Overview
Many organisations have begun introducing Microsoft Copilot to improve productivity, yet most users only apply it to simple tasks such as drafting emails or summarising documents. As a result, much of Copilot’s potential remains untapped. Without the right knowledge and approach, organisations risk underutilising a powerful tool that could significantly improve efficiency, insight and decision-making.
To realise the real value of Copilot, users need to move beyond basic prompting and learn how to work with AI more strategically. Advanced use allows employees to produce higher-quality outputs, automate routine tasks, analyse complex information and streamline everyday workflows. Developing these capabilities helps organisations maximise their investment in Microsoft 365 while enabling staff to work more effectively and confidently alongside AI.
This course supports delegates who already have some experience with Copilot and want to deepen their skills. It focuses on helping participants understand how to use Copilot more intelligently and responsibly, enabling them to generate better results, identify opportunities for automation and apply AI in ways that support productivity, innovation and informed decision-making across their roles.
To get the most out of this course please make sure you have a paid version of Microsoft Copilot.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand how advanced Copilot use can improve productivity and decision-making
- Design structured prompts that generate more consistent, high-quality outputs
- Use Copilot as a critical reviewer and thinking partner in business tasks
- Identify opportunities to automate recurring tasks and workflows
- Apply advanced Copilot capabilities across Microsoft 365 applications
- Build and manage Copilot Agents to support specific work activities
Agenda
9:30
Registration and GovPD Welcome Address
- Introduction of trainer and participants
- Overview of course objectives and outcomes
- What differentiates standard and advanced use of Copilot
9:50
Designing High-Quality Prompts
- Moving from prompting to context engineering
- Structuring prompts for consistent, high-quality outputs
- Using Copilot as a critical reviewer and innovator
- Practical exercise: upgrading a weak business prompt
10:30
Break
10:35
Building and Managing Copilot Agents
- What Copilot Agents are and when to use them
- Overview of Microsoft Copilot Studio (Lite and Full experience)
- Defining roles, rules and behavioural boundaries
- Practical exercise: building a working agent
11:20
Break
11:25
Scheduled Prompts and Task Automation
- Creating recurring prompts for reporting, research and updates
- Managing notifications and structured outputs
- Demonstration: setting up a weekly policy or industry summary
- Identifying practical automation opportunities
12:00
Advanced Copilot Capabilities
- Think Deeper vs Auto reasoning
- Advanced use across Excel, Word and PowerPoint
- Using Researcher for multi-source analysis
- Generating executive-ready reports and visual summaries
12:50
Governance, Security and Responsible AI
- Managing data access and permissions
- Reducing hallucinations and bias
- Embedding human oversight and review processes
- Drafting advanced usage principles
13:20
Wrap-Up and Next Steps
- Practical next steps for implementation
- Further learning resources
- Final Q&A
Course Instructor
Jonathan Pollinger
Jonathan Pollinger is an experienced freelance AI Trainer and Consultant based in Cardiff, South Wales, with 17 years’ experience as a freelance trainer. He helps businesses, charities, colleges, local government and public figures use AI to increase productivity, improve efficiency and raise the quality of their work through practical, hands-on training in tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Claude. He brings to AI the same outcomes-led approach he built over many years in digital marketing and social media.
Jonathan is a BCS-approved trainer, accredited with the BCS Essentials Certificate in Artificial Intelligence v2.0 (November 2025) and the BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence v2.0 (December 2025) and he holds the CompTIA AI Prompting Essentials certification (May 2026). He also holds a BA (Hons) in Modern English Studies with Language and Communication from the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST). A well-connected figure in the industry, he is a regular technology and AI commentator on BBC Local Radio and features on Business Insider and Media First.
Jonathan’s sessions are known for being engaging and practical and are built around live demos, exercises, case studies and real-world applications, with no jargon or marketing fluff. He keeps right up to date with the latest AI trends and platform updates, translating new features into clear workflows people can use straight away. He practises what he teaches, too: he was in the top 0.1% of active ChatGPT users in 2025. To date he has delivered over 1,000 workshops and earned more than 100 recommendations on LinkedIn.
Throughout his career, Jonathan has supported a diverse range of clients including HP, Balfour Beatty, British Council, BAM Nuttall, Howden Insurance, the National Trust, Mind and many UK universities such as the University of the West of England (UWE) and the University of Manchester, giving them actionable strategies to get real value from AI and digital technologies.
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