Prompts that work

15 minutes. Four parts, one rule about order, and a card on the wall.

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Most disappointing Copilot answers come from one-line prompts. "Write an email to the customer." Which customer? About what? How long? In what tone? Copilot fills the gaps with guesses, and the guesses sound fine and say nothing.

Microsoft's own help page on prompts gives a simple fix. A good prompt can have four parts. You don't need all four every time. You need more than one most of the time.

The four parts

Microsoft names them like this:

Goal. What do you want Copilot to do?
Context. Why do you need it, and who is involved?
Source. What information or samples should Copilot use?
Expectations. How should Copilot respond?

Here's the difference at Comfort Zone Heating & Cooling, our fictional company.

Weak: "Write a note about the furnace tune-up special."

Strong: "Write a short note for our Facebook page announcing our fall furnace tune-up. *(Goal)* Our customers are homeowners in the valley who want to avoid a no-heat call in January. *(Context)* Use the price and dates in Fall Tune-Up Flyer.docx. *(Source)* Keep it under 80 words, friendly and plain, with one line telling people how to book. *(Expectations)*"

The second one takes 20 more seconds to type and saves five minutes of editing.

Microsoft's tips that matter most

Microsoft's help pages add a few points worth keeping:

All that's required is a clear goal. Start there, then add the other parts when the answer isn't what you wanted.
Order matters. Microsoft says later parts of a prompt are likely to be weighted more. If you want Copilot to use a specific file, put that last.
Say what to do, not what not to do. "Keep it to three sentences" works better than "Don't make it long."
Expect to follow up. The first answer is a draft. Reply with "shorter," "more formal," "add the price," or "make it a table."
The same prompt can give different answers. That's normal. If one answer is wrong, ask again or add detail.
Check the answer. Microsoft's help says AI can be wrong. Names, numbers, dates and prices get checked by a person, every time.

Pointing Copilot at your files

The Source part is where Copilot gets useful for real work. How you point to a file depends on where you are:

In Copilot Chat, you can upload a file. Microsoft's FAQ says to select the (+) Add content button in the chat box or drag the file in. Uploaded files are stored in your OneDrive for Business.
In Word, Microsoft's help says to type / and choose the file.
With the paid license, you can often just name the file or the topic and Copilot will find it, if you have permission to open it.

Name files so people (and Copilot) can find them. "Henderson Install Quote Oct 2026.docx" beats "Quote final v3.docx."

Five prompts every office can use

These are on the Copilot Prompt Card template. Change the words in brackets.

Catch up. "Summarize this thread. List any questions someone asked me that I haven't answered, and any dates or prices mentioned. Use bullets."
First draft. "Draft a reply to [name] confirming [what]. Friendly and short, under 100 words. Use only the facts in this thread. If a fact is missing, write [CHECK] instead of guessing."
Plain English. "Rewrite this paragraph so a homeowner with no technical background understands it. Keep every number the same."
From a file. "Using [file name], write a one-page summary for [audience]. Use headings and keep it under 300 words."
Find the gaps. "Read [file name] and list anything that's unclear, missing or contradicts itself. List the problems only, and leave the text as it is."

Prompt 2 has a habit worth stealing: "If a fact is missing, write [CHECK]." It turns a guess into a visible gap that a person fills in.

What never goes into a prompt

Copilot on a work account has strong protections. Microsoft says prompts aren't used to train its models. That doesn't make every piece of information fine to paste. Your company's own rules come first. Until you have a written policy, use this short list:

No passwords, door codes or alarm codes
No full card numbers or bank account numbers
No Social Security numbers or driver's license numbers
No health details unless your IT partner has confirmed your setup is approved for them

And never use a personal Copilot account for business information. Look for the Work label and the green shield from Lesson 1.

Do this now

Open the Copilot Prompt Card template.
Pick one real task from today: an email to answer, a document to start, a note to rewrite.
Write a one-line prompt for it and run it in Copilot Chat. Save the answer.
Rewrite the prompt with all four parts. Run it again.
Compare the two. Write the better prompt on your card under "Our prompts."
Follow up once ("shorter," "add a table," "friendlier") and notice how the draft changes.

Check it worked

You can name the four parts without looking.
You ran the same task twice and the four-part version was better.
At least one of your team's real prompts is on the card.
You know where to find (+) Add content in Copilot Chat, and the / trick in Word.

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Next: the place most of us spend the day. Your inbox.

→ Lesson 4: Copilot in Outlook

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