"Welcome to our session on unlocking AI-powered productivity with Microsoft Copilot. Today, you'll learn how to use Copilot Chat, a tool that's already available to you through your Microsoft 365 subscription. By the end of this session, you'll have practical prompts you can start using immediately."
"We'll cover three main areas: First, what Microsoft Copilot actually is and how it protects your data. Second, practical use cases I call 'The 7 AI Habits.' Third, tips for crafting prompts that get you better results. We'll wrap up with Q&A and your next steps."
"Let's start by demystifying what Microsoft Copilot is. There's a lot of confusion about different Copilots, so let's get clear on what we're talking about today."
"Microsoft Copilot is a general-purpose AI assistant. Think of it as a knowledgeable colleague who's always available. It can help with conversations, create images, analyze documents you upload, search the web, translate languages, and much more. The key point: it's not just a search engine. It understands context and can help you think through problems."
"You can access Copilot Chat in three ways. The easiest is going directly to the web at m365.cloud.microsoft/chat. You can also find it in Microsoft Teams as an app in the left rail. And in Outlook, you'll see a Copilot button. For today's demos, we'll use the web interface."
"This is the most important slide in the presentation. What makes Copilot Chat different from consumer AI tools like the free version of ChatGPT? Two things: First, your data is private—it's processed within Microsoft's secure environment. Second, your data is never used to train the AI models. This is called Enterprise Data Protection, and it's why your organization has approved Copilot Chat for work use."
"I want to be very clear about what we're covering today. On the left is Copilot Chat, which is available to everyone with a Microsoft 365 subscription. It's a powerful AI assistant, but it doesn't have direct access to your work files and emails. On the right is Microsoft 365 Copilot, which is a paid add-on. It integrates directly into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and can access your emails and meetings. Today, we're focusing on Copilot Chat—the free version that you can start using right now."
"Before we dive into use cases, let's talk about mindset. Copilot is not a search box—it's a teammate. You need to brief it like you would a colleague. Tell it your goal, share context, and explain how you want the response. And here are the golden rules: Always fact-check outputs. Always check the tone fits your audience. Always do a final human review. Think of Copilot's output as a first draft, not a final product."
"Now let's get practical. I've organized the most useful ways to use Copilot Chat into what I call 'The 7 AI Habits'. These are patterns you can start using today for everyday work tasks. Each habit comes with a 'hero prompt' you can copy and use immediately."
"Habit number one: Use Copilot as your Ask Me Anything machine. Have you ever wanted to ask a question but felt it was too basic? Or needed someone to explain a concept without judgment? Copilot is your 24/7 thinking partner. The hero prompt is: 'Explain [topic] in plain language. Highlight the key points and give me clear next steps.' The key is to follow up—ask for analogies, examples, or how it relates to your specific situation."
"Explain the difference between a merger and an acquisition in plain language. Highlight the key points and give me examples I could use in a presentation.""Habit two: Use Copilot as your Research Assistant. Instead of opening multiple tabs and piecing together information, ask Copilot directly. The hero prompt asks for key updates with sources. Notice I'm asking for reputable sources with dates—this helps you verify the information. Always check that sources are recent and reliable."
"What's the latest on sustainability regulations affecting manufacturing in Singapore? Provide key updates with a short note on why each matters. Include 3-5 reputable sources with dates.""Habit three: Your Email Assistant. We all write emails daily, and tone matters. This hero prompt asks Copilot to review your writing for grammar, readability, and professional tone. What I love is asking it to explain the changes—this helps you learn and improve over time."
"Review this email for grammar, spelling, readability, and professional tone. Rewrite the improved version and list each change with the reasoning:
[Paste: 'Hi team, Just want to touch base on the project. Things are moving but we need to speed up. Let me know what you think. Thanks']""Habit four: Your Meeting Assistant. Ever left a meeting unsure what was decided? Copilot can turn messy notes or transcripts into clean summaries with action items. The hero prompt asks for a summary email with key points, decisions, and next steps including owners and deadlines. Note the instruction to mark anything unclear—this prevents Copilot from making assumptions."
"Create a meeting agenda for a 45-minute quarterly business review covering: financial performance, key initiatives update, risks and issues, and Q&A. Include suggested time allocations.""Habit five: Your Content Creation Assistant. Whether it's a report, proposal, or presentation outline, starting from a blank page is hard. Copilot can generate first drafts with structure and logical flow. The key is being clear about your goal and audience. You can then refine, repurpose, and polish."
"I need help creating a presentation about improving team productivity. Generate a first draft outline with suggested slide titles and bullet points. The audience is department managers. Flag anything that needs more input.""Habit six: Your Document Synthesizer. We're all buried in reports and documents. Copilot can help you catch up fast. Upload a document and ask for a summary highlighting main points, themes, and actionable insights. I like asking for one surprising fact and a suggested next step—this sparks discussion."
"Review this document and recap it as if you're summarizing for a busy colleague. Highlight the main points, themes, and actionable insights. Call out any surprising data. End with one suggested next step.""Habit seven: Your Data Analyst. Spreadsheets are everywhere, but pulling out insights isn't always easy. Upload an Excel file and ask Copilot to identify key insights, trends, and notable data points. You can ask for charts, explanations of formulas, or recommendations. Always validate the insights before using them for decisions."
"Analyze this spreadsheet to identify key insights and themes. Highlight any notable data points or trends. What areas should I focus on?""Now that you've seen the 7 habits, let's talk about the art and science of prompting. The quality of your prompt determines the quality of Copilot's response. And there's one thing you absolutely need to know..."
"Here's the key insight: AI knows a lot, but it knows nothing about your specific situation. Context is king. The more relevant context you provide, the better the response. This isn't like a search engine where you type a few keywords. You're briefing a colleague."
"Here's a simple framework: Goal, Context, Expectations. Goal is what you want help with and why it matters. Context is your role, audience, and any materials to reference. Expectations is the format, length, and style you want. Not every prompt needs all three, but for complex requests, this framework makes a big difference."
"Here's a powerful technique: ask Copilot to help you improve your prompt. This 'Prompt Refinement Assistant' meta-prompt asks Copilot to review your prompt, identify missing details, rewrite it for clarity, and ask follow-up questions. It's like having a prompt coach. You don't need to be a prompt engineer—just start with what you have and let Copilot help you improve it."
Act as a Prompt Coach.
(1) Critically review the prompt below. Note any crucial details that are missing.
(2) Rewrite it for clarity and completeness, adding reasonable defaults for gaps in [].
(3) Ask 2-3 follow-up questions to refine it further.
Prompt: [Insert your initial prompt here, include as much context as possible]"Now it's your turn. Think of something you want Copilot to help with. Paste the Prompt Refinement Assistant into Copilot Chat, add your request, and see how Copilot improves your prompt. Then run the improved prompt and see the difference. This is how you go from beginner to pro."
"Let's recap what we covered: We learned what Microsoft Copilot Chat is and how Enterprise Data Protection keeps your data safe. We explored 7 practical habits you can start using today. And we learned how to craft better prompts using Goal, Context, Expectations and the Prompt Refinement Assistant. Your next steps: try the prompts, share your experience with colleagues, and consider joining a deeper prompt crafting workshop. Remember—the magic doesn't start with AI. It starts with you."
Explain the concept of "psychological safety" in the workplace in plain language. Highlight the key points and give me 3 practical things a team leader can do to improve it.Can you give me an analogy that would help explain this to someone who's never heard the term?Help me think through whether to accept a job offer. The pros are: higher salary (20% increase), better title, new industry exposure. The cons are: longer commute (1 hour vs 20 minutes), startup with uncertain stability, smaller team. What factors might I be missing, and what questions should I ask before deciding?What would someone who chose NOT to take a similar offer say were their reasons?What are the latest trends in employee wellness programs in 2025? Provide 4-5 key updates with a short note on why each matters for HR professionals. Include reputable sources with dates.Which of these trends would be most relevant for a company with primarily remote employees?Define "generative AI" in plain English with a workplace example. Include 2-3 dated sources from reputable technology publications.Review this email for grammar, spelling, readability, and professional tone. Rewrite the improved version and list each change made with the reasoning:
"Hi All,
Hope everyone is good. Wanted to quickly update u on the project. We're kinda behind schedule but nothing too serious. Can everyone try to get there parts done by friday? Thx!
John"Can you make the tone more urgent without sounding harsh?Draft a professional email to request a meeting with a senior executive I've never met. Context: I'm a project manager who wants to present a cost-saving initiative. Keep it under 150 words and make the purpose clear in the first sentence.Create a meeting agenda for a 60-minute project retrospective. The team has 8 members. We need to cover: what went well, what could improve, and action items for next time. Include time allocations and facilitation tips.What if we only have 30 minutes? Which sections should we prioritize?Create a meeting notes template that I can use for weekly team check-ins. Include sections for: attendees, agenda items, key decisions, action items with owners, and next meeting date.I need help creating a presentation outline for an internal training on data privacy basics. Audience is non-technical staff. The presentation should be 20 minutes. Suggest 5-6 slide titles with 2-3 bullet points each.Can you suggest an engaging opening question I could ask the audience?Draft a 150-word internal announcement about a new flexible work policy starting next month. Tone should be positive but professional. Key points: employees can choose 2 days per week to work from home, core hours are 10am-3pm, managers will discuss schedules with their teams.(After uploading a PDF or pasting text)
Review this document and create a summary for a busy executive. Include:
- Main purpose in one sentence
- 5 key points
- Any surprising findings
- Recommended next steps
Keep the summary under 300 words.(After uploading a policy document)
Based on this document, generate 5 frequently asked questions that employees might have, along with brief answers using only information from the document. Mark any answers that would need verification with [VERIFY].(After uploading an Excel file)
Analyze this data and tell me:
1. What are the top 3 trends or patterns you see?
2. Are there any outliers or anomalies I should investigate?
3. What additional data would make this analysis more meaningful?Can you suggest how to visualize the main trend you identified?I have a column of numbers showing monthly sales. Explain how I would calculate month-over-month percentage change in Excel. Give me the formula and explain what each part does.