> 📥 The full mini-guide is available as a PDF (Danish). Download it at the top of the page.
Most Copilot prompts I see at Danish customers are too vague to work. "Summarize this meeting." "Write an email to my colleague about the Q3 budget." "Find data about our customers." Three prompts. Three disappointed employees. Zero usable output.
The bottleneck isn't Copilot. It's the specification. The good news: you can close that gap in 30 seconds — if you know what to write.
Microsoft has actually published the framework itself. Four elements that make the difference between a useless list and something you can act on: goal, context, source, expectations. This guide explains the framework — and gives you 10 ready-made templates you can paste straight into Copilot.
The four elements — in short
- Goal — what Copilot should do, concretely. Start with a precise verb: write, summarize, compare, analyze, draft. A vague verb gives a vague answer.
- Context — who's reading it, and what do they already know? "My team lead knows the project but not the numbers" beats "my boss" every time.
- Source — point Copilot at the right content. Type `/` to pick a file, or name the email, person or meeting. "Based on what you know" is not a source.
- Expectations — format, length and tone. "Bullets. Max 150 words. Write it for a busy executive."
Goal is the only mandatory element. The other three are for when the output actually matters. The time difference is typically two extra sentences. The output difference is enormous.
Before and after
Too vague:
> Write an email to my colleague about the Q3 budget.
Sharp — all four elements:
> Write an email to Maria, who's new to the project (context), explaining why the Q3 budget is 12% over and suggesting next steps (goal). Use the numbers from the budget file "Q3-forecast.xlsx" (source). Keep it under 150 words, friendly but direct tone, and end with one concrete question (expectations).
The second prompt took 25 extra seconds to write. It saves you three revision rounds.
10 templates you can paste into Copilot
The PDF (in Danish) contains all 10 templates fully written out, ready to copy-paste. Here are the categories:
| # | Category | Templates |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Email & communication | Reply to long thread · Write a hard email · Status email to stakeholder |
| 4–6 | Meeting prep & minutes | Prepare for a meeting · Minutes with action points · Build an agenda |
| 7–8 | Data analysis & Excel | Analyze an Excel sheet · Build a formula or pivot table |
| 9–10 | Presentations & decks | First draft of a presentation · Sharpen a presentation you already have |
Each template builds on the framework. Replace everything in [SQUARE BRACKETS] with your own situation — the more concrete, the better the answer. Pick a Think Deeper / Thinking model when the task is important.
Tips to get the most out of it
- Tailor every template to you. "My CFO, who hasn't seen the report" beats "my boss" every time.
- 30 seconds, not 30 minutes. The difference between a vague and a sharp prompt is typically two extra sentences.
- Use the framework when it counts. A quick question-message only needs a goal. When the output goes to a client, a boss or a steering committee — run all four elements.
- Always point to the source. That's Copilot's superpower over free chatbots.
- Expect a conversation. The first answer is rarely the finished one. Ask for changes in plain language: "shorter", "more direct", "drop point 3".
- Always check the output. You're accountable, not the model.
- Save your best prompts. Microsoft 365 Copilot lets you save prompts directly — so you don't have to reinvent them every time.
📥 Download the full mini-guide as a PDF at the top of the page.
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Stefano Vincenti · AI Advisor & Trainer · aitrainer.dk · External Lecturer, IT University of Copenhagen · Cofounder & CTO BotTellMe · Partner, TryZone