☕ Tech Tips & Tales from The MS Office Maestro

Your weekly guided mini lesson on Microsoft, Copilot & smart working

☕ A quick note from me

Before AI Comes Information

Hello and welcome!

This week has been largely focused on preparing a new session for ESTECH 2026 and it has reminded me just how much work goes into a one-hour presentation.

When delegates attend a conference session, they see the finished product. What they don't see is the thinking, planning, researching, writing, slide creation, revising, rehearsing and recording that happens behind the scenes before anyone steps onto the stage.

As I've been building this session, one message has kept coming back to me:

AI isn't the starting point. Information is.

We often focus on prompts, tools and the latest features but AI can only work with the information we give it. If information is hard to find, duplicated, outdated or stored in too many different places, even the smartest tools have their limits.

The more I've explored this topic, the more convinced I've become that successful AI adoption isn't really a technology challenge. It's an information challenge.

Can you find what you need?

Can you trust what you've found?

Can someone else find it when you're not there?

These questions matter whether you're using Copilot or not. Good information management has always been important. AI simply shines a brighter spotlight on it.

On a personal note, I was forced to slow down for a day this week thanks to a rather nasty stomach upset, which meant postponing a planned one-to-one Copilot coaching session. Thankfully, I'm fully recovered now and we're already rescheduled to continue our Copilot exploration in a couple of weeks' time.

Now, let's get into this week's tips. 😊

✨ This week's Copilot Moment

Decisions + Actions from Minutes

You know when a meeting ends and everyone leaves with a slightly different understanding of what was actually decided?

Notes exist but the decisions and actions aren't always obvious.

This is a simple way to turn minutes into something much clearer, separating what was decided from what now needs doing.

Try this in Copilot:

Role: Acting as my meeting scribe

Goal: From these minutes, create clear "Decisions" and "Actions by owner"

Context: Neutral tone; include deadlines where mentioned; use "TBD" if missing

Steps: Pull out three key decisions, then create a table of actions grouped by owner

Expectations: Output only the Decisions section and the Actions table

Why this helps at work

Everyone leaves with the same understanding, follow-ups are clearer and nothing important gets lost between meetings.

Quick win: Run this immediately after your next meeting and share the clarified version instead of the raw notes.

📌 A tiny Microsoft tip

Filter Activity for @mentions in Teams

If Teams feels noisy and you're worried about missing something important, filtering for @mentions can cut straight through the clutter.

It shows you only the messages where someone specifically needs your attention.

Where to find it:

In Teams, go to Activity, then use Filter and select @ Mentions.

Why this helps

You respond faster to what matters and spend less time scanning messages that don't need action.

Try this today: Open Activity, filter by @mentions, and clear any you've been carrying around.

🎙 Behind the scenes

One thing the ESTECH preparation has reinforced for me is that AI works best when information is organised, accessible and trustworthy.

As part of building the session, I've been thinking carefully about how information moves around organisations. Documents are created, shared, updated, filed, forgotten and sometimes duplicated several times over. When people can't find what they need, they often create another version, making the problem even worse.

The arrival of tools like Copilot hasn't changed the importance of good information management. If anything, it has increased it.

The organisations that will gain the most value from AI won't necessarily be those with the biggest budgets or the most technology. They'll be the ones who help people create, store and manage information well in the first place.

That's very much at the heart of both my ESTECH session and the work I do every day with clients.

What's Coming Up

🎤 Speaking Engagements

I'm looking forward to speaking at several fantastic events over the coming months:

• ESTECH 2026 in September
• The PA Show Autumn Summit in October
• ETPA Hub 17th Global Assistants Conference in Prague this December

If you're attending any of these events, please do come and say hello.

🎓 Microsoft 365 with Copilot: The Human Advantage

I'm excited to be launching Cohort 5 of my flagship programme this September.

The course has been refreshed with a new name and a new format designed to fit more easily into busy schedules.

Course dates:

• 8 September
• 15 September
• 22 September
• 29 September

New format: Four live sessions of 90 minutes each.

We'll explore how Microsoft 365 and Copilot work together in the real world, helping you build confidence, improve productivity and develop practical skills you can use immediately.

Early Bird pricing is available until 25 August.

📊 Excel with Copilot

Excel is now becoming its own standalone module.

The first Excel with Copilot session takes place on 18 August and is designed to help you build confidence with Excel while understanding where Copilot can genuinely support your work.

Format: One focused 90-minute live workshop. Price £127 as a stand-alone module, or £77 if purchased alongside the Microsoft 365 with Copilot -The Human Advantage course.

Ready to Build Your Human Advantage?

If you've ever wondered how to make better use of Microsoft 365, where Copilot fits into your workflows, or how to prepare yourself and your organisation for an AI-enabled future, then Microsoft 365 with Copilot: The Human Advantage was created for you.

We'll focus on practical, real-world workflows, not tech jargon or unrealistic promises.

You'll leave with a clearer understanding of how to use Microsoft 365 effectively, where Copilot can add value, and why good information practices remain one of the most important workplace skills of all.

🕒 Early Bird pricing ends on 25 August.

👉 Microsoft 365 with Copilot - The Human Advantage ​

I'd love to welcome you to the next cohort.

Until next time,

✍️ Shelley Fishel

The MS Office Maestro​
Expert-led, human-centered Microsoft 365 training