Microsoft Copilot for a working day
A full day that takes one real piece of work through Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook and Teams.
- Level
- PracticalFull-day workshop
- Delivery
- On-site or remoteanywhere in New Zealand
- Length
- One dayagreed with you first
- Topics
- 7adapted to your team
Who it is for
People who have tried Copilot and want one repeatable way to draft, check and file everyday work.
The foundations session is a tour. This day is one job, carried through the apps. A person brings a document, a sheet or a meeting that already needs doing, and leaves with a checked draft plus a prompt the team can reuse.
You can book the day in your office or live by video. People who have not done the half-day can still attend. We start by reading the label in the app, because Copilot Chat (Basic), Microsoft 365 Copilot (Basic) and Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) do not see the same material.
The tasks follow Microsoft's pages 'What is Microsoft Copilot?', 'Overview of Microsoft Copilot Chat' and the Microsoft Copilot application card.
Before you start: A Microsoft 365 work or school account, and one real task you are allowed to use. The foundations half-day helps, but it is not required. In-app exercises need Copilot in those apps.
What we cover
- A prompt you can reuseName the role, the source file, the task and how you will check the answer. Try Auto, Quick response and Think deeper on the same question and compare them.
- What your label can seePremium grounding can draw on mail, files, meetings and chats the person may already open, through Microsoft Graph and Work IQ. Basic experiences need the content pasted, uploaded, opened in a supported app, or reached through a pay-as-you-go agent.
- Word, from a file you haveSummarise, rewrite and draft by referring to another document. Turn a passage into a table where that helps. Mark anything you still need to confirm.
- PowerPoint from that documentBuild a first deck from the Word file or a prompt. Add a slide, adjust pictures or formatting, and use summary questions to see whether the deck matches the document.
- Excel without losing the sheetStart in chat mode so the workbook stays unchanged. Then request one formula, chart or insight and check it against the cells. Edit mode, plan mode and PivotTables are practised in the Excel course.
- Outlook and Teams as one loopTake a meeting recap, list the actions, and draft the follow-up email. Use coaching tips for tone. Read the draft against the recap before you send it.
- A scenario listEach person records the prompt, the app and the check. The group keeps the ones that match real weekly work.
We adjust the content to your team, and use your own documents and tasks for the exercises.
Who does this kind of work
63.6% of employed New Zealanders, about 1,669,000 people, work in the desk-based occupation groups (in bold) where Microsoft Copilot helps most. Each town page shows the local share, so you can see how a rollout would size up where you are.
Employed New Zealanders by occupation group, 2023
| Occupation group | Chart | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Managers | 18.3% | |
| Professionals | 26.8% | |
| Technicians and trades workers | 12.5% | |
| Community and personal service workers | 9.0% | |
| Clerical and administrative workers | 10.8% | |
| Sales workers | 7.8% | |
| Machinery operators and drivers | 5.9% | |
| Labourers | 9.0% |
Desk-based = ANZSCO major groups 1, 2, 5 and 6 (managers, professionals, clerical and administrative, sales): roles where AI assistance is most applicable. Broad proxy informed by ILO 2025; not measured adoption or an employment forecast.
Source: Stats NZ, 2023 Census, usually resident employed people; ILO, Generative AI and jobs: a refined global index of occupational exposure (2025).
Other courses
1Introductory
Microsoft Copilot foundations
A first hands-on session on Copilot Chat and Copilot in Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
3Organisation
Copilot rollout and readiness
Prepare the tenant, choose a pilot, and measure whether people use Copilot well.
4Advanced
Copilot Studio agents and advanced Excel
Build and test a Copilot Studio agent for one internal process, and go further with Copilot in Excel.
5Finance
Copilot for Excel and finance
Use Copilot in Excel to explore a workbook, draft commentary and check every figure.
Industries this course suits
Guides
Available in every region, for example Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington. See all locations.
Questions about this course
How is this different from the half-day?
The half-day introduces each app. This day stays with one piece of work and finishes a draft you can check. Do the half-day first if nobody has opened Copilot before.
What formats can we book?
The course is one full day in your workplace, or the same day live by video. Ask if you need the work split across two shorter bookings.
Do we need the add-on for every exercise?
No. Chat, file upload and supported Outlook grounding work for eligible accounts without the add-on. Broader grounding across Microsoft 365, and priority access in the apps, need Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium).
Ask about Microsoft Copilot for a working day
- ScopeHeadcount, sites, Microsoft 365 plan and licences, and the teams you want to start with.
- PlanWe propose a course, a pilot group and a format, and agree the files and meetings to use.
- TrainOn-site or over Teams, in Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams, with your own work.
- In person
- Remote
- Half-day workshop
- Full-day workshop
- Team rollout
Independent training by TheColab. Not affiliated with Microsoft.
Enquire
Tell us about your team. We reply by email with a suggested course and format.