Allen,
I’d start with adding the Developer Tab to Excel. Then I’d show how to record a macro to do something people might need. Something simple. Some of the topics that might be included are:
1. What are all these windows for in the IDE?
2. Why can’t/should my macro go in a Module or behind a worksheet?
3. Scope of variables
4. Option Explicit and why spelling and type of variables matter.
5. Using the immediate window to see in VBA understands what I’m telling it.
6. Setting breakpoints and stepping thought code.
7. How to VBA a LastRow or LastColumn using End and xlToRight type of code.
All the above needs to be couched in a problem that people can relate to. If we try to learn without having a need for the learning, which solves a problem we have struggled with, it is less helpful.
I agree that writing training material is a lot harder than simply giving answers to problems. I think it might be the next move for you. BTW – have you bought into the YouTube world and started recording your lessons yet? That might be another direction for your training.
Great ideas, Marvin. I appreciate the time you took to put them together. I’ll keep them in mind as I figure out what to do.
-Allen
I think Marvin’s outline is a great first video, and although other posters have focused on the advantages of the written word, there are several people that I would send to a posting like he described.
I also liked the Jay Tardif July 11, 2015 post, although I understand your reaction. In the fullness of time, this would be useful to me, including the need to add references, the way to reference different types, how to navigate the object model when gives you less than useful information, the difference between 2003, 2010, 2013, and does 365 have macros?
As a side note, I use opendns ass my domain name server, and have filtering turned on. I am not sure which category http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=NxY5_&m=JZlXKwlc_4R74X&b=qxTKeNBReSwPtNUeIcJMcg
shows up in, but clicks.aweber.com/ gets filtered out.
I got to here by going to the wesite version and clicking there. I gave you the full URL so you could count if you wanted.
Every week, well done, very well done.
/g
I’d add to that a special detail on the immediate pane. That has been in the past a life saver and continues to be a great tool.
Hi Allen,
As for me, video course is generally more suitable AND WELCOME for entry level (showing how to the thing at all) and less for advanced learners (for more complex topics, I need my own tempo to grasp the stuff).
This may work different way for others, but like i said, this is my personal feeling about learning in real time pace.
I have just joined your community. It’s impressive, to see the long track you can look back.
Jaroslav
There are videos and then there are videos. One of the styles I would think would be perfect for your talents in the area of Excel Macros. Those types that I don’t feel would be successful would be the lecture type with a professor discussing his subject augmented by a blackboard and some actual graphics. There are places for these. (I’m deep into my retirement and enjoying a variety of subjects presented by Great Courses for example.) I just think that a great deal more could be achieved in this macro area with style where the lecturer is off camera presenting a full graphic experience. Further the subject material should be clear as to what the student should have in prerequisite Excel experience. I would try not to tailor this for the new Excel fellow. It would be wise at the outset to define clearly those sections of Excel in which the person should be proficient , and why, along with itemizing the sections which will not be covered and why not (those sections could actually be the ones in which a person is Excel experienced).
All in all, it could be a highly successful experience.
I think the video production may take away time from your core work. Maybe a pilot face-to-face half day course at a neighboring college or university in the summer or other school break. Usually people are interested because their professors are unavailable during these times. I took similarly structured courses at my college’s business school.
An early must is how to edit a recorded macro to remove unwanted clutter that beginners seem to accumulate while solving a problem. Clutter can slow down a macro quite substantially.
One big advantage of a video or an animated course is that it is far easier for those using a non english version of Excel to understand what to do. I am often asked to translate a tip or a macro from English to their current Excel language which means I have several versions of Windows and Excel boxed up in a virtual machine.
I often view video clips for an advanced CAD program that I don’t use often enough to warrant attending a course or trudging though the tutorials.
The video is a great idea. Hope you find way for it to work.
Good idea, Martyn. Recording macros can be a great start, but showing people where to go from there would definitely be a big help.
-Allen
I like Martyn’s idea for de-cluttering a macro or sub. That would be good basic knowledge to share.
I would like to see the idea in the form of a workbook. Each sheet could contain working samples of the concept and how to edit or tweak them to your purpose. I would like to see examples of worksheet macros and workbook macros as well. It’s so much easier to learn if you see the concept in context. I would like to see the text of the concept or instructions written in a large text-box that floats on the sheet it is referencing so that it cannot be mistaken for embedded code or part of the example. It would be nice if your video accompanied the workbook, so that the viewer would have the working example on their device while they are following along.
Looking forward to the finished product.
Keep up the great work!
David
Thanks for the constructive feedback, David. I appreciate it.
-Allen
Great idea. Check out Caveofprogramming.com for video course syllibi which are really very good for their respective topics and experience levels. Their pricing is also very affordable and may give you ideas to structure your pricing. Also, email the owner….he is MOST willing to help people get their own video course site going and he does this for FREE. Good luck.
Thanks for the pointer, Ron.
-Allen
I feel very qualified to give you an opinion. I say this because I have spent untold amounts of time and money trying to learn how to write (not just record) my own macros. I probably have no less than 8 “Beginner” books. I have also attended “live” courses. The result is that while I truly now know how to write a macro from scratch, I still have a lot to learn and I STILL consider myself a beginner.
I think it’s a great idea if you offer some kind of coursework TRULY geared for beginners if you take the following in to consideration:
1. Making it truly educational by explaining each step you list. For example: Don’t just state that you should have Dim statements. EXPLAIN what they are and why they are necessary, or not necessary.
2. Don’t overwhelm. For example, probably 7 of the 8 books I’ve bought start off telling the reader how VBA is “object” based. To this day, I still don’t know what that really means. Yes, I get that there is a hierarchy of cell, range, sheet, workbook, Excel etc. but I’ve never seen it explained in an understandable manner so that I can use it OR maybe I don’t really need to know it?
3. I subscribe to Mynda Treacy’s program. It is an awesome program. What makes it so great is that she replies to EVERY email I send to her. I recall from when I first subscribed to your program that you make some kind of qualifying statement that you “may or may not” answer inquiries. So, if I need to reach you, I’m left to wonder if you are in the right frame of mind of whatever to reply to my message. Either reply to all or don’t do any. And, if you have to charge for that, so be it. I don’t mind paying Mynda because I know I will get awesome service from her.
WOW, Allen! I’ve been thinking of something like this too. “Wish someone would do this for me.”
I bought one book on macros, which I THINK I will finish some day.
We all know there are many teachers, books, etc. AND I get something great from your TIPS almost every day.
I’m contemplating retirement soon, and I have a fantasy of starting a web site which will publish statistics made from raw data, so a spread sheet or database program seems to be the way to go: crunching the numbers.
So in trying to “get my head around” the project, like you say, it is kind of like “knowing what I don’t know” first, then having to “get to know it”. It might be like some old man deciding that it is finally the time in life to learn the multiplication tables, when everyone else learned in grammar school — lots of immersion is a prerequisite.
SO — to this end I have also fantasized about having more of a graphical view of the parts which go into the macro. Something like a (or “some”) big chart (or “charts”) of the relationships between components such as “Sub”, Property, Method, Constant, Function, “Stuff inside the parentheses”, etc.
MY FANTASY: A cartoon-like interactive experience relating somewhat to something like a HOUSE with various bedrooms-and-things, each with its own collection of PARTS of the macro. Each bedroom has its own definition and personality (like the child who lives there) and you go to each bedroom to get one of the items you need to “assemble” into the macro you are building.
OH IF ONLY I HAD GRAPHIC ABILITIES AND ENDLESS TIME TO DEVOTE TO THIS.
I guess some of the respondents did not read ‘beginner video course on macros’ in your request, however both Marvin Parsons and SW Cummings have good ideas and these suggestions are what a beginner course should entail. I would only add one suggestion, and that is include a downloadable copy of the material covered in the course so that viewers can refer to the info presented when they try to build their own macros. However, I would not make the info downloadabe until they have viewed the entire video lesson.
I started with VisiCalc then came 123 which I used a lot. Finally I switched over to Excel. I receive your tips already for many years. I like them. So a beginners tutorial is not for me. I prefer your tips and also your e-books. Suggestions from Jay Tardif and Marvin Parsons are good ideas.
Thank you for your excellent work.
Oswald
Hi Allen,
With your extensive knowledge of Excel I think the only hiccup might be how to explain stuff as a beginner might understand.
so here’s what I would try to test your communication to the novice excel user.
setup your class for something like making a simple budget worksheet (1 income 5 expenditures with 1 net total)
explain the formulas where to put them and show the end result, and just glance over the process some.
make the video last 3-5 minutes
post it on youtube (beginners guide to making a budget worksheet in excel or whatever)
see what comments are made about the video (try to pay attention to just the beginner’s comments)
adjust the training video in your head or try to remake it if it wasn’t clear enough for the novice to understand.
now see if you can actually get basic enough for true novices (of that part of excel) to not get frustrated 🙂
the trouble I find when I really know my stuff with something is remembering how to catch and explain those little things that just come naturally being an “expert” and then knowing that the novice wouldn’t being able to bridge what I’m saying completely because I missed some little bit of “Common Sense” info.
you have so much knowledge that it would be absolutely awesome if you could get it on video.
Thanks for the feedback, Michael. That’s very kind of you.
-Allen
The first thing that comes to mind is “oh my goodness, hasn’t Allen been on YouTube?”. And what I mean by that is that there are hundreds upon hundreds (if not thousands) of online video tutorials, lessons, tips, tricks, hints, methodologies, etc. on every aspect imaginable with excel and they’re all free! The moment I find a video or website where there is a cost involved I go elsewhere. But that’s just me. Now, if a new line of revenue is not what you’re looking for then sure, why not make videos. The main question you might want to ask is”what do I bring to the table that hasn’t already been done–and done, and done, and done–before?” I’m not saying not to move forward, I’m just wondering if “that ship hasn’t already sailed”?. Sure you could spend a lot of time & effort in branching out into an area that is new to you but remember, it’s very mature as a medium/training modality itself with endless variety. I wish you luck in whatever you end up doing with this idea and I thank you for the endless effort that you’ve put into this area. It has really helped so many people.
Allen,
This is quite an undertaking! By necessarily narrowing your focus the targeted population is reduced. How will it impact your current teaching which is invaluable to many Excel users with hugely disparate skill levels.
I’ve used Excel for over twenty years in my work (now retired), personal, and volunteer efforts. When it comes to macros I am a self taught hack. Finding what I needed to do a task is how I found you.
I support your goal, but as you and others have acknowledged, it is a tall order to find the “sweet spot”. Best of luck and I look forward to hearing more about your progress and hopefully taking your first video based training course. I know I have huge gaps in my knowledge and will likely learn more than expected.
One of my concerns, Jon, was (as you say) the impact that this undertaking would have on my current work. Part of getting my head around all this is making sure that it doesn’t really have an impact—I don’t want to stop doing ExcelTips as I’ve done it for so many years!
-Allen
Allen,
I would definitely be interested in the course starting at the beginning. I know my way around Excel, but have never dug deep into creating macros. This type of course would help me a lot. I know I can search YouTube to find out about one specific topic, but most of the time I do not know what question needs to be asked or what else I may be missing. Having a course that is structured beginning to end and gives examples for me to create on my own would be invaluable.
Hi Allen,
Mark me down as extremely interested!
You rejected my post?
Not sure where you are referring, to, Brian.
-Allen
HI Allen,
i have accessed your various tips for Excel and Word over a number of years, and I have also purchased a couple of your Excel Tips ‘DVDs eg Lookup. I am impressed with the depth of you tips and as i am attempting to learn more about Windows I am enjoying the Windows as well.
While I have a fair understanding of Excel I have not used Macros and would appreciate a course on How to with Macros.
Many thanks for your input over the years.
Richard
I like the idea of a basic macro video course… I consider myself fairly advanced in the use of Excel, but very sub-par on the use of macros… I have tried the textbook approach to learning to program with macros and never have been able to get past chapter two. Either the textbook examples are of the “I’ve never want to do that” variety or they’re just too complicated.
I disagree with the idea of using video as a teaching method. It’s ok, but I would recommend looking into a more interactive course method, and just use YouTube to capture the simple stuff and to link to the interactive course.
When I want to solve an excel or vba problem, I google it, and typically go to one of your posts. YouTube is fine for showing active “How Tos, but Excel and VBA is mostly cerebral. There is not a lot of action, or benefit to adding action. It slows the information down to show a person clicking on things, or typing things when the visual process doesn’t add anything to the information needed.
I AVOID YouTube for Excel as only the simplest material is available, and it takes too long to show the complex stuff.
And what are you going to do when there is a lengthy explanation? Talk it out? Consider for a moment what this particular answer would look like in a video. Would you rather read my answer, or see it in a video? You can skim text. Skimming video doesn’t really work. I highly recommend coursework in an interactive environment, with short HTML5 animations, and YouTube only for demonstrations and highly visual material.
Thanks for the feedback, George. I appreciate having differing views on the question at hand!
-Allen
Allen,
Many youtube Videos are available. but no one handles the topics as an end-to-end training.
Having something like that would be very beneficial. However, I am not sure how much beneficial would it be considering the time, effort and money it would cost. You have taught many things. Perhaps, people may be able to make their videos, and you could crowdsource them into a single place?
What this may do is provide a lot of material in a relatively short time.
Do videos help by themselves – nopes – not in an area like Excel where… there is just no limit to what kind of calculations we can do.
Thanks
GJ
I semi-agree with George, although I think videos can be a good vehicle for focused Excel tips & tricks. On the other hand, a comprehensive course on macros would seem to be a rather expensive proposition for anyone who is not a training professional and who is (or uses) a seasoned videographer with a computer-oriented video setup. But short, focused vids on specific how-to’s might be achievable. Just my opinion — not sure how much you want to bite off.
As you’ve probably already done, be sure to check out the many folks out there who produce such vids — both good ones & bad. My favorite such resource is Bill Jelen, aka “Mr. Excel”. He is obviously an expert & has a great home studio for production. I also like his delivery — very relaxed & conversational. He has years of short vids on YouTube, as well as more comprehensive products like a CD-ROM titled “Excel 2013 VBA” (http://www.mrexcel.com/excelvba2013.html).
Finally, your approach & business plan for this should be driven by your objectives for audience, distribution, and revenue goals. Lots of options, but a market analysis would be key to see the saturation level & competition.
Sorry to blab on. I love your tips column & wish you the best as you decide how to branch out.