Quick Tour: Copilot in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Overview

Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are where most document creation, data analysis, and presentation work happens in government. Copilot can significantly accelerate these tasks — not by doing the work for you, but by getting you 70% of the way there so you can focus on adding your expertise.

This video walks through the most impactful Copilot features across all three apps, with practical examples relevant to government work.

What You’ll Learn

• Copilot in Word: Drafting, rewriting, and summarizing documents
• Copilot in Excel: Data analysis, formula help, and visualization
• Copilot in PowerPoint: Creating presentations from scratch or from documents
• When to Use Each: Practical government use cases

Script

Hook

You need to write a policy brief. Analyze budget data. Create a presentation for leadership. These tasks used to take hours.

With Copilot in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, you can cut that time significantly. Let me show you how.

Copilot in Word

Let’s start with Word. Copilot can help you draft documents, rewrite content, and summarize long files.

For drafting, click “Draft with Copilot” in a blank document. Give it a prompt: “Write a policy memo about telework guidance.” Copilot generates a structured draft. You edit, add details, and refine.

Copilot gets you 70% of the way there. You add the expertise.

For rewriting, select text, right-click, go to Copilot, and choose “Rewrite.” You can make it more concise, change the tone, or expand it. This is useful for improving clarity or adjusting tone for different audiences.

For summarizing, open any Word document and ask Copilot: “Summarize this document.” You get key points without reading 50 pages. Perfect for briefing papers and reports.

Example government use cases: drafting standard operating procedures, creating briefing memos, summarizing contract documents, rewriting policy language for clarity.

Word is where Copilot shines for writing. It’s not writing for you — it’s accelerating the drafting process.

Copilot in Excel

Now Excel. Copilot can help you analyze data, suggest formulas, create charts, and apply formatting.

For data analysis, select a data table, click the Copilot icon, and ask: “What trends do you see in this data?” Copilot identifies patterns, outliers, and insights.

For formulas, describe what you want: “Calculate the average by department.” Copilot suggests the formula. Insert it and see if it works. You don’t need to be an Excel expert to do complex calculations.

For charts, ask: “Create a chart showing budget by quarter.” Copilot generates options. You pick the best one.

For formatting, say: “Highlight values over budget” or “Format this table to make it more readable.” Copilot applies conditional formatting.

Example government use cases: budget analysis, performance metrics tracking, grant funding comparisons, program utilization reports.

Excel is where Copilot helps you get answers from data faster. It’s especially valuable if you’re not an Excel power user.

One limitation: Copilot in Excel works best with well-structured tables. If your data is messy, clean it up first.

Copilot in PowerPoint

Finally, PowerPoint. Copilot can create presentations from prompts, create presentations from documents, add slides to existing decks, and improve slide design.

To create from prompts, click “Create presentation with Copilot.” Describe what you need: “Create a presentation on cybersecurity best practices.” Copilot generates slides with structure and content. You customize, add data, and refine.

To create from documents, start with a Word document — like a briefing memo. Tell Copilot: “Create a presentation based on this document.” Copilot extracts key points and builds slides. This is huge for turning reports into executive briefings.

To add slides mid-presentation, ask Copilot: “Add a slide about compliance requirements.” Copilot drafts the slide. You review and adjust.

To improve design, ask: “Make this slide more visual.” Copilot suggests layouts and graphics.

Example government use cases: executive briefings, training decks, program reviews, stakeholder updates.

PowerPoint is where Copilot saves the most time. Building the initial structure is the hard part — Copilot handles that.

Getting Started

Here’s how to get started. Copilot in Office apps requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Look for the Copilot icon in the ribbon or sidebar.

Start simple: “Summarize” in Word, “Analyze” in Excel, “Create” in PowerPoint.

Don’t expect perfection. Expect acceleration. Copilot gets you started. You finish with your expertise.

Sources & References

• Welcome to Copilot in Word — Copilot in Word features and usage
• Get Started with Copilot in Excel — Copilot in Excel capabilities and examples
• Create a Presentation with Copilot in PowerPoint — Copilot in PowerPoint presentation creation