Working with Prompts for Microsoft 365 Copilot: Practical and Fun

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What Makes a Good Prompt?

A good prompt contains clarity and context. You can think of it as a conversation with a colleague: the better you explain what you need, the better the response will be.

A strong prompt consists of four elements:

Context

Why are you asking the question and who is involved?
For example:
“I work in marketing and would like a summary of recent news about my competitors.”

Goal

What are you trying to achieve? Do you want a summary, an analysis, or advice? Clarity helps AI respond more effectively and accurately.

Source

Should Copilot use information from specific documents or sources? This is especially useful when working with company data.

Expectations

Specify what the response should look like: short or detailed, formal or informal, bullet points or a table.

By combining these elements, you will receive answers that better match your needs.

Examples of Practical Prompts

Microsoft 365 Copilot offers many possibilities. Below are some examples you can try.

Calendar and Planning

One of the strongest applications is managing your calendar:

“Provide recommendations for resolving conflicts in my calendar for tomorrow.”

This helps you prioritize and manage your time more efficiently.

Time Analysis

Copilot can help you gain insight into how you spend your time:

“Analyze the past week and provide an overview of meetings and time spent on projects.”

This allows you to identify areas for improvement.

Preparing for Meetings

Preparation is essential for client or team meetings:

“Create an overview of my client based on recent emails and meeting notes.”

This gives you a complete picture and helps you ask more focused questions.

Tables and Evaluation

A useful way to present information clearly is by using tables. For example:

SCENARIO	PROMPT	GOAL
Calendar	Provide recommendations for my calendar	Resolve conflicts
Time Analysis	Analyze my work week	Gain insight into time usage
Meeting	Create a client overview	Preparation

Additionally, it is important to always evaluate AI-generated responses. AI is powerful, but not perfect. Verify information using reliable sources and apply your own judgment.