Introduction
Microsoft Word is one of the most popular and well-used applications in the world.
It is so good for creating, editing, designing and formatting a wide range of documents: reports, summaries, PDF guides, eBooks, letters and the like. And when combined with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint or OneDrive, it allows groups and teams to work collaboratively on a document.
Savvy Assistants and other professionals now have the extra benefit of the AI-driven support of Copilot. It’s a time-saving tool with some clever tricks but you still need to know Word well to make the advantages count.
Together – and that’s what this series about Empowering Productivity is all about – Copilot and Microsoft 365 make a great team.
How Can You Use Copilot in Microsoft Word for Greater Productivity?
Copilot is an AI-powered assistant integrated into all Microsoft 365 applications. In Word, it can help you be a better writer and automate repetitive tasks.
If you’re already familiar with the essentials of Microsoft Word you’ll find it easier to see where and how Copilot can best assist you.
Here are some of the things you can ask Copilot to help you with in Word.
Branding and Templates
Knowing how to format documents, use Styles and create templates is an essential skill in Word. However, you can ask Copilot to assist with brand design, automating template creation for regular documents and matching language to your organisation’s house style.
For example, you could ask Copilot in Word to draft new documents using existing templates or previous reports as a base. That really is a time saver.
Writing Documents
I have to say, from my own experiments with Copilot, this is one of its biggest time-saving superpowers. Full transparency, I’ve used Copilot to help me find and structure the content for this and other articles in this series.
It’s particularly helpful if you often find yourself stuck about what to write, staring at a blank screen, or fretting about what to include or how to begin.
Ask Copilot to create a draft, suggest content and research for relevant information. Perfect if you regularly produce lots of reports, proposals or marketing materials.
The AI-assistance means you spend less time on initial drafts and, instead, focus on refining the copy, tweaking text and customising the content.
Editing and Rewriting
Once you have a solid first draft, with your refinements to Copilot’s initial go at creating the document, you can also ask Copilot to edit the copy.
Use more specific prompts for Copilot to refine things further. Copilot will check for spelling or grammatical errors. It can offer suggestions for clearer language and brevity, adding greater clarity to your piece.
You can also ask Copilot to adapt the tone of the document for different audiences.
This is ideal for marketing, for example, where you might want to send the same message about a product or service to different target audiences. Copilot can help you create the master document and then customise it for different readers, adjusting the language so it matches that of each audience more precisely.
Working with Copilot helps you improve the efficiency and quality of your communications.
Gathering, Summarising and Analysing Information
Because Copilot can access everything on the internet, it can research faster than a human can. Its speed in getting results is astonishing and it even lists sources of information found.
If you have been given several reports or papers to plough through and been asked to put together a summary, you can let Copilot handle that. It will do the legwork of identifying the key points and provide a structured summary. You just have to refine its work and, as always with tasks, double check for accuracy.
Consider how long it might take you to read through a 30-page report and produce a one page summary. Copilot will do it faster for you.
Copilot can take data from the internet and any files you ask it to search, and bring relevant information into a document. Copilot can also analyse data, make visual representations of that data or even offer insights. A great assistance for report writing, for example.
Effective Collaboration
You can see how Copilot can assist you in your lone work. But it can also help with collaborative work.
If you are collaborating with a team on a project document, you can prompt Copilot for input in real-time. And share its suggestions ‘live’ with other team members. It’s like having an extra member of the team.
You can also ask Copilot to pull out relevant information or discussion points from past Chats, meetings or email threads – to clarify, review or inspire new thinking.
Strategic Applications, Innovation and Ideation
Copilot is not just about automating routine tasks or getting things done more quickly. There’s a reason “intelligence” is one of the words in AI.
Leaders and managers can use Copilot as a strategic and innovation assistant. Copilot can help organisations and teams to explore ideas, questions or challenges faster.
For example, you could ask Copilot to create marketing campaign ideas based on past campaign performance and target audiences, taking note of relevant customer or client personas.
Or, let Copilot analyse your business data and market research to help put together a business case for new initiatives. Copilot comes up with a draft, you refine it and (if it seems viable) present it to colleagues.
Every strategic decision involves a level of risk, requires a level of resources and aims to deliver positive results. Why not ask Copilot to help you get clear on the stats, needs and ROI estimates before going ahead with something?
Whatever type of document you’re working on in Word, Copilot (as the name suggests) is by your side ready to assist.
Copilot: A Valuable Assistant which still Needs You to Know Microsoft Word Essentials
All that AI-assistance is all well and good. But don’t go thinking Copilot can do it all for you. It can’t. Like most other things in life and business, it has its limits.
You might also want to bear in mind – especially if environment or sustainability is important to you – that AI uses energy for every task you ask it to do.
Copilot can help you with drafting documents, getting started with writing content or letters, editing suggestions and some aspects of design.
However, you still need to know how to use Microsoft Word to format a document, create templates and use Styles. And how to file and share documents efficiently with others.
You still need to check and double check the work for accuracy and alignment with brand guidelines or house style.
Copilot is your assistant. You are responsible for how well it performs and its outputs.
Copilot: Miss Versatility Inside the Microsoft 365 Ecosystem
Word and Excel were the first two Microsoft applications to be enhanced by Copilot. Today, Copilot is integrated within the entire Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
The power of AI is at your fingertips, when you need it. The better you understand each application in Microsoft 365, the more powerful Copilot can be for you.
You can use Copilot in Excel , Copilot in PowerPoint , Copilot in SharePoint, Copilot in Outlook and Copilot in OneNote . And, naturally, you can access all of that inside Microsoft Teams as well.
The assistant or professional who embraces AI – and learns how to work its magic for tasks within applications – will stand out from the rest, for sure.
Make sure you are up to speed with all things Microsoft 365. Ensure you invest some time and support with Copilot.
Until the next time
Cohort 2 is here!
After the amazing success of our very first Microsoft 365 Fundamentals with AI and Copilot course, I’m so excited to open the doors again.
The feedback from Cohort 1 was incredible—people loved how practical and hands-on the sessions were, and many said they felt more confident and productive straight away.
If you missed out last time, now’s your chance to join us, learn how to make Copilot work for you, and be part of a friendly, supportive group that’s all about getting results.
This course will teach you how to leverage AI tools like Copilot to enhance productivity and efficiency in your daily tasks.
Don’t miss out—sign up today and stay ahead of the curve!
Visit the Course Page Now!