How to start your M365 Copilot Journey

Last week I asked what topics you have in mind and what you would like to see more of. Stephanie Frequente raised her hand and asked:

Hi Pascal, could you perhaps do a post on where to start and what videos to watch when you start from scratch?

And of course I love the idea of an episode on how to start your journey. This episode focuses on the end user perspective. I'm assuming that your IT department has implemented proper governance, permission control, etc. 😊.

Every M365 Copilot journey looks different

Firstly, one of the most challenging aspects of adopting M365 Copilot is that each journey may look slightly different.

What does this mean?

Unlike other tools that required us to adapt, such as Teams or M365, M365 Copilot is highly individualized. There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach that works for everyone. It's more about a shift in mindset, coupled with identifying which use cases are beneficial. Once you've pinpointed your initial use cases that provide that 'aha-moment,' you begin to explore further possibilities and construct your journey step by step.

In addition to this mindset shift, you need to enhance your knowledge. You've likely heard a lot about prompting and what constitutes a good or bad prompt. While reading and theoretical learning are valuable, practical experience is paramount.

So, dive in and experiment as much as you can. Try out the most unusual or specific queries, and you'll discover there are virtually no limits to the responses you can receive—though some may be more useful than others. 😁

But where do you start with M365?

Well, of course there is a lot of content available online.

Use Microsoft resources to get started

Personally, I think adoption.microsoft.com is a great place to start and get an overview. Especially the Scenario Library is a great inspiration for potential use cases.

Take advantage of free courses or LinkedIn Learning to improve your skills

Of course, inspiration is only one side of the coin, but there are so many free resources, influencers, and courses available. Consume the different courses, but more importantly, don't just consume, but really click through the examples yourself.

For example there are free of charge learning paths from LinkedIn and Microsoft on "Skills for demand in jobs".

As part of the "Productivity with Generative AI" you can also find my Copilot in PowerPoint LinkedIn Learning Course.

I also recentely released the second course on the M365 Copilot Chat features.

But there are so many other great resources I can highly recommend following Daniel Anderson for English speakers and Fabian Moritz for German speakers

try, try, try! explore, explore, explore! as much as possible

Once you have identified your first potential scenarios, try to test as many as possible. Don't limit yourself with thoughts. Just try it - or as Nike would say, "just do it" 😁.

I've seen crazy prompts with phenomenal results, like what kind of superhero am I based on my emails and messages?

But of course there are other, more business related prompts. But I really like the weird ones because they show the power of Generative AI.

Not sure how to prompt or need inspiration? There is the Copilot Lab, which delivers inspiration at your fingertips.

try again!

And yes, you will probably be a bit disappointed by some use cases or it will not work as expected. Sometimes it's a lack of Copilot functionality, sometimes it's because of internal issues (like not having the latest version of Office applications, Exchange is still onprem etc.).

But focus on the things that already work well. AND more importantly, try things again and again. We are in a dynamic environment and Microsoft releases new functionality at a fast pace.

Always ask yourself "How Can Copilot help me?"

For me personally, the most challenging part has been to really change the mindset. We have to come to the "AI problem solving" mindset. But at the same time, it's important to keep in mind that AI is just a toolset to support us employees to work faster or with more quality or booth 🤓.

It's learning by doing, day by day. Start your journey now!