Boost Productivity with Microsoft 365 Copilot: Hands-On Workshop (1 day)

This half to one day, hands-on workshop helps knowledge workers, team leads, and professionals get practical value from Microsoft 365 Copilot. Participants explore how Copilot is integrated across Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel, and how it differs from Copilot Chat. Through guided exercises they use Copilot to draft and refine documents, manage email, analyse data, and support collaboration. The course also introduces Copilot agents and multi-app workflows, along with best practices for responsible, secure AI use in everyday work.

Objectives

Explain what Microsoft 365 Copilot is and how it integrates across Microsoft 365 applications
Use Copilot in Outlook and Teams to improve communication, meeting outcomes, and collaboration
Apply Copilot in Word to draft, summarise, edit, and refine business documents
Use Copilot in Excel to assist with data analysis, formula generation, and visualisation
Combine Copilot capabilities across Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams to support end-to-end workflows
Describe best practices, data security considerations, and responsible AI use in Microsoft 365
Understand Copilot agents and how roles such as researcher, analyst, and writing coach can support work

Prerequisites

Basic familiarity with Microsoft 365 apps including Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel
Access to an environment where Microsoft 365 Copilot features are enabled

Welcome and Introduction to Microsoft 365 Copilot

Set context for the workshop and clarify goals, agenda, and outcomes
Define Microsoft 365 Copilot and its role within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem
Review AI integration across key Microsoft 365 apps
Describe Copilot experiences available outside of the core Office 365 apps
Differentiate between Copilot in apps such as Word and Excel versus Copilot Chat

Copilot in Outlook and Teams

Use Copilot in Outlook to draft emails, summarise threads, and assist with scheduling
Use Copilot in Teams to summarise meeting discussions, capture action items, and suggest follow-ups
Integrate Copilot capabilities across Outlook and Teams for smoother communication workflows
Work with the facilitator on guided examples to see Copilot in collaborative scenarios

Copilot in Word

Use Copilot in Word to draft and summarise content such as reports, briefs, and proposals
Edit, rewrite, and improve tone and clarity of existing documents with Copilot
Generate templates and structured reports using Copilot prompts
Apply Copilot to reformat and refine documents for different audiences
Complete a hands-on exercise using a sample document to summarise key points and generate a professional email or report

Copilot in Excel

Use Copilot in Excel to suggest formulas and functions for common business scenarios
Create charts, pivot tables, and simple dashboards using Copilot assistance
Summarise datasets in plain language to support decision-making
Automate repetitive calculations and pattern-based tasks with Copilot
Complete a hands-on exercise using sample datasets to summarise sales or financial data and create charts from Copilot suggestions

Best Practices, Multi-App Scenarios, and Working with Agents

Combine Copilot capabilities across Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams in end-to-end workflows
Use iterative prompting and refinement techniques to improve AI-generated outputs
Discuss data security, compliance, and responsible AI use within Microsoft 365
Identify strategies for staying productive without over-reliance on AI assistance
Explain what Copilot agents are and how roles such as researcher, analyst, and writing coach can support users

Hands-On Challenge and Wrap-Up

Apply workshop learnings to a realistic scenario that spans multiple apps
Use Copilot to analyse data in Excel, summarise findings in Word, and draft communications in Outlook or Teams
Share outputs with the group and discuss different approaches and experiences
Recap key concepts, tips, and best practices from the workshop
Review resources for further exploration, including Microsoft AI documentation and prompt guides, and address remaining questions