Demo Presenter
Field Notes from the Frontier
Demo scripts for end users
Learn by
doing the demo.
Three end-to-end demo scripts you can run yourself or use to teach a colleague how to work with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Cowork, and Copilot Chat. Each takes about 30 minutes (45 if you stop to explore). Pick a starting point below.
The scenario
You're preparing for your team's quarterly business review (QBR) next week. You need to pull together what happened last quarter, identify key wins and risks, build a slide deck, and write a short narrative summary. Choose any one of the three demos below — each tackles the same QBR scenario, but shows off a different way to use Copilot to get the job done.
You're preparing for your team's quarterly business review (QBR) next week. You need to pull together what happened last quarter, identify key wins and risks, build a slide deck, and write a short narrative summary. Choose any one of the three demos below — each tackles the same QBR scenario, but shows off a different way to use Copilot to get the job done.
Pick a demo to start
💬
~30 min
Demo 1 · Copilot Chat
Research and gather what you need for the QBR using Copilot Chat — your AI-powered starting point. Best if you're new to Copilot.
Start demo →
📊
~40 min
Demo 2 · M365 Copilot
Build the actual QBR deliverables — slides, doc, and analysis — using Copilot inside PowerPoint, Word, and Excel.
Start demo →
⚙️
~30 min
Demo 3 · Copilot Cowork
Delegate the entire QBR prep to Cowork as an agentic task and review the completed work. Best for users ready to go beyond chat.
Start demo →
Demo 1 · Copilot Chat
Research & information gathering for your QBR
What you'll learn. Copilot Chat is your starting point — the conversational AI that lives at m365.cloud.microsoft and inside the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. In this demo you'll use it to research, summarize, and prepare the inputs for next week's QBR — all through a simple chat interface.
Before you start. Open Copilot Chat in your browser or the Microsoft 365 Copilot mobile/desktop app. Make sure you're signed in with your work account. Have a recent project document, email thread, or meeting recap in mind that you'll reference.
1
Start a new chat and set the context
3 min
Click path
Open m365.cloud.microsoft → click New chat in the top-left → make sure the toggle is on Web mode (not Work mode yet, so anyone can follow along).
Try this
I'm preparing a quarterly business review for my team next week. The QBR covers the last 90 days. Help me think through what sections a strong QBR should have — keep it to 5-7 sections, with a one-sentence purpose for each.
What to notice
Copilot Chat returns a structured outline you can use as a scaffold. Notice it asks follow-up questions or offers to go deeper on any section — that's the iterative loop you'll keep using.
2
Switch to Work mode and ground the chat in your data
5 min
Click path
Toggle the mode switch from Web to Work. Notice the chat sidebar now shows access to your files, emails, Teams chats, and meetings.
Try this
Summarize what my team accomplished last quarter. Look at meetings I attended, documents I worked on, and emails from my manager and direct reports. Group findings into wins, risks, and key decisions.
What to notice
Copilot pulls from your actual Microsoft 365 data — but only what you already have access to. Citations appear inline so you can verify every claim back to a source meeting, doc, or email.
3
Reference a specific document and ask focused questions
5 min
Click path
In the prompt box, type / (forward slash). A picker appears — choose Files and select a recent project doc, OneNote, or PDF that's relevant to your QBR.
Try this
/[select your project doc] Pull out the top three risks called out in this document and explain why each one matters for the QBR. Suggest one mitigation per risk.
What to notice
The / grounding pattern works for files, sites, lists, people, and meetings. This is how you steer Copilot away from "generic" answers and toward your real work.
4
Generate a draft narrative summary
5 min
Try this
Using everything we've gathered so far, write a one-page executive narrative for the QBR. Tone: confident but honest about risks. Audience: my skip-level manager. Format: 4 short paragraphs — Opening, Wins, Risks, What's Next.
Then iterate
Make it more concise. Cut to 3 paragraphs and remove anything that doesn't directly relate to revenue impact.
Now rewrite it in a more conversational tone — as if I'm presenting this in person.
What to notice
You're not starting from scratch on every prompt. Copilot remembers what was said earlier in the chat. Refinement is fast — change tone, length, or audience with one short follow-up.
5
Use Copilot Chat to anticipate questions
4 min
Try this
Based on this QBR content, what are the five toughest questions a skeptical leader might ask me? For each one, draft a clear, confident answer.
What to notice
Copilot is now playing the role of a tough audience. This is a great way to stress-test any deliverable before it goes live.
6
Save your work into a Copilot Notebook for next time
5 min
Click path
From your chat, click the Create Notebook icon (usually a notebook icon near the prompt area). Name the notebook "QBR Prep" and add the same source files you referenced. The notebook now becomes a reusable workspace.
Try this
Create a mind map of everything in this notebook so I can see the QBR structure visually.
Now build me a Study Guide of the key talking points so I can prep for the meeting on my phone.
What to notice
Notebooks are now available to all Copilot Chat users — not just paid M365 Copilot licence holders. You can come back to this Notebook next quarter and re-use the structure.
Pro tip
The single biggest leap in Copilot Chat quality comes from grounding — using / to reference specific files, people, sites, or meetings. Generic prompts get generic answers. Grounded prompts get YOUR answer.
By the end you should be able to
- Switch confidently between Web mode and Work mode
- Use the / picker to ground Copilot in specific files, sites, or people
- Iterate on a draft by changing tone, length, or audience in one short follow-up
- Use Copilot as a "tough audience" to stress-test deliverables
- Save a chat as a Copilot Notebook to reuse for recurring work like QBRs
Demo 2 · M365 Copilot in the apps
Build your QBR deliverables in PowerPoint, Word & Excel
What you'll learn. M365 Copilot lives inside the apps you already use every day — PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams. You'll move from asking Copilot questions to having Copilot do work for you directly inside the file. This is where Agent Mode comes in.
Before you start. Have PowerPoint, Word, and Excel open (desktop or web). You'll need an M365 Copilot licence (look for the purple Copilot button in the ribbon). It also helps to have a relevant data file — a sales spreadsheet, project doc, or last quarter's deck — ready to reference.
1
Generate a starter QBR deck in PowerPoint
6 min
Click path
Open PowerPoint → click New → click the Copilot button → choose Create presentation from prompt.
Try this
Create a 10-slide quarterly business review deck. Sections: Title, Executive Summary, Last Quarter Wins, Last Quarter Misses, Key Metrics, Top Risks, What's Working, What Needs to Change, Next Quarter Priorities, Q&A. Use a professional tone. Include placeholder visuals.
What to notice
Copilot in PowerPoint scaffolds the whole deck — structure, slide titles, body content, and even speaker notes. You can also let Copilot use your organisation's brand-approved imagery from the SharePoint Organization Asset Library if it's been set up.
2
Use the new one-click PowerPoint skills
5 min
Click path
In the Copilot pane on the right of PowerPoint, look for the Skills chip. You'll see three built-in skills: Review this presentation, Visualize this slide, and Standardize formatting.
Try this
Click Review this presentation — Copilot scans your deck and gives slide-by-slide suggestions to improve structure, clarity, and storytelling. Apply the ones that make sense.
Now select your "Key Metrics" slide and click Visualize this slide — Copilot transforms a text-heavy slide into a clean, branded visual.
Finally, click Standardize formatting — Copilot aligns fonts, sizes, and bullet styles across every slide in one shot.
Now select your "Key Metrics" slide and click Visualize this slide — Copilot transforms a text-heavy slide into a clean, branded visual.
Finally, click Standardize formatting — Copilot aligns fonts, sizes, and bullet styles across every slide in one shot.
What to notice
These three skills do in 30 seconds what would normally take an hour of manual cleanup. You don't have to craft a long prompt — just click.
3
Switch to Excel and turn on Agent Mode
8 min
Click path
Open Excel and load a sales, project, or operations spreadsheet (any tabular data with at least 3 columns and 20 rows). Click the Copilot button → at the top of the Copilot pane, toggle on Agent Mode.
Try this
Analyze this workbook and tell me the top 3 trends, the 2 biggest anomalies, and which row or category is most worth investigating before next week's QBR.
Then go further
Now add a new sheet that summarizes those findings as a simple table I can paste into PowerPoint. Add a chart that visualizes the most interesting trend.
What to notice
Agent Mode doesn't just answer — it acts. It creates new sheets, formulas, charts, and tables, showing its reasoning along the way. You can review, accept, or reject each change. Works with locally stored workbooks now too, not just cloud files.
4
Draft the QBR narrative document in Word with Agent Mode
8 min
Click path
Open Word → click the Copilot button in the ribbon → toggle on Agent Mode.
Try this
Write a 2-page executive QBR summary for my leadership team. Reference the Excel workbook I just analyzed and the PowerPoint deck I just built. Sections: Headline narrative, Top 3 wins with proof points, Top 2 risks and mitigation, What we'd recommend for next quarter. Keep tone confident but honest.
Then iterate
Add a citation for every claim that comes from the Excel file. Use footnotes.
Now check it against our company writing style — short sentences, active voice, no jargon.
What to notice
Citations now appear automatically when Copilot pulls from web or Work IQ sources, so every fact is traceable. Agent Mode in Word can plan, execute, and refine multi-step document work — not just answer one-shot prompts.
5
Connect everything with PowerPoint Live
5 min
Click path
Back in PowerPoint → click Slide Show → choose Present in Teams (or PowerPoint Live). Imagine you're now in the QBR meeting.
What to demo
Show that attendees in a PowerPoint Live meeting can now select slide text and ask Copilot to explain it in real time — without interrupting the presenter. This makes complex slides much easier to follow live.
6
Try Copilot in Outlook for the QBR invite & follow-up
5 min
Click path
Open Outlook → start a new email → click the Copilot button → choose Draft with Copilot.
Try this
Draft an email to my team announcing the QBR for next Thursday at 2pm. Include the agenda, ask them to review the deck attached, and request they bring one win and one risk to discuss. Tone: warm and direct.
What to notice
Copilot in Outlook can also summarize long email threads, suggest replies, and (with multi-tenant accounts) clearly show which account it's acting on in the side pane.
The big shift
Notice how the same Copilot identity follows you across PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Outlook — and Agent Mode means Copilot isn't just answering questions, it's making changes in your file. You always stay in control: review, accept, or reject every step.
By the end you should be able to
- Generate a starter deck in PowerPoint from a single prompt
- Use one-click PowerPoint skills: Review, Visualize, Standardize
- Turn on Agent Mode in Excel to analyze data and create sheets & charts
- Turn on Agent Mode in Word to draft multi-page documents with citations
- Run a PowerPoint Live meeting where attendees can ask Copilot about slides
- Draft an email in Outlook with Copilot's help
Demo 3 · Copilot Cowork
Delegate the whole QBR as an agentic task
What you'll learn. Cowork is Copilot's most powerful mode — instead of working with you turn-by-turn, it goes off and completes long-running, multi-step work on its own, then returns finished deliverables. You'll delegate your entire QBR prep as a single task and watch it work.
Before you start. You'll need an M365 Copilot licence and your tenant needs Cowork usage-based billing turned on (via Copilot Credits in the M365 admin center). Access Cowork at m365.cloud.microsoft — there's a toggle in Copilot Chat to switch into Cowork mode. Make sure you have at least 30-45 minutes uninterrupted, because Cowork can run for several minutes per task.
1
Launch Cowork and explore the workspace
3 min
Click path
Open m365.cloud.microsoft → in the M365 Copilot app, find the Cowork toggle (or tab) in the navigation → click it.
What to notice
The interface is similar to Chat but bigger and more deliberate — designed for tasks that take minutes, not seconds. Notice the model picker at the top: you can choose OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, or Microsoft's MAI models depending on the task.
2
Delegate the entire QBR prep as one task
3 min to write, 10-15 min for Cowork to run
Try this
I have a quarterly business review next Thursday at 2pm. Please prepare everything I need:
1. Read through my Teams meetings, OneDrive files, and emails from the last 90 days to figure out what my team accomplished.
2. Build a 10-slide PowerPoint deck following this structure: Title, Executive Summary, Wins, Misses, Key Metrics, Risks, What's Working, What Needs to Change, Next Quarter Priorities, Q&A.
3. Write a 2-page executive narrative document in Word summarizing the same content.
4. Generate a simple Excel workbook with the key metrics in a table plus one chart.
5. Draft an email invite to my team for the QBR meeting.
Save all four deliverables in a OneDrive folder called "QBR Prep". When you're done, summarize what you found and any open questions for me.
What to notice
Cowork will plan the work, then execute step by step. You can watch its progress in real time — research, drafting, creating files, applying formatting. This is what makes it different from regular Copilot: it produces completed work, not just suggestions.
3
Watch Cowork work and use the pause
5 min
What to notice
Cowork shows its work as it goes: "Reading meeting transcripts…", "Analyzing OneDrive folder…", "Drafting slide 3…". You'll see it open files, call into Work IQ, and even use the browser autonomously if needed (via Edge).
Try this
While Cowork is running, click Pause. Inject a new instruction: "Also include a section on team sentiment based on recent retrospective feedback." Click Resume. Cowork incorporates the change without restarting.
Demo tip
This is a good moment to grab a coffee. Cowork tasks of this size take ~10–15 minutes. While it runs, talk through what you'd normally do during that time — and notice you're getting it back.
4
Review what Cowork delivered
7 min
Click path
When Cowork signals done, scroll up in the conversation to see its summary. Click each generated file link (the deck, the doc, the workbook, the email draft) to open them in the relevant app.
What to look for
• The deck has structure, branded visuals, speaker notes, and a coherent narrative.
• The narrative doc is cited — every claim links back to a source.
• The Excel workbook has real numbers, formulas, and a chart.
• The email draft is ready to send with the deck attached.
• Cowork's summary at the end notes any gaps it couldn't fill — those are the only things you need to address.
• The narrative doc is cited — every claim links back to a source.
• The Excel workbook has real numbers, formulas, and a chart.
• The email draft is ready to send with the deck attached.
• Cowork's summary at the end notes any gaps it couldn't fill — those are the only things you need to address.
5
Refine with follow-up tasks
5 min
Try this
The deck looks great, but the "Misses" slide is too soft. Rewrite it to be more honest about what didn't land, and add a brief mitigation plan for each miss. Then re-export the deck to the same OneDrive folder.
What to notice
Cowork remembers everything from the previous run — files, structure, decisions — so refinement requests are fast. This is how a single QBR prep becomes a repeatable workflow you trigger every quarter.
6
Create a reusable skill so next quarter is one click
4 min
Click path
Open OneDrive → navigate to /Documents/Cowork/skills/ → create a new file called qbr-prep.md.
Paste this template
---
name: qbr-prep
description: Prepare a quarterly business review with deck, narrative doc, Excel workbook, and team email draft. Use whenever the user mentions QBR, quarterly review, or quarterly business review.
---
Steps:
1. Read meetings, files, and emails from the last 90 days.
2. Identify wins, misses, key metrics, and risks.
3. Build a 10-slide PowerPoint deck using the QBR template.
4. Write a 2-page narrative document.
5. Generate an Excel workbook with metrics and one chart.
6. Draft a team email invite.
7. Save all four files in a OneDrive folder named "QBR Prep [Quarter] [Year]".
8. Summarize findings and flag open questions.
What to notice
Cowork automatically discovers SKILL.md files in this folder at the start of every conversation. Next quarter, just say "run qbr-prep" and Cowork will execute the whole flow. You can create up to 50 custom skills per user.
The big shift
Chat is conversational. Apps integrate Copilot into your workflow. Cowork is delegation — you describe an outcome and walk away. Combined with a custom SKILL.md, work that took half a day becomes a 30-second instruction you reuse every quarter.
By the end you should be able to
- Switch from Copilot Chat into Cowork at m365.cloud.microsoft
- Delegate a multi-step task with a single, detailed prompt
- Pause Cowork mid-task to inject new instructions, then resume
- Review completed deliverables and ask for refinements
- Create a custom SKILL.md so a repeating workflow becomes one-click
- Understand when to use Chat vs apps vs Cowork