If you know a smidgen about SmartArt, or a miniscule amount about macros, then you probably think you know enough to cope with any new release to Word. If you're never going to use Themes or share any documents with anyone other than two or three trusted friends, then there's not much more you need to know, is there? Wrong. Now is the time to review just what you do and don't know about Microsoft Word 2007. Then, when the next release comes along you will have the confidence to learn more about a new program.

Microsoft program developers are constantly reviewing and testing products so that when they do decide it's time to release a new version of Word, they are 110% sure they have covered every aspect of how you need to use every function.

It takes Microsoft at least two years to develop and test a program before releasing an update. Any improvements are driven by you the user. And as a program develops and evolves it is ultimately the aim of the developers to make it easier, quicker and less confusing for the end user. Obviously it's in their interest that you not only understand the program, but that you also really enjoy using it.

When a new release of Word does appear, it will give you the best of all worlds: enhanced features to create professional-quality documents, more ways to work together with groups of people and access to your files from almost anywhere.

When Word 2007 was released one of the new key features was Themes. Located in the Page Layout tab, the Themes group contains reorganised collections of colours, fonts and effects against matching colour backgrounds - helping you to create a presentation with the look and feel to equal any designed by a professional.

In the past, it took time to format Microsoft Office documents to match because you had to choose colour or style options for your tables, charts, shapes, and diagrams separately. In the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Themes simplify the process of creating matching, professional-looking documents not only within one program but across multiple programs. You can use themes to give all of your organisation's communications a branded look.

SmartArt graphics is another Word 2007 function that allows you to create editable illustrations from your information. Stunning visual effects can be added to your SmartArt graphics, shapes, WordArt and charts, including three-dimensional (3-D) effects, shading, reflections, glows and more. But it's important that you know how to use SmartArt as this is another likely candidate for enhancements in any revised version of Word. New effects will probably encompass shading and 3D - so it's a good time to start looking at how you use these functions now.

Another feature unique to the 2007 version of Word is the Ribbon. The Ribbon is designed to help you quickly find the commands that you need to complete a task. Commands are organised in logical groups, which are collected together under tabs. Each tab relates to a type of activity such as writing or laying out a page. To reduce clutter, some tabs are shown only when needed. For example, the Picture Tools tab is shown only when a picture is selected. The Ribbon looks set to stay and will probably be a key feature in the next release. It's time we all learned to love it - the Ribbon is definitely a friend for life.

But for those who prefer to work in a vacuum - it's not good news. Today's world is all about sharing - whether it's showing colleagues or clients a concept or multi-editing to save time, sharing from another location is definitely the way forward.

Any update to Word will help you bring ideas to life and share them with others. You will be able to share documents in real time online with Word. It will be easier to work on one document in unison and should be simple to get contact information for each user displayed on screen while working in your document.

It will also be easier to organise content to a follow a bespoke style and you will spend less time trying to find and amend text in documents with the help of smart new views. When you create a document as a draft for colleagues to have their input, Office Word 2007 helps you efficiently collect and manage their revisions and comments. When you are ready to publish the document, Office Word 2007 helps you ensure that any unresolved revisions and comments aren't still lurking in the published document. Sharing will be another area of development in the future. Sharing will become more streamlined. Saving and storing documents online will also be an area to explore.

Live Preview was also introduced in Word 2007. This allows users to view how a design template will look before applying to a document - a try before you buy. And it looks likely that the Preview tool will become an intrinsic part of any future release. Although it's not possible to try a full preview of what's to come, be assured that it will happen and you need to be at the top of that learning curve when it does happen. So get the tools now and start learning what you don't know about Word 2007 and find out about a professional training course.