Prompt Like a Pro: 8 Tips and tricks for working with Copilot in Teams (2024)

As a reminder, to have access to these features you need a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license!

How to prompt like a pro

Writing great prompts is the key to having better interactions with Microsoft Copilot in Teams. Just like talking to a co-worker, clear communication and certain techniques can help you get better results from some prompts than others. In this edition, we highlight how to prompt like a pro for Copilot in Teams – first by summarizing how and where Copilot can assist you in Teams, then by guiding you through 8 tips to elevate your prompting skills and how you interact with Copilot.

Utilize the following tips and tricks to build your Copilot foundation and start prompting like a pro!

Copilot for Microsoft 365 in Teams

Open Copilot for Microsoft 365 in Teams by navigating over to the chat app in Teams and clicking on the Copilot icon. Here, Copilot will use data grounded in the Microsoft Graph that searches across your Microsoft 365 apps to better personalize its answers. You can 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 securely grounded in - and powered by - your work data.

Tip #1: Include more specifics and details in your prompts. This can look like clarifying how Copilot can meet your needs or referencing files, meetings, or contacts that Copilot can leverage to provide a richer output. For example, instead of asking Copilot a simple prompt like "summarize the Fundraiser meeting," ask it to "Recap the Fundraiser meeting and suggest an agenda for a follow-up meeting based on any outstanding items. Include a table that shows action items and who is responsible for each item." The more detailed the prompt, the better Copilot’s outcome will be!

Copilot in the compose box

Copilot also assists you in crafting more polished and effective messages, straight from the text compose box in your chats and channels. It goes beyond spell-checking and grammar correction; Copilot will suggest improvements, rewrites, and adjustments to enhance the clarity, tone, and impact of your messages. Whether you’re quickly responding to your coworker or sharing a detailed project update with a manager, Copilot has your back. You can navigate to the message compose box anywhere you can write text in Teams and start crafting your message. After you have a suitable rough draft, click on the Copilot icon in your chat box, press “Rewrite,” and watch your message instantly transform!

Tip #2: The “Adjust” option allows you to adapt a message to whatever audience you are talking to, from a co-worker to a friend, your larger team, or even your manager. Simply choose from the range of options in the “Adjust” menu and change the length (concise or longer) or the tone (casual, professional, confident, or enthusiastic) of your message.

Tip #3: Use the "custom tone" option to finetune your message's tone, include additional context, translate a message, and make your writing more inclusive or persuasive! For example, you can prompt that you want Copilot to make your message “longer, cheerful, and convincing” and Copilot can apply those changes instantly in the compose box - without you needing to leave your flow of work.

Prompt Like a Pro: 8 Tips and tricks for working with Copilot in Teams (1)

Copilot in chats and channels

If you’re checking the latest messages in a group chat or seeing what the newest updates are in your project’s channel, Copilot is there to transform the way you work. From an open chat or channel select the Copilot icon to expand a dedicated Copilot window to pull information from the specific chat or channel you are in. Did you just get back from a week off work and want to know what you missed? Or if your name was mentioned and why? Copilot quickly analyzes past messages, files sent, and other relevant information to provide answers to whatever you need help knowing about your chats and channels.

Tip #4: Catch up on information faster by asking Copilot for key takeaways from a chat or specific information you missed. You can even reference a chat participant in your prompt - like asking "What files has Erin shared?"

Tip #5: Copilot can help you with personal tasks and action items you might have missed. Instead of asking “What were the follow-up items,” make it personal! Ask "Do I have any follow-up items?" or "What is my highest priority task?"

Tip #6: Copilot in chats and channels will give better responses with more specific directions. Try sending it this prompt detailing how you want to receive information: "Create a table with everyone's action items. Include the action item, person's name, and due date."

Copilot in Teams meetings

Copilot in Teams meetings helps you catch up, brainstorm, and get to decisions faster. Simply join your meeting\ and click on the Copilot icon to begin using Copilot. Copilot will need transcription to run (unless it’s set to “Only during the meeting” by the organizer). Clicking on Copilot will prompt you to start the transcript if it hasn’t started already.

Copilot can help you catch up on anything youve missed in the meeting so far, suggest questions to ask the other meeting participants, and more. It can even organize the ideas shared during the meeting in an easy-to-read table that you can share after the meeting. Copilot expands on the built-in summaries provided by intelligent meeting recap by enabling you to ask any question about the meeting, helping you get deeper insights into the topics you’re interested in. For the best experience, ensure that recording or transcription are turned on for your meeting. To use Copilot in Teams meetings without retaining a transcript of the meeting discussion, meeting organizers can set Copilot access to ‘Only during the meeting’ from the meeting options. When selected, users will only be able to interact with Copilot during the meeting, and they won’t be able to access Copilot, their previous interactions with Copilot, or intelligent meeting recap after the meeting ends. Learn more here.

Tip #7: Go beyond meeting summarization by using Copilot to help drive alignment and improve meeting outcomes. During a meeting, use prompts such as “What questions are unresolved?” and “Suggest follow up questions” to help improve meeting efficiency and productivity.

Tip #8: Ask Copilot to format and categorize the discussion points to help you stay organized with next steps. After the meeting, use prompts such as “List different perspectives by topic” or“List the pros and cons of the [INSERT TOPIC] decision in a table format” to visualize the discussion points in new ways that help you stay on track.

Extra prompting guidance

A lot goes into the foundation of a good prompt. For example, including a detailed persona - as laid out in this template - can help anchor Copilot into a specific mindset and expertise that you're looking to deliver in your prompts.

Prompt Like a Pro: 8 Tips and tricks for working with Copilot in Teams (2)

Additionally, see this sample prompt used to gather insights for team brainstorming sessions with leadership. Not all prompts need to be this long but pay attention to the detailed persona and context added to the prompt which helps drive easily referenceable output in a table format.

Prompt Like a Pro: 8 Tips and tricks for working with Copilot in Teams (3)

Finally, make sure to iterate and regenerate. Often, your first result isn’t the final or best response. If you’re not satisfied with the results Copilot gave you, revise your prompt, follow the best practices laid out in this blog, and try again. Working with Copilot is all about building your conversation, and figuring out what communication style works best for your scenario is key to prompting even better with Copilot in Teams.

Additional resources

If you want to learn more about how to take your prompting skills up a notch and achieve better business outcomes

with Copilot, we highly encourage you to read the article Five tips for prompting AI, which dives into the structure of a prompt for better communication. And for more examples of prompts that Copilot can help you with, check out Copilot Lab! Filter by specific Microsoft 365 apps to learn what kinds of prompts to use for a variety of different work scenarios and get tips for better optimized prompts with Copilot!

What’s coming next

If you’re already using Copilot in Teams, share your favorite Copilot in Teams tips and tricks in the comments for the chance to get featured in a future “Prompt Like a Pro” blog! And be sure to follow the Teams MTC site so you never miss upcoming blogs. Happy prompting!

*To reference a specific person, file, or meeting with Copilot for Microsoft 365 in Teams, simply add a “/” to your prompt.

Copilot in Teams is constantly evolving and improving thanks to your input and feedback. If a Copilot prompt does not work the way you expect it to, let us know how by using the thumbs-down button that appears after a response.

Prompt Like a Pro: 8 Tips and tricks for working with Copilot in Teams (2024)

FAQs

What are the best prompts for Microsoft Copilot? ›

Example prompts to try with Copilot for Microsoft 365
  • You've been on vacation, now you're back. You need to find out what's going on with Project X. ...
  • You've just joined a new team and you're trying to ramp up on recent activities. ...
  • There's been a recent change in how your team is tracking work.

How to prompt copilot in Teams? ›

Select Open Copilot in the upper-right corner of the chat—you'll see the Copilot icon. Under the compose box to the right of your chat, select More prompts to choose from the following options: - Highlights from the past day. - Highlights from the past 7 days.

How to prompt copilot effectively? ›

Copilot is built to take action, so telling Copilot what “to do” rather than what “not to do” is more effective. Try using “if-then” instructions. Iterate and regenerate: Often the first result isn't the final or best response.

What are the best ways to use Microsoft Copilot? ›

Seven Tips for Having a Great Conversation with Copilot
  1. Start with the end in mind. Specify the output you want from Copilot. ...
  2. Set the stage. Give any context or relevant details about what outcome you're working toward. ...
  3. Define any parameters. ...
  4. Tailor the delivery. ...
  5. Be polite. ...
  6. Be curious. ...
  7. Iterate, iterate, iterate.

What is an example of a Copilot question? ›

You can ask Copilot, “Give me ideas for a 3-day trip in Hawaii.” Or, if you're a team leader who wants to get team members engaged, try asking Copilot, “Give me ideas for a team building activity.”

What is Google's answer to Microsoft copilot? ›

It's called Google Duet, and it allows you to translate your documents into various different Google apps with a click. The Google Duet assistant is now available after being showcased at the Google I/O developer conference in May.

What can Copilot do in Teams? ›

Use Copilot in Teams meetings to summarize key discussion points—including who said what and where people are aligned or disagree—and suggest action items, all in real time during a meeting. Notes: The meeting must be transcribed to enable Copilot, unless the meeting organizer enables Copilot without transcription.

What are the key elements of an advanced prompt for Microsoft Copilot? ›

Elements of an effective prompt
  • Goal - specific, security-related information that you need.
  • Context - why you need this information or how you plan to use it.
  • Expectations - format or target audience you want the response tailored to.
  • Source - known information, data sources, or plugins Copilot for Security should use.
Jun 5, 2024

Is Teams Copilot free? ›

So, is Microsoft Copilot free for business users? No, but you do get a lot more functionality. The Copilot for Microsoft 365 plan costs $30 per user per month, or you can purchase the plan for $360 per year. You'll also still need a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan.

What are the pillars of effective Copilot prompts? ›

Essential Tips for Crafting Effective Copilot Prompts
  • PRINCPLE 1: Specificity and Clarity. ...
  • PRINCIPLE 2: Providing Context. ...
  • PRINCIPLE 3: Positive Intructions. ...
  • Principle 4: Iteration and Refinement. ...
  • PRINCIPLE 5: Structuring Prompts. ...
  • Principle 6: Engaging in Dialogue. ...
  • PRINCIPLE 7: Verfication and Validation.

How can I be a good Copilot? ›

Another way a good co-pilot helps is to keep his or her eyes open for other plane traffic, especially in busy areas such as airports, and let the pilot know about them. You can also offer to listen to an ATC frequency and report on traffic calls that the controller makes, and try to identify the aircraft by sight.

What are two ways to help Copilot give you more accurate suggestions? ›

What are two ways to help Copilot give you more accurate suggestions? Use concise variable names. Use shorthand, but accurate, descriptors. Add context in comments.

What are the three main use cases for Copilot Pro? ›

All you need to do is ask Copilot to create a report based on the data you're inputting and then let Copilot do the rest.
  • Use Case 2: Analysing data with Copilot in Excel. ...
  • Use Case 3: Creating a presentation with Copilot in PowerPoint. ...
  • Use Case 4: Collaborating with Copilot in Teams.

What is the difference between Copilot and Copilot pro? ›

Copilot Pro is for general consumer home users, Copilot for 365 is for business users. If you already have the $360/yr license, you don't need to get the Copilot Pro. Here is an artcle to expand that further if it is of any interest to you: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/fo...

How to use Microsoft AI Copilot? ›

In Windows, at the website, or in the mobile app, you can use your voice to talk with Microsoft's AI. Tap the microphone icon at the bottom of the screen. Speak your query and then submit it. Copilot will display and speak the results.

How to prompt a Copilot designer? ›

An AI image prompt is the text input that you provide to Copilot to generate an image. It can be as simple as a phrase, or as complex as a sentence or paragraph. A prompt with at least six words will yield the best possible results. Your prompt can also include additional information such as stylistic keywords.

What is the limit of Copilot prompt? ›

You probably see that there is a 2000-character limit when you type in your prompts to Copilot.

Why is context important to create effective prompts with Copilot? ›

By incorporating specific contexts, examples, constraints, and directives into prompts, you can significantly elevate the response quality. Good prompt engineering practices help you unlock more of Copilot in Azure's potential for code generation, recommendations, documentation retrieval, and navigation.

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