Innovation Profs - 2/21/2025

Welcome to our Friday edition of the Innovation Profs newsletter. Our plan is to be in your inbox every Tuesday with our usual news-filled newsletter and use this one to focus on making you more productive with generative AI. Let’s get started…

5 things we love about Microsoft 365 Copilot

We’re big fans of ChatGPT. But we’re spending a few months exploring if Copilot is a better option for us to adopt here at Drake University (we already use Microsoft for email, Teams, etc.). And the answer so far is a resounding yes. The secret sauce is that it integrates with your organization’s data using the Microsoft Graph.

Here are some things we love about Copilot.

Email summaries - Some people - we’re not naming names, but they know who they are - send us long emails. Or we find ourselves on a long thread of emails. Who can be expected to read all of that? Not us, now that we can click the Summary button and get to the point faster.

Talk to your inbox - We’ve been known to get a little behind on our email inbox. OK, a lot behind. But the ability to ask Copilot what important message we have missed has been a game changer. We also use this feature to find emails about certain topics, to set out of office and more.

Email coach - We know how to write an email. But sometimes we can be a little too … direct. So we use “Coaching by Copilot” to give a first read of our important emails before sending. Coach checks for tone, reader sentiment and clarity. And it usually makes us sound a bit more friendly.

I asked Coach to rewrite the above paragraph, and here is what it wrote: “We often write emails, but sometimes we need a little help to ensure they are perfect. Writing emails is something we do often. However, we sometimes come across as too direct. That's why we use "Coaching by Copilot" to give a first read of our important emails before sending. Coach helps us improve tone, reader sentiment, and clarity to ensure our messages are effective and well-received. And it consistently helps us sound friendlier and more approachable. We love how it enhances our communication. This tool is invaluable in helping us communicate better and build stronger relationships.”

Teams meeting transcripts - Have you ever left a meeting and wondered exactly what you need to do next? We sure have. But Copilot in your Teams meetings gives you a list of action items after every meeting. And it’s scary good. This tool also can catch you up of you join a meeting late or miss it entirely.

Writing formulas in Excel - We used to Google Excel formulas and struggle to get them to work. Now we tell Copilot in plain language what we want to do (bold the largest number in column b), and it does it.

But wait, there’s more! Are you considering adding Copilot at your company? Do you have the Copilot button but have not yet taken advantage? Sign up for our Feb. 26 lunch and learn to unleash the full power of Copilot.

We’re bringing back our generative AI lunch club. The next event will be an Introduction to Microsoft 365 Copilot on Feb. 26. If you are getting started with or considering adding Copilot for work, you won’t want to miss this one. We’ve been testing Copilot and find it an invaluable productivity tool.

More Lunch Clubs:
March 12: AI in Social Media 
March 26: AI Ethics
April 9: AI in Law and Policy