03/31/2026
11 am PT / 12 pm MT / 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET
*approximate length: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Presenter: David Ringstrom, CPA
In this presentation, author and Excel expert David Ringstrom, CPA, introduces you to essential spreadsheet skills that help you work more confidently and efficiently in Excel. You’ll start by learning core worksheet techniques such as duplicating sheets, pasting data, using Paste Special, inserting and deleting rows and columns, and merging cells. David then walks you through helpful tools for finding and replacing information, tracing dependent cells, and checking spelling to keep your spreadsheets accurate. You’ll also see how Flash Fill can quickly transform or separate text with minimal effort. The session concludes with an introduction to Excel’s charting features, including how to create visualizations with Recommended Charts. By the end of the presentation, you’ll be equipped with practical skills you can apply immediately—and David will be available to answer questions along the way.
David H. Ringstrom, CPA, has more than 30 years of experience as a spreadsheet and accounting software consultant and speaker. He has presented over 2,500 live webinars and is the author or co-author of ten books, including “Microsoft 365 Excel All-in-One for Dummies”, “Microsoft 365 Excel for Dummies”, “Exploring Microsoft Excel’s Hidden Treasures”, and “QuickBooks Online for Dummies”.
In his webinars, David demonstrates every technique twice: first on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps and then live in Excel for Microsoft 365 for Windows. He highlights any differences in Excel 2024, 2021, or 2019 during the presentation and in his detailed handouts. Attendees also receive an Excel workbook containing most of the examples he uses, making it easy to follow along and apply the techniques later. David additionally supports Excel for Mac users by answering their follow-up questions via email.
Who should attend:
Individuals who are new to Excel or looking to strengthen their foundational spreadsheet skills, including administrative staff, accountants, analysts, and anyone who works with data in Microsoft Excel.
Topics typically covered:
- Separating first/last names into two columns without using formulas or retyping.
- Locating data anywhere within a spreadsheet by way of the Find feature.
- Duplicating Excel worksheets in two different ways.
- Using the Recommended Charts feature to create suitable charts from data with a couple of mouse clicks.
- Spell-checking spreadsheets by way of a keyboard shortcut or menu command.
- Determining whether it’s safe to edit or delete a cell by way of the Trace Dependents feature.
- Converting formulas to values and applying advanced paste options.
- Exploring the pros and cons of merging cells in spreadsheets.
- Learning two different ways to insert or delete rows and columns within a worksheet.
- Swapping out data within worksheet cells by way of the Replace feature.
Learning objectives:
- Recall the mouse action that enables you to move from one end of a blue tracer arrow to another.
- State the functionality that the Flash Fill feature offers.
- State how many actions you can generally undo within an Excel workbook.
Level: Basic
David H. Ringstrom, CPA, is an author and nationally recognized instructor who teaches scores of webinars each year. His Excel courses are based on 25 years of consulting and teaching experience. David’s mantra is “Either you work Excel, or it works you,” so he focuses on what he sees users don’t, but should, know about Microsoft Excel. His goal is to empower you to use Excel more effectively.