Review prompting best practices

  • 5 minutes

You have been introduced to the four key elements essential for structuring a prompt to achieve optimal results. Now, let us discuss how to maximize the benefits of using Copilot Chat by following best practices and avoiding common mistakes when crafting prompts.

Prompting do's and don'ts

Do's

  • Be clear and specific. Provide specific instructions to Copilot, such as topic, purpose, tone, and required length. For example, if you want to track industry news, you might say, "Give me a concise summary of recent news about [Product X]."
  • Keep it conversational. Frame your prompts as if you're having a conversation and give feedback to Copilot based on the quality of its responses to help the AI learn and match your preferences.
  • Give examples. Use clear and specific keywords or phrases when asking Copilot to write a piece of text for you. This helps it generate more relevant and creative copy.
  • Ask for feedback. Requesting feedback from Copilot helps it to understand your needs and preferences, and to provide you with more relevant, helpful responses.
  • Write legibly. Use correct punctuation, capitalization, and grammar when writing prompts, as this will help the AI produce better quality text and responses.
  • Check for accuracy. Occasionally, Copilot may make mistakes. Always check Copilot's responses for accuracy, grammar, and style, and watch out for irrelevant or inappropriate content.
  • Provide details. Provide Copilot with contextual details to help it generate more accurate, consistent responses. For example, the genre, characters, and plot to a story.
  • Be polite. Using kind and respectful language when chatting with Copilot helps foster collaboration and improves the AI's responsiveness and performance.
  • Iterate and refine. If the initial output isn't perfect, refine your prompt and try again. Prompting is an iterative process, and practice makes perfect.

Don'ts

  • Be vague. When prompting Copilot, avoid using vague language, and be as clear as possible to receive better-quality responses.
  • Request inappropriate or unethical content. Copilot isn't responsible for the content or the consequences of your writing. You should respect local laws, rules, and the rights of others.
  • Use slang, jargon, or informal language. This may cause Copilot to give low-quality, inappropriate or unprofessional responses.
  • Give conflicting instructions. Prompting Copilot to perform a task that includes multiple or conflicting pieces of information in the same request can confuse the AI and result in lower quality responses.
  • Interrupt or change topics abruptly. This could disrupt Copilot's writing process. Always close or finish a task before starting a new one. When starting a new task, write "New task."

For more tips on creating an effective prompt, please view Cooking up a great prompt: Getting the most from Copilot - Microsoft Support

Examples of effective prompts

The following list contains examples of prompts that can help you complete various tasks:

  • Help me revise:

    • Prompt: Can you help me rewrite this paragraph to make it clearer and more concise?

  • Start your research:

    • Prompt: How have world literacy rates changed in the past 30 years?​

  • Generate ideas:

    • Prompt: List ideas for a fun remote team building event

  • Code faster:

    • Prompt: Help me analyze the data from my experiment using this: [upload file]

  • Draw conclusions:

    • Prompt: Analyze the attached data [upload file] and draw a conclusion about [a topic]. Present your reasoning step-by-step.

  • Draft content:

    • Prompt: Suggest 10 compelling titles for this file: [upload file]

With a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, you can prompt Copilot regarding your work-related data. The following list contains examples of prompts that can help you complete various tasks:

  • Find your next check-in:

    • Prompt: When is my next one-on-one meeting with /person?

  • Decode acronyms:

    • Prompt: What does [company acronym] stand for?

  • Draft content:

    • Prompt: Draft a blog post for a product announcement based on this /file.

  • Retrieve buried info:

    • Prompt: What are the deadlines mentioned in /file?

  • Stay on top of email:

    • Prompt: What should be on my radar from emails last week?

  • Catch up on a meeting:

    • Prompt: Recap /meeting

  • Prep for what's next:

    • Prompt: Help me prepare for my next meeting