Exercise: Create a speech using Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word
Mastering Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word can be a transformative skill for executives tasked with crafting impactful speeches. In today's dynamic business environment, effective communication is at the heart of leadership. Copilot in Word serves as a collaborative writing assistant, intelligently suggesting content and refining language in real-time. This tool not only expedites the speech writing process but also ensures clarity, coherence, and resonance in the final message.
Executives who adeptly use Copilot in Word gain a competitive edge, effortlessly translating their ideas into compelling narratives that captivate audiences. This tool can enhance your creativity and efficiency and empower you to deliver speeches that resonate powerfully. Copilot can help you foster a stronger connection with stakeholders and leave a lasting effect in the realm of leadership.
Linking files in Copilot
In this exercise, you direct Copilot in Word to write a speech for you based on your company's Income Statement, which is stored in a Word document. When you link a file such as this into a Copilot prompt, the file MUST be located in a OneDrive folder. You can't link to a locally stored file on your PC.
You can link the file into the Copilot prompt using one of the following methods:
- Select the file from the Most Recently Used (MRU) file list.
- Open the file and copy its path using the Share option, then paste the path into the prompt following the forward slash (/).
- Copy the file's path from File Explorer and paste it into the prompt following the forward slash (/).
In this exercise, you select the company's Income Statement from the MRU file list.
Exercise
As the CFO at Fabrikam, Inc., an IT services firm located in Minneapolis, MN, you're meeting next week with the company's major shareholders to provide a presentation on the company's year-end financial performance. Your VP of Accounting provided you with a summary of the company's Income Statement.
You plan to use Copilot to write your speech based on the financial results outlined in the Income Statement. This exercise walks you through a series of prompts that you can use to have Copilot in Word generate your speech and then update it based on your suggested changes.
To reference the file in Copilot, this exercise locates the file from the MRU file list.
Perform the following steps to generate your speech using Copilot in Word:
Select the following link to open a copy of Fabrikam's Income Statement. Select the Download button at the top of the screen to download the file to your computer.
Once the download is complete, open File Explorer and move the file from your Downloads folder to your OneDrive - Microsoft folder.
In this exercise, you access the document from the MRU file list. To get the file to appear in the list, open the document and then close it.
In Microsoft 365, select Word if it appears in the left-hand navigation pane. If it doesn't appear there, then select Apps in the navigation pane, and on the Apps page, select Word.
In the Word file page, open a blank document.
In the Copilot prompt field that appears at the top of the blank document, enter the following prompt: Write a speech for the Fabrikam stakeholders that summarizes the results of the company's income statement found in the attached file.
In the prompt field, select the +Add content button. In the drop-down menu that appears, the All tab is displayed by default. If the Fabrikam Income Statement.docx file appears, then select it. Otherwise, select the Files tab and then select the Fabrikam Income Statement.docx if it appears. If the file doesn't appear in either tab, then following the prompt, enter /fab. Doing so opens the content menu, and the Fabrikam Income Statement.docx should appear in the All tab. Select the file. Note how the file is displayed in the prompt.
Select the Generate icon.
During our testing, Copilot sometimes displayed a Finding more sources to use in your draft window; other time, it didn't. If Copilot doesn’t display this window, then proceed to the next step. However, if this window does appear, then select the Skip button. If you don't select the Skip button in time, a Choose the sources you want Copilot to use to improve your draft window appears. Since your speech only centers around Fabrikam's income statement, you don't want Copilot to use any of the other files that appear in this window. As such, select the Unselect all button and then select the Generate button.
At this point, Copilot extracts the financial results from the Income Statement and drafts a speech. After reviewing the speech, you decide that it's a good starting point, although there are a few areas that you want to modify. In the Copilot window at the end of the speech, select the Keep it button.
You want to begin by reviewing any changes suggested by the Copilot Editor. Select the Editor icon that appears in the menu bar at the top of the page.
In the Editor pane that appears, note the categories that appear under the Corrections or Refinements sections that display a number (indicating the number of issues for that category). These issues are often linked to the tone of the writing style used in the document.
Below the Editor Score is a field that allows you to select the tone used when writing the speech. It currently displays Formal writing, which is the default tone that Copilot used when writing this speech. When you don't indicate what writing style to use in your prompt, Formal writing is the default tone that Copilot uses. Select this field to see your options. You prefer a professional sounding tone, so select Professional from the drop-down menu. Note whether the Editor Score changes.
In the categories that appear under the Corrections or Refinements sections, you can review the changes that occurred in the categories based on changing the writing style from Formal to Professional. Select each category that displays a number (indicating the number of issues for that category). Doing so enables you to review the suggestions throughout the document for that category. For each suggestion, select either the suggested change or select Ignore once,** Ignore all**, or Add to dictionary. Repeat this process until all categories display a check mark.
For curiosity sake, change the writing style to Casual. Note whether the Editor Score changes. If any categories display a number, review the category and see what the Editor flagged. You want to keep the writing style as Professional, so select Ignore all for any suggested changes. Review all the suggested changes to see the differences that were flagged between Professional and Casual styles.
Save the file to your OneDrive - Microsoft folder with the following file name: Fabrikam Financial presentation.docx. The next exercise uses this document.
Important
Ensure that you save the file to your OneDrive rather than your local computer. In the next exercise, you use Microsoft 365 Copilot in PowerPoint to create a slide presentation based on this document. The document must be in OneDrive for Copilot to access it.
Close the tab containing this document in your Microsoft Edge browser.