M365 Copilot Promptathon — Advanced — User Guide

Hands-on exercises covering the art of prompting, the GCSE framework, iterating & expanding prompts, conversational prompting, agents, best practices, and the Copilot interface.

📝 About This Guide
Level: 200-Level — Advanced
Audience: Users who want to master advanced prompting, create agents, and leverage the full M365 Copilot experience.
License key: Chat Basic = available to all M365 users  •  M365 Copilot Premium = requires M365 Copilot license
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Section 1

The Art of Prompting

Key Concept What Is a Prompt? ▼

Prompts are how you ask Copilot to do something for you — like creating, summarizing, editing, or transforming content. Think about prompting like having a conversation. Use plain but clear language and provide context, just as you would with a human assistant.

Key Concept 1. Tell Copilot What You Need ▼

The first step is simply telling Copilot what you need. Here are six common use cases to illustrate the breadth of what Copilot can do:

Use Case Example Prompt
Learn about projects & concepts “What is [Project X] and who are the key stakeholders working on it?”
Edit text “Check this product launch rationale for inconsistencies.”
Transform documents “Transform this FAQ doc into a 10-slide onboarding guide.”
Summarize information “Write a session abstract of this [presentation].”
Create engaging content “Create a value proposition for [Product X].”
Catch up on missed items “Provide a summary of the updates and action items on [Project X].”
Exercise Discussion: How Can Copilot Help You? ▼

Take 2–3 minutes to think about your daily work. How can Copilot help you? Share your ideas with the group.

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Section 2

Prompt Ingredients – GCSE

Framework The GCSE Framework ▼

To get the best response, focus on four key elements when phrasing your prompts:

Giraffes Can See Everything — Goal, Context, Source, and Expectations

Here is a mnemonic to help you remember the four elements.

Element What It Means Question to Ask
Goal What response do you want from Copilot? “What do I need?”
Context Why do you need it and who is involved? “What’s the background?”
Source Which information sources or samples should Copilot use? “What data should it reference?”
Expectations How should Copilot respond to best meet your expectations? “What format, length, or tone?”
Example GCSE Building Blocks – Progressive Example ▼

Watch how each GCSE element improves the prompt:

Elements Used Prompt
G only Generate 3–5 bullet points
G + C Generate 3–5 bullet points to prepare me for a meeting with Client X to discuss their “Phase 3+” brand campaign.
G + C + S Generate 3–5 bullet points to prepare me for a meeting with Client X to discuss their “Phase 3+” brand campaign. Focus on Email and Teams chats since June.
G + C + S + E Generate 3–5 bullet points to prepare me for a meeting with Client X to discuss their “Phase 3+” brand campaign. Focus on Email and Teams chats since June. Please use simple language so I can get up to speed quickly.
Exercise GCSE in Practice – Job Description Chat Basic ▼

Try the following two prompts using Copilot in Word (or Copilot Chat) and compare the responses you get:

Prompt 1 – Goal Only
Write a job description for a senior project manager
Prompt 2 – Full GCSE
Generate a comprehensive job description for a senior project manager focused on technical project management for consumer electronic hardware. This role is urgent, and the candidate will join a dynamic team. Reference our company’s standard specs and industry norms. The description should be concise, max two pages, including responsibilities, qualifications.
GCSE Element Prompt 2 Mapping
Goal Generate a comprehensive job description for a senior project manager
Context Focused on technical project management for consumer electronic hardware; urgent role, dynamic team
Source Reference our company’s standard specs and industry norms
Expectations Concise, max two pages, including responsibilities and qualifications

What differences do you notice? How does specificity change the quality of the output?

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Section 3

Iterating & Expanding Your Prompts

Example Good → Better → Best ▼

Scenario: You are an HR Manager who needs to prep for an upcoming candidate interview for a new AI Engineer position within the IT department.

Good
Help me prepare for an upcoming candidate interview for a new AI Engineer role in our IT department by creating a list of questions
Better
I’m an HR Manager who needs to prepare for a candidate interview for our new AI Engineer role in IT. Please prepare a list of appropriate questions for the candidate, so that I look prepared during the interview
Best
I’m an HR Manager who needs to prepare for a candidate interview for our new AI Engineer role in IT. Please review the candidate’s resume here: /[resume file] and the position detail here: /[position doc] and provide me a comprehensive list of questions that I can use to determine the candidate’s fit against the position
Level GCSE Elements Present
Good Goal only
Better Goal + Context + Expectations
Best Goal + Context + Source + Expectations
💡 Key Insight
Notice that “Best” adds Source — the game-changer that grounds Copilot in your real data rather than generic knowledge.
Key Concept Expand the Purpose of the Prompt ▼

Make your prompts more impactful by thinking about how Copilot fits into your entire workflow, not just a single task.

Question to Ask Yourself What It Means
Why am I using this prompt? Understand the context for this task
What will I do with the output? Will I send it to someone? Transform it? Feed it into another step?
Can I extend Copilot’s remit? Can I ask Copilot to do a bigger task to automate more work?
Exercise Extending the Prompt’s Purpose – Meeting Follow-Up M365 Copilot Premium ▼

We’re all familiar with creating a list of actions from Teams meetings — but why are you doing it? If it’s to send to someone else, why not get Copilot to write the email too?

Try This – Single Task
Recap the /[Meeting Name] meeting creating a table for action items, owners and due dates.
Try This – Extended Purpose
Write a follow up email to the attendees of the /[Meeting Name] meeting with a table showing decisions made, another showing actions and owners and lastly a list of considerations for the next meeting
GCSE Element Prompt 2 Mapping
Goal Write a follow-up email
Context To the attendees of the meeting
Source /[Meeting Name] meeting
Expectations Table of decisions, table of actions & owners, list of considerations
💡 Key Insight
Don’t just ask Copilot for the intermediate step. Ask it for the end product you actually need.
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Section 4

Conversational Prompting

Key Concept Keep the Conversation Going ▼

Following up on your prompts helps you collaborate with Copilot to gain more useful, tailored responses. You don’t need to get it perfect on the first try — iterate.

Use Case How to Keep the Conversation Going
Generating content ideas Lead with broader requests, then give specific details about the content
Enabling insightful meetings Request a meeting recap, then ask for more information about what you should know
Storytelling assistance Ask Copilot to write a story, then guide it with more specific, relevant details
Gaining insights Ask for a summary of a specific file, then ask relevant questions for deeper insights
Translating languages Ask Copilot to translate a sentence, then ask for more context or a regional dialect
Solving technical problems Present a technical problem, then narrow it down or ask for step-by-step guidance
Exercise Practice – Conversational Refinement Chat Basic ▼

Let’s refine the output with a conversational approach.

Starting Prompt
Write an overview of how M365 Copilot can help improve productivity in enterprises. Generate 3 bullet points.

Now refine it! Try follow-up prompts like:

  • “Make these more specific to finance teams”
  • “Add a real-world example for each bullet”
  • “Rewrite in a more executive-friendly tone”
GCSE Element Mapping
Goal Write an overview
Context How M365 Copilot can help improve productivity in enterprises
Expectations Generate 3 bullet points
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Section 5

What Are Agents?

M365 Copilot Premium — Agents require an M365 Copilot license to create and use.

Key Concept Copilot vs. Agents ▼

While every employee has a Copilot to transform individual productivity, every business process can be transformed by agents.

Copilot Agents
Personal AI assistant for every employee Purpose-built AI that automates business processes
Responds to your prompts in real time Follows defined instructions, knowledge, and actions
General-purpose across M365 apps Tailored to a specific role, task, or workflow
💡 Key Insight
Everything you’ve learned about writing great prompts applies directly to writing agent instructions. The GCSE framework is the foundation for configuring agents.
Key Concept Components of an Agent ▼

Instructions define the agent and tailor its experience to business requirements and expected outcomes.

Component What It Does
Purpose What this agent is and its goals
Guidelines General directions, tone, rules and restrictions
Skills Granular tasks with step-by-step workflow, handled by the LLM
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Section 6

Writing Agent Instructions

Example Corporate Q&A Agent – Instruction Breakdown ▼

To get the best user experience, provide as many details as needed to minimize the user’s effort in prompting your agent:

Component Example Instruction
Purpose You are Corporate Q&A agent that helps to share corporate knowledge.
Guidelines You answer user’s questions using only the company knowledge base and public documentation. Say “I do not know” if there are no relevant results.
Be nice and polite.
Acronym CE means [Company Electronics].
Skills You should answer the questions in the following format:
Question: inferred user question in bold
Answer: results rephrased to be more relevant for user query
💡 Key Insight
This maps to GCSE: Purpose = Goal, Guidelines = Context + Expectations, Skills = Source + Expectations.
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Section 7

Prompting Best Practices

Reference 7 Prompting Best Practices ▼
# Best Practice What It Means
1 Prompt length and clarity matters Be specific but concise. Aim for 25–30 words instead of the average 7–9.
2 Break down complex problems Don’t cram everything into one prompt. Use a step-by-step approach for clarity and depth.
3 Use persona-based prompting Ask Copilot to “act as” a specific role for tailored guidance.
4 Ask Copilot what it needs Instead of guessing, ask Copilot what information you should provide.
5 Take a holistic approach Think about entire processes, not just individual tasks.
6 Be curious Experiment with different prompt structures and approaches.
7 Test and refine Iterate based on results. Small tweaks can make a big difference.
Exercise Try: Breaking Down a Complex Problem ▼

Instead of one massive prompt, try a multi-step approach:

Approach Example
Single-Step “Write a comprehensive report on the impact of digital transformation in commercial banking, including key trends, statistics, and case studies.”
Step 1 “Generate an outline for a report on the impact of digital transformation in commercial banking.”
Step 2 “Expand the section on key trends in digital transformation within the commercial banking sector.”
Step 3 “Provide statistics and case studies for each key trend.”
Exercise Try: Ask Copilot What It Needs ▼
Try This Prompt
Copilot, what specific details or context do you need from me to create an effective strategy for improving customer satisfaction in our services?
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Section 8

Copilot Interface

Reference M365 Copilot (Premium) ▼

The premium Copilot experience includes in-app integration across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, plus advanced features.

Feature What It Does
In-App Copilot Embedded AI assistance inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
Microsoft Graph Access Full access to emails, meetings, files, and chats for context-rich responses
Advanced Agents Researcher, Analyst, and Copilot Cowork for multi-step tasks
Model Choice Priority access, faster response times, and choice of AI model
Reference Copilot Chat (Basic) Chat Basic ▼

Copilot Chat (Basic) is available to everyone with a Microsoft 365 subscription — no additional license required.

Access Point Details
Teams Copilot icon in the left sidebar — available in desktop and web
m365copilot.com Select Copilot from the left navigation or app launcher
m365copilot.com Full Copilot Chat experience — sign in with your work account

Best for: general drafting, research, web-grounded questions, file analysis via upload, and cross-app tasks.

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Reference

Working with Files

Chat Basic — File upload works in Copilot Chat. M365 Copilot Premium adds direct file referencing from OneDrive/SharePoint via the / command.

How-To How to Attach a File ▼
  1. 1 Click the + (plus) icon in the Copilot Chat prompt bar
  2. 2 Browse OneDrive, SharePoint, or upload from your device
  3. 3 Select your file — it appears as a chip/badge above the prompt bar
  4. 4 Type your question and press Enter

Supported types: Word (.docx) • PDF (.pdf) • PowerPoint (.pptx) • Excel (.xlsx) • Plain text (.txt) • Images (.png, .jpeg) • Data files (.csv, .json, .md)
File size limit: Up to 50 MB per file upload (Copilot Chat). M365 Copilot (Premium) users can reference files directly from OneDrive or SharePoint without uploading.

Cheat Sheet File Prompts Cheat Sheet ▼
What You Want Try This Prompt
Summarize a document “Summarize this in 5 key points” [attach file]
Find action items “What are all the action items and who owns them?” [attach file]
Compare two docs “Compare these two documents and list the key differences” [attach 2 files]
Draft from a file “Based on this brief, draft a client-facing overview in 3 paragraphs” [attach file]
Extract data “List all dates, deadlines, and milestones from this document” [attach file]
Analyze a spreadsheet “Summarize this data and tell me the top 3 trends” [attach Excel]
Rewrite in a new tone “Rewrite this content for a non-technical executive audience” [attach file]
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Reference

Top 10 Power User Tips

Tips Become a Power User ▼
  1. 1 Be specific — include audience, tone, and format in your prompt
  2. 2 Iterate — if the first response isn’t right, refine it (“Make it shorter,” “Use a table”)
  3. 3 Always review — verify facts before sending or acting on Copilot output
  4. 4 Use follow-up questions — Copilot remembers context within a session
  5. 5 Try “What else?” — ask Copilot to expand, add examples, or suggest alternatives
  6. 6 Name your audience — “Write this for a non-technical executive” changes everything
  7. 7 Ask for options — “Give me 3 different versions of this email”
  8. 8 Use it for brainstorming — “Give me 10 ideas for…”
  9. 9 Check privacy — follow your organization’s AI usage policy for sensitive content
  10. 10 Share what works — contribute your best prompts to your team’s shared library
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Reference

Advanced Prompt Tips

Tip 1 Force Plain Text Output ▼

When you want clean, copy-ready output, add this to the end of your prompt:

Prompt Suffix
Output the results only as a block of plain text. Do not include any other text. Always treat the block of plain text as a block of code that uses text as the code language. Always include a copy button to copy the contents of the box. Do not include sources.
Tip 2 Retrieve Your Resultant Prompt ▼

Running out of turns in a conversation? Ask Copilot for the cumulative prompt so you can continue in a new chat:

Prompt
What is the resultant prompt so far?

Copilot will output a consolidated version of everything you’ve asked for. Copy it, start a new chat, paste the resultant prompt, and continue where you left off.

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Reference

Memory & Custom Instructions

Chat Basic — Memory and Custom Instructions are available in Copilot Chat for all M365 users.

Overview What Are Custom Instructions? ▼

Custom Instructions let you set persistent preferences that shape every Copilot response — without repeating yourself each time. Access them via Settings → Personalization in Copilot Chat.

Sample Sample Custom Instructions ▼

Copy any or all of these sections into your Copilot Custom Instructions (Settings → Personalization):

General Behavior

Custom Instructions — General
Copilot prioritizes accuracy, clarity, and trust. Always distinguish verified facts from inferred reasoning. Never present assumptions or context-based reasoning as fact. Avoid cascade errors by rechecking each step before responding. Think deeply before answering. When uncertain, ask clarifying questions or present 2–3 vetted options with pros and cons.

Internal / Collaborative Audience

Custom Instructions — Internal Tone
Collaborative and supportive. Slightly informal and pragmatic. Quick confirmations and concise language. Use only when the audience is clearly internal. Example: “Thanks for sharing.” “Would it work to proceed this way?” “Appreciate your support.”

Customer / External Audience

Custom Instructions — External Tone
Professional, courteous, and reassuring. Formal greetings and closings. Avoid jargon unless contextually relevant and explained. No slang or overly casual language. Provide clear next steps and timelines. Example: “Looking forward to discussing the way forward.” “Sounds like a great opportunity.”

Content Labels

Custom Instructions — Labels
Use explicit labels consistently: [Verified] facts confirmed by authoritative sources [Inference] logical conclusions based on context [Confidence] cues like “Likely” or “Based on observed patterns,” [Unverified] claims not yet confirmed [Glossary] acronyms clarified on first use. When mixing content, present verified facts first, then clearly disclose inferred content with: “The following points are inferred based on available context and may require validation.”
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Reference

Demo Prompts to Try Today

Try These Ready-to-Use Prompts ▼

📎 Attach a file using the + icon before sending this prompt.

Summarize
Summarize this document in 5 bullet points highlighting the key decisions.

📎 Attach a file using the + icon before sending this prompt.

Action Items
What are the action items from this document and who owns each one?

📎 Attach two files using the + icon before sending this prompt.

Compare
Compare these two documents and list the top 5 differences.
Draft Email
Draft a professional email to my team summarizing today's progress and next steps.

✍️ Paste the paragraph you want rewritten directly into this prompt.

Simplify
Rewrite this paragraph for a non-technical audience in plain English.
Meeting Prep
Create a 5-item agenda for a 30-minute project status meeting.
Summary What to Remember ▼