Please note that you will need a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license to use these features!
How to prompt like a pro
Writing great prompts is key to better interactions with Microsoft Copilot in Teams. Just like talking to your colleagues, clear communication and using specific techniques can help you get better results with some prompts than others. This edition highlights: how How to use Copilot like a pro in Teams – First, we’ll recap how and where Copilot can help you in Teams, then we’ll walk you through 8 tips to improve your prompting skills and learn how to interact with Copilot.
Use these tips and tricks to build your Copilot foundation and start prompting like a pro!
Copilot for Microsoft 365 in Teams
Go to the Chat app in Teams and click the Copilot icon to open Copilot for Microsoft 365 in Teams. Here, Copilot uses data from the Microsoft Graph to search across Microsoft 365 apps to better personalize your answers. Draft content, catch up on what you missed, and get answers to questions supported by data from PowerPoint and Word files, Outlook emails, and more. All of this is securely based on and powered by your work data.
Tip #1: Be more specific and detailed in your prompt. This may seem like it would clarify how Copilot can meet your needs, or it may refer to files, meetings, or contacts that Copilot can leverage to provide a richer output. For example, instead of asking Copilot for a simple prompt like “summarize the fundraising meeting,” you could ask Copilot to “summarize the fundraising meeting and suggest a follow-up meeting schedule based on the outstanding items. Include a table showing the action items and who is responsible for each.” The more detailed the prompt, the better Copilot’s results will be!
Pilot of the writing box
Copilot helps you write more polished, effective messages right from the text compose box in chats and channels. Beyond spellchecking and grammar correction, Copilot suggests improvements, rewrites, and adjustments to enhance the clarity, tone, and impact of your messages. Whether you’re responding quickly to a colleague or sharing a detailed project update with your manager, Copilot has you covered. You can create your message anywhere you can write text in Teams by going to the message compose box. Once you’ve written a good draft, click the Copilot icon in the chat box, hit “Rewrite,” and watch your message transform in an instant!
Tip #2: The “Adjust” option allows you to: Tailor your message to who you’re talking to – coworkers, friends, teammates, even your manager. Simply choose from a variety of options in the “Adjust” menu and change the length of your message (brief or long) or tone (casual, professional, confident, enthusiastic).
Tip #3: Use the “Custom Tone” option to fine-tune the tone of your message, include additional context, translate your message, and make your writing more inclusive and persuasive! For example, if you ask Copilot to make your message “longer, more succinct, and more persuasive,” Copilot can apply those changes right in the compose box—without you having to leave your workflow.
Pilot of Chat and Channels
Whether you’re checking out the latest messages in a group chat or checking out the latest updates in a project channel, Copilot will change the way you work. Select the Copilot icon in an open chat or channel to expand a dedicated Copilot window to pull up information from the specific chat or channel you’re currently in. Just got back from a week-long vacation and want to know what you missed? Or maybe your name was mentioned and you want to know why? Copilot quickly analyzes your previous messages, sent files, and other relevant information to give you the answers to everything you need to know about your chats and channels.
Tip #4: Grab it You can get information faster by asking Copilot about key points in the chat or specific information you missed. You can also mention chat participants in your prompts, for example, “What files did Erin share?”
Tip #5: Copilot can help you catch up on personal tasks and to-do items that you miss. Instead of asking, “What was the follow-up?”, ask a personal question! Ask, “Are there any follow-up items?” or “What is the highest priority task?”
Tip #6: Pilots in chat and channels give better answers when they give more specific instructions. Please elaborate on this prompt. how I would like to receive information: “Create a table with everyone’s action items. Include the action items, people’s names, and due dates.”
Pilot in Teams meeting
Using Copilot in Teams meetings helps you share your work, brainstorm, and make decisions faster. STo join a meeting, click on the Copilot icon and start using Copilot.. Copilot requires a transcription to run (unless the host has set it to “During meeting only”). When you click Copilot, you will be prompted to start a transcription if it is not already started.
Copilot can help you keep up, no matter what you do.‘It offers features like suggesting what you missed in the meeting so far, and suggesting questions to ask other meeting attendees. It even organizes the ideas shared during the meeting into an easy-to-read table that you can share after the meeting. Copilot extends the built-in summary provided by the intelligent meeting summary by allowing you to ask questions about the meeting, helping you gain deeper insights into the topics you care about. For the best experience, make sure recording or transcription is turned on for your meetings. To use Copilot in a Teams meeting without retaining a transcript of the meeting discussion, the meeting host can set Copilot access to ‘During the meeting only’ in the meeting options. When selected, users will only be able to interact with Copilot during the meeting, and will not have access to Copilot, their previous interactions with Copilot, or the intelligent meeting summary after the meeting ends. Learn more here.
Tip #7: Beyond the meeting summary Copilot helps you coordinate meeting schedules and improve meeting outcomes. Using prompts like “What are your outstanding questions?” and “Suggest follow-up questions” during your meeting can help improve meeting efficiency and productivity.
Tip #8: Ask Copilot to help you format, categorize, and organize your discussion points. With ~ next stage. After the meeting, using prompts like “List the different perspectives on a topic” or “List the pros and cons of the (insert topic) decision in a table format” can help you stay on track by visualizing the discussion points in a new way.
Additional prompt guidance
There is a lot that goes into the foundation of a good prompt. For example: Includes detailed personas – As outlined in this template – Copilot can help you anchor in the specific mindset and expertise you want to convey in your prompt.
Also, see this sample prompt used to gather insights for team brainstorming sessions with leadership. Not all prompts need to be this long, but paying attention to detailed personas and context added to the prompt will help drive output that can be easily referenced in a table format.
Finally, iterate and recreate. Often, the first result is not the final or best response. If you are not satisfied with the result that Copilot gives you, revise the prompt, follow the best practices in this blog, and try again. Using Copilot is about building a conversation, and figuring out which communication style works best for your scenario is key to making your prompts more effective using Copilot in Teams.
Additional Materials
Learn more about how to take your prompting skills to the next level and achieve better business outcomes.
If you use Copilot, please read the article. 5 Tips for Accelerating AI, Learn more about prompt structure for better communication. Check out the Copilot Lab for more examples of prompts that Copilot can help you with! Filter by specific Microsoft 365 apps to learn what kinds of prompts to use for different work scenarios and get tips on how to better optimize your prompts with Copilot!
What happens next?
If you’re already using Copilot in Teams, share your favorite Copilot in Teams tips and tricks in the comments for a chance to be featured in a future “Prompt Like a Pro” blog! And don’t forget to follow the Teams MTC site for upcoming blogs. Happy prompting!
*To reference a specific person, file, or meeting using Copilot for Microsoft 365 in Teams, simply add “/” to the prompt.
Copilot in Teams is constantly evolving and improving thanks to your feedback. If a Copilot prompt doesn’t work as expected, let us know using the thumbs down button that appears after a response.
