A business manager’s day, with Copilot.
Six moments from a normal working day, from the overnight inbox to the last reply, and the prompt that gets each one done faster. Copy them, fill in the brackets, and use them tomorrow.
Six moments. Six prompts.
Copy a prompt, press Open Copilot to start Microsoft 365 in a new tab, and paste it in. Words in [brackets] are yours to fill in. Each card shows where to run the prompt: Copilot Chat, or Copilot inside Outlook or Teams.
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Copilot Chat8:00
Catch up on what happened overnight
Working with colleagues in other time zones means the day starts with a full inbox. Instead of reading every thread, let Copilot find the parts that need you.
Copy-paste promptSummarise this email thread. Point out every place my name is mentioned, and list any actions assigned to me, with who asked and by when.
Look at my email and Teams chats since [6 pm yesterday]. What needs a reply or decision from me today? Rank it by urgency.
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Copilot Chat8:15
Check the week against your priorities
A calendar fills up on its own. Sorting the week’s meetings into themes shows in seconds whether your time is going where it should, so you can move things before the week runs away.
Copy-paste promptGroup my meetings this week into themes, such as clients, internal and admin, and show the hours spent on each. My priorities this week are [priority one] and [priority two]. Which meetings don’t support them?
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Copilot Chat9:00
Walk into the first meeting prepared
The background to a meeting is usually spread across an attachment, a few email threads and last month’s notes. Copilot can pull it together into one short brief.
Copy-paste promptPrepare me for my [9 am] meeting with [name or company]. Summarise the document attached to the invite and the related emails, chats and files from the last month. Finish with the open questions and what I should push for.
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Teams, then Outlook11:00
Recap the meeting and follow up
With transcription on, Copilot in Teams can capture the key points, risks and next steps while you stay in the conversation. Then Copilot in Outlook turns them into the follow-up email.
In Teams, after the meetingSummarise this meeting: the key points, the decisions made, any risks raised, and the action items as a table with owner and due date.
In OutlookDraft a follow-up email to everyone who attended [meeting name], covering the decisions and action items. Keep it under 150 words and friendly.
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Copilot Chat14:00
Research a customer briefing
A good briefing mixes what the customer says in public with what your own business already knows. Copilot can search the web and your files together, and show where each point came from.
Copy-paste promptBuild a one-page briefing on [customer]. Summarise what their CEO has said in recent presentations, compare their position with [competitor one] and [competitor two], and add what we already know about the account from our own files. Cite your sources.
Check the numbersFrom [the file name], pull out the key figures for [the project or account] and show them in a table. Flag anything that looks inconsistent.
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Copilot in Outlook16:00
Clear the replies, in the right tone
The last hour goes on emails and Teams messages. Copilot drafts each reply to the length and tone you ask for, so you spend your time on the judgement, not the wording.
Copy-paste promptDraft a reply to this email. Make the tone [warm, firm or apologetic], keep it under [100] words, and confirm [the next step].
Adjust the toneRewrite this to sound more [confident and concise] for a customer who is [frustrated about a delay]. Keep every fact.
- Faster alignmentYou see what needs you, and whether your week matches your priorities, before the first meeting.
- Quicker responsesBriefings, recaps and replies start as drafts, not blank pages.
- Clearer communicationEvery follow-up lists the decisions and owners, in the tone the situation needs.
Three habits that make every prompt better.
- Be specificName the meeting, the file, the person and the deadline. Copilot only knows what you point it at.
- Check the sourcesOpen the references Copilot gives you before anything goes to a customer. You own what you send.
- Ask againIf the first answer is close, tell it what to change: shorter, warmer, a table, a different audience.
Prompts for other roles.
One day is the start, not the finish.
Get your first win with the Quick Win Checklist, then turn it into a habit across your team with The Copilot Playbook.
Want prompts like these for your own team?
We’ll look at how your managers actually spend their day and build the prompts and habits that fit it.
