Model Templates
Microsoft Copilot Prompt Templates
These templates are designed for Microsoft 365 Copilot -- they're structured to work inside Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, and PowerPoint, leveraging the context-awareness that makes Copilot distinctly useful in the Microsoft ecosystem. Copy any template and use it in the relevant Microsoft 365 app.
When to use these templates
- Drafting and editing documents in Microsoft Word
- Analyzing data and building formulas in Excel
- Summarizing meetings and generating action items in Teams
- Drafting and managing emails in Outlook
- Creating presentations in PowerPoint
Ready-to-use prompt templates
Teams meeting summary template
Summarize this meeting. Provide: (a) Key decisions made, with who made them (b) Action items with owner name and deadline (c) Open questions needing resolution before next meeting (d) One-paragraph executive summary for stakeholders who weren't there
Outlook email draft template
Draft a [type: follow-up / introduction / update / request] email to [recipient role] about [topic]. Key message: [what you need them to know or do] Context: [1-2 sentence situation] Tone: [professional / warm / direct] Length: under [100] words Include a subject line.
Word document draft template
Draft a [document type: memo / proposal / policy brief / status update] on [topic]. Audience: [describe] Key points to include: [list 3-5] Length: approximately [X] pages Tone: [professional / technical / accessible] Structure with clear headings for each section.
Excel analysis template
Analyze this data. (a) Identify the top 3 trends (b) Flag any outliers or anomalies worth investigating (c) Calculate [specific metric] -- show the formula (d) Write a 3-sentence plain-language summary of the key insight
PowerPoint outline template
Create a slide outline for a [duration]-minute presentation on [topic] for [audience]. For each slide provide: - Slide title - 3 key points or talking notes - Any data, visual, or visual direction The presentation should build toward [conclusion or action you want the audience to take].
Weekly work plan template
Turn this task list into a prioritized plan for this week. Tasks: [paste tasks] For each task: - Estimated time - Recommended day - Dependencies (if any) Identify the 3 most important tasks to complete Monday morning.
Prompting tips for this model
- Always reference the Microsoft 365 context explicitly -- 'based on this document' or 'using this email thread' activates Copilot's context-awareness advantage.
- For document drafts, specify audience, tone, and key points before asking Copilot to draft -- more specific input produces more usable output.
- Use Teams Copilot for meeting summaries consistently -- it's one of the highest-value time-savers in the Microsoft 365 suite.
Common mistakes
- Generic prompts that ignore the Microsoft 365 context miss Copilot's most distinctive advantage.
- Not specifying audience for document tasks -- a memo for the CEO and a memo for a direct report need very different approaches.