Tech Tips & Tales from The MS Office Maestro

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

✏️ A quick note from me

When you read this, I’ll be somewhere over the Atlantic ✈️

I’m on a 12:15 flight heading to the US, landing at 6:00am local time on Thursday 28th. It’s a long one, so I’m hoping I manage at least a few hours of sleep… we’ll see.

Since the last newsletter, I’ve delivered another session for my current cohort and this week we focused on Word and Copilot.

This was one of those sessions where everything just clicked.

We explored:

• Creating and using styles, templates and themes
• How structure directly affects the quality of Copilot output
• The difference between a well-structured document and a blank document
• When to use AutoText instead of, or alongside, Copilot

That last point sparked some great conversations. It’s a good reminder that Copilot isn’t there to replace everything; sometimes, the smartest workflow is combining tools.

Next up is PowerPoint, which I’ll be delivering from the US on Tuesday 2 June… and I already know that one’s going to be a lot of fun.

✨ This week's Copilot Moment

Why styles matter when using Copilot in Word

One of the biggest lightbulb moments in this week’s session was this:
Copilot doesn’t just look at your words; it reads your document structure.

If your document is unformatted, everything looks the same to Copilot.
But when you use styles like Headings, you’re giving it clear signals about how the content is organised.

That’s when the output becomes far more useful and structured.

Try this in Copilot (GCSE Prompt):

Role: Acting as my style guide
​Goal: Rewrite this document into a clear, structured format
​Context: Audience = internal team, keep it concise and easy to scan
​Source: Use the content in this document and follow the existing heading structure
​Expectations: Use clear headings, short paragraphs, and bullet points where appropriate

Why this helps at work:

Copilot can only work with what it sees. When your document is structured properly, the results are clearer, more organised, and need far less editing.

Quick Win

Before using Copilot, apply simple heading styles to your document, then run your prompt and compare the difference.

📌 A tiny Microsoft tip

Start with a template, not a blank page (Word)

If you want better results from both Word and Copilot, start with a template instead of a blank document.

A good template includes:

• Pre-set styles (headings, body text)
• Consistent formatting and layout
• Placeholder sections you can reuse

Why this helps:

You’re not just saving time on formatting, you’re giving Copilot a clear structure to follow from the start.

That means:

• More consistent outputs
• Less rewriting
• Faster document creation

Try this today:

Open Word and choose one of your existing templates (or create a simple one with headings). Use it for your next document and see how much easier it is to build and refine.

🎙 Behind the scenes

Behind the scenes, a lot of my time right now is going into prepping the PowerPoint session.

I’ve been using Copilot (Co-Work) quite heavily, not just for content but for:

• Structuring sessions
• Shaping explanations
• Stress-testing flow and timing
• Even helping draft slides

What’s made the biggest difference is speed.

Production is noticeably quicker but importantly, the control never leaves my hands. I’m still deciding what stays, what goes and what needs simplifying for real-world use.

Copilot helps me get to a strong first draft faster, which means I can spend more time refining and making sure everything is clear, practical and ready to use.

Copilot Cowork is currently part of the Frontier early access program for Copilot. It works alongside you and can reason across your data. Set it to do something and leave it to work in the background and when you come back voila! Your content is ready. Then refine, push back and continue until you are happy.

📅 One last thing...

If you’ve been following along with this cohort and thinking, I’d like to do this properly, this is your moment.

The waiting list for Cohort 5 is now open.

We’ll be starting in September, with live sessions on:

• Tuesday 8th September
• Tuesday 15th September
• Tuesday 22nd September
• Tuesday 29th September

It’s the same practical, real-world approach you see here, focused on helping you actually use Microsoft 365 and Copilot in your day-to-day work.

👉 Join the waiting list here

💛 Before I go...

Next week’s newsletter will be coming to you from Florida ☀️

There will be sunshine, time with our grandchildren and no doubt a few moments where tech sneaks into the mix… because it always does.

I’m looking forward to a slightly different rhythm for a few days but also to sharing what I notice when I’m working in a different environment. It’s funny how stepping away from the usual routine often brings fresh ideas.

Until then, I hope you have a good week and maybe even a bit of sunshine of your own.

✍️ Shelley Fishel

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