Effective queries for "Copilot

“Copilot” for “Microsoft 365” provides a new way to work with everyday productivity tools like “Word”, “PowerPoint”, “Outlook”, and “Teams”. However, the artificial intelligence (AI) assistant still needs a bit of guidance – after all, it’s a copilot, not an autopilot. In this Blog post, you will learn how to write effective “Copilot” queries to get better responses the first time around.

What makes a good “Copilot” query?

Writing a query to an AI assistant is not as simple as asking a colleague sitting next to you for help. You need to ensure that your query contains all the necessary information and instructions for “Copilot” to accomplish the task. A well-formulated query helps “Copilot” better understand your preferences and provide more accurate and relevant responses. Additionally, a proper query will save time and effort by avoiding the need to repeat or rewrite the request.

To ensure your query contains all the necessary instructions for “Copilot”, you can follow a simple formula: include the goal, context, source of information, and your expectations. We will call this formula the “GCSE method”. These four elements will help you create queries simply and effectively that yield effective responses.

Goal

What do you want “Copilot” to do? This could be summarizing a document, creating a presentation, writing an email, or answering a question.

Context

Why do you need “Copilot” to do this? Provide detailed information about the purpose of the task, audience, or situation – for example, preparing for a meeting, writing for a specific audience, or searching for specific information.

Source

Where do you want “Copilot” to get the information from? Indicate to “Copilot” where to look for information, whether it be a document, website, email, or chat – or anything that “Copilot” can access. You can use a quote in your query by stating “use this text as a source” or specify the URL of a website.

Expectations

How do you want “Copilot” to present the information? Here you can specify the format, length, style, tone, or level of detail you expect from the response. For example, do you want it to be bullet points, paragraphs, tables, or slides? Do you want the response to be concise or detailed? Do you want it to be formal or informal? Do you prefer technical terms or plain language?

These four elements can elevate your query to the next level, helping “Copilot” better understand what you need to produce a better outcome. The “GCSE” method is also great for refining queries – you can add, remove, or change any part to get a different result. You can change the goal from summarizing to creating, the context from training to sales, the source from a document to a website, and the expectations from bullet points to paragraphs.

Using the “GCSE” method to create “Copilot” queries

“Copilot” for “Microsoft 365” is integrated across the entire “Microsoft 365” suite, meaning you can use queries in the applications you are familiar with and use daily in your work.

If you have a “Copilot” for “Microsoft 365” license, see how you can use the “GCSE” method in your queries in the following scenarios – and perhaps how you can adapt them to your needs.

“Microsoft Word”

“Copilot” in “Word” can help draft documents, summarize text, and create drafts for use in “PowerPoint” presentations or emails. It’s important that “Microsoft Word” “Copilot” can only work with the information you provide – it won’t give you a great response if you want it to search for information online.

In one scenario, you might want to write a document