Captain CopilotCore skills training

Episode one · A serial in six missions

Prompt. Create. Save the day.

Six short missions to master core Copilot skills — before Admiral Analogue drags the office back to the fax era.

Meet the villain
Captain Copilot strikes a heroic pose on a stepped deco plinth, cape flying, one fist raised
Captain Copilot · Hero of the hour

The programme

Six missions

Each one short enough to finish before the kettle boils.

  1. Mission onePrompt Like a Pro

    Goal, context, source, expectations — the four-part prompt that gets results first time.

    Duration
    15 min
    Badge
    Prompt Cadet

  2. Mission twoCopilot Chat

    Work data vs the web, follow-up questions, and when to ask “show me your sources”.

    Duration
    20 min
    Badge
    Chat Champion

  3. Mission threeCopilot in Word

    Draft, rewrite, summarise — and rescue a 40-page report from the Admiral’s Fog of Paperwork.

    Duration
    20 min
    Badge
    Word Wrangler

  4. Mission fourCopilot in Excel

    Ask questions of your data, add formula columns, chart it in seconds.

    Duration
    25 min
    Badge
    Formula Fighter

  5. Mission fiveCopilot in PowerPoint

    Turn a document into a deck; defuse the Admiral’s 97-slide overhead-projector monstrosity.

    Duration
    20 min
    Badge
    Deck Defender

  6. Mission sixCopilot in Outlook & Teams

    Summarise threads, draft replies, catch up on meetings you heroically missed.

    Duration
    20 min
    Badge
    Inbox Invincible

Dramatis personae

Villain files

Portrait of Captain Copilot in a teal suit, teal domino mask, gold quiff and burgundy cape

Captain Copilot

Hero of the hour

Powers: summarises at the speed of light, drafts with one eyebrow raised, always asks a good follow-up question.

Weakness: vague prompts.

Portrait of Admiral Analogue: a portly admiral in a bicorne hat with a monocle and an enormous grey moustache

Admiral Analogue

Scourge of the stationery cupboard

Powers: carbon paper, the 400-page appendix, Reply All. Signature move: the Filing Cabinet Avalanche.

Weakness: a well-structured prompt.

From the gadget lab

Three instruments every cadet carries

  • The Four-Part Prompt

    Goal, context, source, expectations — say all four and Copilot rarely needs a second go.

  • Reference a file with /

    Type a forward slash in the prompt box to point Copilot at the exact document you mean.

  • Ask for a table

    “Put that in a table with columns for…” turns a wall of text into something you can actually scan.

Hall of heroes

Leaderboard

Your rank: Prompt Cadet · 2 of 6 missions complete · 340 points

  1. 1The Manchester Marvels1,240
  2. 2Team Leeds1,105
  3. 3Desk 4B980