Bypass the Styles and Formatting Task Pane
The Problem:
The new task pane for styles in Word 2003 and Word XP is difficult to use, especially if you want to change the attributes of a large number of styles at the same time. The extra styles added when you bold a word become confusing. I think Word calls these "formats," but they appear in the same list.
The Solution:
You can bypass the Styles and Formatting pane if you want. Choose Tools 
Customize, click the Commands tab, and verify that the correct template (for example, Normal.dot) is selected in the "Save in" drop-down list. Click Format in the Categories list, then drag the Style... item (the one with the ellipsis after it, not the Style drop-down list) to a menu or toolbar. You can then go directly to the Style dialog box.