Introduction

  • 3 minutes

In this module, you learn how to craft effective, contextual prompts for Microsoft 365 Copilot to summarize information in Microsoft 365 apps. If you're looking to enhance your prompting skills for Copilot, this module equips you with the knowledge and techniques to craft prompts that yield accurate and helpful results from Microsoft 365 Copilot.

The focus of this module is simplifying, summarizing, understanding, and compiling information using Copilot in different Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook, and others. You learn how to use these basic summarization capabilities, but also how to craft an efficient prompt that contains all the elements to generate the desired results.

Important

Many of the Copilot features covered in this module are only available to customers with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license or Copilot Pro license. However, the strategies employed to craft better prompts can be used with any chat-based large language model (LLM).

By the end of this module, you'll be able to:

  1. Identify the key elements of an effective prompt and apply them to your own prompts.

  2. Prompt Copilot to summarize or extract key information in Word documents, Excel tables, and PowerPoint presentations.

  3. Summarize chats and meetings to look for key action items with Copilot in Teams.

  4. Task Copilot in Outlook with summarizing emails to look for action items or mentions.

  5. Compile information from multiple documents and generate a combined summary with Copilot.

Throughout the module, you'll see examples of simple prompts that are improved with different techniques to be good prompts, then better prompts, and then the best version of those prompts. Dissecting prompts in this way helps you learn about the capabilities of Copilot and reinforces the importance of good technique at the same time.

Completing this module provides you with skills to enhanced productivity by effectively communicating expectations to Copilot, saving time and effort. You'll also develop improved prompting skills to craft clear and concise prompts, enhancing productivity in Microsoft 365 apps.