Introduction
Imagine you're a business analyst heading into a busy week. You need to draft a client proposal, analyze a quarterly dataset, and build a presentation all by Friday.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is built into the tools you already use to get that work done. It can help you draft in Word, explore and interpret data in Excel, and turn your ideas into a clear, polished presentation in PowerPoint.
But to get real value from Copilot, you need to understand how to work with it. That starts with knowing where its responses come from, how your data stays protected, and how to guide it with clear, effective prompts.
In this module, you'll build that foundation. You'll learn how Copilot grounds its responses using both your organization's data and information from the web. You'll see how agents can take on more complex tasks that go beyond a single prompt. You'll also explore how your organization's data is protected while you work.
Most importantly, you'll start using a simple prompting approach that you'll apply throughout the rest of this learning path. Each module that follows builds on this foundation, so you can confidently use Copilot across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and beyond.
Module overview
Watch this short video to understand what you'll accomplish in this module and how it connects to your day-to-day work.
By the end of this module, you'll be able to:
- Explain how Microsoft 365 Copilot uses your organizational data and the web to generate grounded responses across Microsoft 365 apps.
- Describe how agents can take on more complex, multi-step tasks.
- Explain how Microsoft protects your organizational data when you use Copilot.
- Write effective prompts using a four-part structure: context, goal, source, and expectations.
Note
Your experience with Microsoft 365 Copilot may differ from what is presented in this training. See What Copilot license do I have? for reference.