Get started with Microsoft 365 Copilot

Terminal objective: After this bite, you can use Microsoft 365 Copilot in your everyday apps to draft, summarise, and ask questions about your own work content — and write a prompt that gets a useful result.
Audience: Non-technical adults with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence. Assumes day-to-day use of Word, Outlook, Teams. No AI background.
Duration: 8–10 minutes · 3 lessons
Format note: Build-ready handoff: each block names a Rise block type so an author can place it directly.

Lesson 1 — What Microsoft 365 Copilot is, and what it isn't

Enabling objective

Describe what Microsoft 365 Copilot is and the two things it draws on to answer.

Statement

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI assistant that works inside the apps you already use, and answers using content you already have access to.

Text — the one-line version

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI-powered productivity tool. It uses large language models and connects them to your work data through the Microsoft Graph and the Microsoft 365 apps — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and more.

Image/Text — sketch-note

Two boxes joined by a plus: a language model, and your own work data. Copilot puts them together and only uses data you already have permission to see.

Accordion — what it isn't

Not a separate app — it lives inside Word, Outlook, Teams.
Not the open web by default — it grounds answers in your organisation's data.
Not always right — review and verify; you stay responsible for the output.

Knowledge check — When Copilot answers about your work, where does the work content come from?

From the public internet
From your emails, chats, files and meetings that you already have permission to access ✓
From a copy of the whole company's data, regardless of permissions

TakeawayCopilot = a language model + your own permissioned work data, working inside your everyday apps.

Lesson 2 — Where Copilot shows up in your apps

Enabling objective

Match a common task (draft, summarise, ask) to the right Microsoft 365 app.

Statement

The fastest way to learn Copilot is to use it for something you already do today.

Tabs

Word — draft or rework text, summarise, ask about a document.
Outlook — summarise a thread, draft a reply, coaching tips on tone.
Teams — summarise a meeting or chat; ask questions from the live transcript.
Excel — formula and chart suggestions, insights about your data.
PowerPoint — draft a deck from a prompt or Word file; deck-wide changes.

Image/Text — sketch-note

Three line icons: pencil (Draft), page (Summarise), question mark (Ask). Pick the verb first, then the app.

Knowledge check (matching) — task to app

"Summarise the meeting I missed" → Teams
"Draft a first version of this document" → Word
"Suggest a formula for this column" → Excel
"Summarise this long email thread" → Outlook

TakeawayDraft, summarise, ask. Choose the verb, then open the app where the content already lives.

Lesson 3 — Write a prompt that works

Enabling objective

Write a Copilot prompt that includes a goal, context, source, and expectations.

Process — four parts

Goal — what you want produced. ("Draft a project update.")
Context — why, or who it's for. ("For my team, who missed the review.")
Source — what Copilot should use. ("The notes in this document.")
Expectations — what good looks like. ("Under 200 words, three bullets of next steps.")

Quote

"Writing good prompts is key to getting better outcomes with Microsoft 365 Copilot." — Microsoft Learn, Application card.

Knowledge check (multiple response) — which parts are in: "Summarise this email thread for my manager in five bullet points."?

Goal — summarise ✓
Context — for my manager ✓
Source — this email thread ✓
Expectations — five bullet points ✓

Bite takeawayCopilot is a language model plus your own work data. Pick a verb — draft, summarise, ask — and write a prompt with a goal, context, source, and expectations. Then check the result.