M365 Copilot Prompt-a-thon: A Hands-On Event for Government Innovators
Ready to supercharge your workflow with AI? Join us for Power Your AI Transformation with Microsoft Cloud — a dynamic, hands-on workshop designed exclusively for government professionals! Discover how to harness the power of Copilot in Microsoft 365 GCC to tackle real-world mission scenarios, boost productivity, and collaborate with experts and peers.Improve your professional skills for this essential work
This blog highlights essential resources for driving technology adoption in organizations, focusing on practical skills and strategies. It introduces key video topics, including the role of a User Enablement Specialist, the importance of storytelling for engagement, a three-step approach to advancing tech careers, and vital presentation skills for gaining leadership support. Together, these resources offer actionable guidance for professionals seeking to champion digital transformation and foster successful adoption initiatives.Breaking the Search Habit
In today's fast-paced digital world, digital workers of all kinds are constantly seeking ways to streamline their workflows and enhance productivity. One of the most exciting new tools available is Copilot, an "answer engine" that goes beyond the capabilities of traditional search engines. To help illustrate the unique benefits of Copilot, I recently hosted a game show-style event showcasing its ability to synthesize information from multiple sources and provide comprehensive answers, saving time and energy. The best part? I used Copilot itself to help me create the framework for this gameshow in just a few minutes. I'll include the prompts and responses I used at the end of this article so you can see just how easy it was. A special thanks to all those who attended our recent Tribal Nations conference and learning event where leaders from some of America's most tech-forward tribes come to explore what Copilot could do to bring greater productivity and equity to its members and business interests. So, why a game show format? I believe that engagement == better learning so the game show format was designed to be interactive and quasi-competitive, making it easy and fun for participants to grasp the differences between Copilot and standard search engine experiences in a memorable way. The event featured a series of fun activities and challenges that highlighted Copilot's conversational ease and ability to provide composite answers. For example, participants were asked to solve complex queries using both Copilot and traditional search engines, demonstrating how Copilot's approach simplifies the process. For extra fun, Copilot also provided me with taglines, slogans, and even a fun graphic, all in literally just a few minutes. I went from idea to implementation, all in under 20 minutes. Copilot is an Answer Engine Unlike traditional search engines that require multiple queries and manual collation of information, Copilot acts as an answer engine, synthesizing data from various sources to provide a single, comprehensive response. The game show showcased activities where participants experienced firsthand how Copilot can save valuable time and effort. By leveraging Copilot, information professionals can focus on more strategic tasks rather than getting bogged down in repetitive search queries. I find this an incredibly important distinction for a couple reasons... First, we've all adopted search syntax as a second language. When we sit down at that search prompt we choose the right key words, in the right order, and heck… we've gotten pretty good at it. But the same string of keywords sent to Copilot frequently disappoint in results. It can be a challenge to trust the natural language capabilities of Copilot to hear and understand (and communicate back!) without using stilted search syntax tricks. Second, part of how Copilot differentiates itself from standard search queries is that it can actually retrieve information from disparate sources to compare and collate its response. The more specific and natural-language your question the better it seems to response. An example that seemed to resonate with folks during the gameplay: "I am a 49 year old cloud solution architect with 27 years of experience in the IT field, living in the Seattle area and I'm considering moving to Tampa Bay Florida. What can I expect in terms of changes to my cost of living and compensation?" What's important to note is that both contestants are likely to generate an answer, but Copilot excelled by doing it faster and more comprehensively. Collating and presenting data from several different searches as a complete answer, and it self-cites so you can quickly vet your information sources! Most importantly, it invites follow-up questions in a conversational manner that lets you dig further into details or compare more broadly in the abstract. Here's a quick screenshot of the reply generated in just seconds: Breaking the Search Habit The tagline "breaking the search habit" captures the key takeaway from the event. Copilot offers a different experience, emphasizing conversational ease over specific search syntax. Participants learned that talking to Copilot is more intuitive and efficient, allowing them to obtain the information they need without the hassle of crafting precise search queries, and then stitching together data from across a dozen different web results. This shift in approach can significantly enhance productivity and streamline workflows. Conclusion The game show event was a resounding success, providing participants with a fun and informative way to understand the benefits of Copilot. By breaking the search habit and embracing Copilot's answer engine capabilities, they unlocked new levels of efficiency and productivity. I encourage everyone to explore Copilot and experience the difference for themselves and hope that this approach can be a fun and engaging way to help folks in your organization add a powerful new capability to their toolkits. As promised, here are the handful of interactions with Copilot that produced everything I needed to make this fun game show in just minutes...AI upskilling -10 quick-reads
I just took stock of my blog and found ten on AI adoption! I never bothered to share them all in the public domain, but these themes were of burning interest to me at the time of publishing. However, Microsoft MVP renewal is looming, so I guess it is time to use it or lose it! My blogs combine personal experiences, professional insights, and practical AI-assisted guidance. They are quick reads for anyone interested in AI's evolving, high-impact role in society. I "work out loud," which means sharing your work with a view others might find helpful, and others might help you improve your work. I would love comments. Children's story creation. With the help of AI, I share my journey of bringing my children’s story, “Joy of Stick,” to life, overcoming challenges such as graphic design costs and time constraints. This a cheeky nod to the “Joy of Sex” book title from the 1970s, but the content is entirely different! Responsible Copilot Usage. Drawing parallels with past experiences with Yammer's Responsible Usage Policy, now known as Viva Engage. I point out the need for and importance of a responsible Copilot usage policy. Copilot adoption is easy with Viva Engage. I demonstrate how Viva Engage facilitates the creation of a Copilot champion community. This is also my insight into the differences between seeded and premium features. AI Upskilling Workshops. Testimonials from professionals across various industries highlight the benefits of my AI upskilling workshops, featuring tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, and Copilot. SWOT Analysis of AI Tools. My AI-assisted analysis of AI personal assistants provides valuable insights into their strengths and weaknesses. Social, Emotional, and Artificial Intelligence. My AI-assisted exploration examines the interaction between these intelligences and their potential to enhance our IQ. AI Adoption Steps. My AI-assisted practical advice for consumers on integrating AI into daily life, ensuring effective and beneficial use. AI's Societal Impact. My AI-assisted reflections on the historical impact of technologies such as calculators, email, and the internet, along with forecasts for AI's future influence. AI for Beginners. My simple glossary of AI terms for newcomers. Digital Skills Advocacy. My global petition recommends the relevance of basic digital skills training for new hires and highlights the importance of AI upskilling.
