☕ Tech Tips & Tales from The MS Office Maestro

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

☕ A quick note from me

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about how people are using Copilot.

Not the features or the buttons but how they’re actually working with it day to day.

What I’m seeing more and more is a shift away from “help me write” towards “help me think, prepare and decide”. And that’s where Copilot really starts to earn its place.

This week’s tip and Copilot Moment both lean into that idea, using AI to reduce mental load, not add to it.

✨ This week's Copilot Moment

Rapid Meeting Prep - 5 bullets

You know when you’ve got a meeting coming up and you’re mentally juggling emails, files and half‑remembered conversations? This is a quick way to get yourself properly prepared without overthinking it.

Instead of pulling everything together manually, let Copilot create a short, focused pre‑read you can actually use.

Try this in Copilot:

Role: Acting as my briefing assistant
​Goal: Create a five-bullet prep brief for [meeting name]
​Context: Use recent emails and files related to [topic]
​Steps: Include goals, open actions, risks, decisions needed and key documents
​Expectations: Five bullets only, plus one suggested question to ask

Why this helps at work:

You walk into the meeting clear, confident and aligned, without last‑minute scrambling or information overload.

Quick Win

Run this about an hour before the next meeting you're attending or supporting.

Quick question for you

I shared a post on LinkedIn yesterday called “Copilot – love, love, love”.

It was all about the shift I’m seeing in how we use Copilot now, less hunting for features, more simply asking for what we want and letting it get on with the job.

If you saw it, I’d love to know what resonated. And if you didn’t, no problem at all, LinkedIn has a habit of hiding things 😊

You’ll always find my latest thoughts over on LinkedIn.

📌 A tiny Microsoft tip

Add tabs in Teams channels

If you keep sending links to the same documents, notes, or plans in a Teams channel, adding a tab can make life much easier.

Tabs keep important information visible in the channel where the work is actually happening.

Where to find it:

In a Teams channel, click the + at the top and choose Files, OneNote, Planner, or another app.

Why this helps:

Everyone knows where to look. No hunting, no repeat links, no “where’s that document?” messages.

Try this today:

Add your meeting notes or project plan as a tab in one active channel.

It’s a small change, but it removes friction, which is exactly what good productivity habits are about.

🎙 Behind the scenes

I’ve been deep in recording and editing mode this week, working on new Copilot lessons and refining demos that show real workplace use, not polished marketing examples.

One thing that keeps coming up is this.
Most people don’t need more features. They need clearer ways of thinking about their work and that’s where Copilot can genuinely help, when it’s guided properly.

More on that very soon.

🚀 Before I go… one important reminder

Microsoft 365 with Copilot – The Human Advantage starts next Tuesday, 19 May.

If you’ve been meaning to join but haven’t quite got round to it yet, this is your nudge.
There are a few places still available and the course is now at full price: £367.

This programme is designed for people who want to:

• Use Copilot confidently in real workplace scenarios
• Reduce cognitive overload, not just speed up typing
• Learn how to guide AI, not just ask it questions

👉 Save your place here​

We kick off next Tuesday, 19 May, and I’d love to see you there.

✍️ Shelley Fishel

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