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At Microsoft, we\u2019ve asked our communications team to be innovators of AI. To explore and experiment with how we can all use it in our everyday work. We\u2019ve urged the team not to forget their unique expertise and value \u2014 the art of communications \u2014 but to welcome some science into the process, to be a leader in this new stage of communications.<\/p>\n
So, for the last few months we\u2019ve been experimenting with Copilot for Microsoft 365<\/a>, which is now generally available for enterprises. We\u2019re using Copilot in Teams to story mine with spokespeople and anticipate coverage after interviews. We\u2019re using Copilot in Word to start blogs and draft plans. We\u2019re using chat to test messages, brainstorm and expand our thinking. And Copilot in PowerPoint is helping us create decks that drive clarity and communicate our vision.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been feeling the impact in our day-to-day but wanted to quantify it \u2014 so we did a bit of research ourselves. Using the same methodology featured in our latest Work Trend Index<\/a>, we surveyed 80 people from our comms and marketing organization and found that\u2014 like most knowledge workers \u2014many employees suffer from meeting (70%) and information overload (86%) daily, so it\u2019s not surprising that 80% struggle with having enough focus time each day.<\/p>\n The good news? AI is helping. According to the survey:<\/p>\n And the most exciting one for me: 84% say they don\u2019t want to go back to working without Copilot. And I feel the same way. \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n Now, it\u2019s still early days and the tools aren\u2019t perfect. But to help other communicators consider how AI can improve their work days, here are five ways the team and I are using AI to be more productive, creative, and to make the work we do a little more fun.<\/p>\n 1. Meetings and interviews During or after a meeting, Copilot can also help you recall what was discussed more accurately, note a great quote or detail for a story, evaluate complex topics, or anticipate coverage following an interview. For example, you can ask:<\/p>\n 2. Message testing<\/strong> What does this have to do with AI? I\u2019ve been using Copilot as my corporal to provide fresh perspective. Some examples:<\/p>\n With Copilot as my brainstorming partner, I can identify blind spots, sharpen our positions, and expand my thinking so we\u2019re clear and thoughtful in our positionin<\/p>\n 3. Preparing spokespeople 4. Writing comms plans and blogs<\/strong> Some examples:<\/p>\n 5. Creating presentations<\/strong> Simply open a new presentation in PowerPoint, select the Copilot icon in the ribbon and once the side pane pops up, click \u201cCreate presentation from file\u2026\u201d \u00a0Select the document and let Copilot go to work building a deck.<\/p>\n From there, you can ask Copilot to add an end slide, make all the titles a certain font and color, or ask it to update one of the images to a photograph that\u2019s more to your liking. It\u2019s massively cut down the time it takes my team to build decks \u2014 meaning they can focus more on content and less on copy-pasting.<\/p>\n Like any new tool or habit the key is practice, practice, practice. If you already have Copilot for Microsoft 365, you can start experimenting with the prompts above today \u2014 or test out some of my communications prompts<\/a> for Copilot in Bing for free. You can also check out this article on WorkLab<\/a> that shows you how to write a great prompt.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll keep practicing too \u2014 and sharing along the way.<\/p>\n fxs<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n\n
<\/strong>That meeting overwhelm we feel isn\u2019t just constant back-to-backs; it\u2019s also frequent double-booking and conflicts (if your calendar is anything like mine). Copilot in Teams makes it easier to prioritize your most important meetings and catch up on those you\u2019ve missed \u2014 without having to watch the full recording. Some prompts:<\/p>\n\n
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Clarity is key in communications of course, but it\u2019s perhaps even more critical in another setting: the military. Napoleon, the famous general, is known for bringing a corporal to meetings when his generals were presenting war plans. He would ask the corporal, \u201cHaving heard these plans, would you know what to do?\u201d If the answer was no, he would ask the generals to re-write their plans.<\/p>\n\n
<\/strong>To help our spokespeople prepare for press interviews, we\u2019re using Copilot to anticipate questions and develop FAQs. Some example prompts:<\/p>\n\n
Now, many communicators are hired because of their unique ability to write. And as a writer myself, I can tell you that skill isn\u2019t going anywhere \u2014 but I\u2019ve found Copilot to be useful in helping me get started, keep going, and refine my content. \u00a0It\u2019s helping me do what I do best \u2014 even better.<\/p>\n\n
Sometimes the way we present our ideas is just as important as the actual content. So, it\u2019s no surprise that one of my team\u2019s favorite Copilot use cases is turning a Word document, like a PR plan, into a PowerPoint presentation.<\/p>\n