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Prompt engineering is an easy-to-learn skill that can help you ask AI tools for the information you need in natural language by providing context, tone, and source for queries. Learning how to ask the right questions when you “talk” to AI will help you improve the quality and relevance of the AI responses.
But first—prompt engineering in a bit of misnomer: The best part about AI for everyone and Microsoft Copilot is that you don't need any engineering skills at all. AI tools are increasingly user-friendly and use simple natural language interactions to return powerful results. Prompt engineering is just learning how to ask AI the right questions to get the results you want. In the words of this tip sheet: “When creating a prompt, think of it as if you were talking to a helpful coworker – no need to stress over order, formatting, or structure; just keep it conversational.”
You can get the best results from AI in 3 simple steps: ASK.
Action
Explain what you want Copilot to do.
Style
Describe the format you want the response presented in.
Key Details
Set the stage with more context about your situation.
Let’s dive into each of these steps for creating some common nonprofit content.
Action
Explain what you are trying to do. A few examples might be:
- “Write a thank you email to our donors for their support for our auction on Saturday.”
- “Summarize our mission statement.”
- “Write a social post boosting our upcoming digital skills workshop for senior citizens.”
Style
Microsoft Copilot can write in a variety of styles and formats. You can specify what tone you want, formatting preferences, or length of the content. Examples:
- “Write a thank you email to our donors for their support for our auction on Saturday. The email should be short, friendly, and casual.”
- “Summarize the Microsoft Accessibility mission statement. Create bullet points and keep the sentences short.”
- “Write a social post boosting our upcoming digital skills workshop for senior citizens. Make the tone fun and creative.”
Key details
Now add the details that will help the AI assistant incorporate context. Examples:
- “Write a thank you email to our donors for their support for our auction on Saturday. The email should be short, friendly, and casual. The auction raised over $100,000, exceeding our goal of $90,000, and all funds will benefit our Food for Families program.”
- “Summarize the Microsoft Accessibility mission statement. Create bullet points and keep the sentences short. Use https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/ as source material.”
- “Write a social post boosting our upcoming cybersecurity workshop for senior citizens. Make the tone fun and easy. The free workshop is on Saturday, May 18, at the Springfield Library.”
Ask again!
AI is conversational: It's easy to iterate and refine the response by asking follow-up questions. After you get your response back, try refining to with prompts like:
- “Make the summary shorter.”
- “Make the tone more serious.”
- “Can you write another option?”
Let’s see what Microsoft Copilot creates based on this approach:
Prompt: Write a thank you email to our donors for their support for our auction on Saturday. The email should be short, friendly, and casual. The auction raised over $100,000, exceeding our goal of $90,000, and all funds will benefit our Food for Families program.
Response from Microsoft Copilot:
Subject: Thank You for Your Generosity!
Dear Donors,
We hope this email finds you well!
Wow! Our auction on Saturday was an incredible success, thanks to your unwavering support. Together, we raised over $100,000, surpassing our initial goal of $90,000.
Your contributions will make a huge difference in our Food for Families program. With your help, we’ll continue to provide nourishment and support to those who need it most.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of this wonderful community effort. Your kindness and generosity truly inspire us.
Wishing you all the best,
The [Organization Name] Team
Iteration: If I want to try another approach, I could follow up with a prompt like, “Make the tone more formal.”
Subject: Heartfelt Gratitude for Your Remarkable Support
Dear Esteemed Donors,
We extend our deepest appreciation for your unwavering generosity during our recent Saturday auction. The event exceeded all expectations, raising an impressive $100,000, surpassing our initial goal of $90,000.
These funds will have a profound impact on our Food for Families program, ensuring that more individuals in need receive essential nourishment and care.
From the entire [Organization Name] team, we express our heartfelt gratitude. Your kindness illuminates our community.
Warm regards,
[Your Name] [Your Title] [Organization Name]
When I’m happy with the Copilot results, I can edit to bring in my own voice and message as needed. Copilot co-creates with you to get creativity and productivity started – but I’m still in control of the final product.
Try it now
The best way to get started with prompt design is to simply practice and play. You can start at copilot.microsoft.com, our free web-based AI assistant. The more you use AI, the more your prompting confidence and familiarity will grow.
Start with our other two prompt examples from earlier:
- “Summarize the Microsoft Accessibility mission statement. Create bullet points and keep the sentences short. Use https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/ as source material.”
- “Write a social post boosting our upcoming cybersecurity workshop for senior citizens. Make the tone fun and easy. The free workshop is on Saturday, May 18, at the Springfield Library.”
Copy and paste each sample prompt into copilot.microsoft.com and share your responses in the comments!
To learn more about prompt design, explore these resources:
- Check out the interactive prompt walkthrough on how to prompt with Copilot.
- Watch this demo from Jared Spataro at the Global Nonprofit Leaders Summit. Jared shows the back and forth of natural language interaction with Copilot for Microsoft 365. And he shares how it never hurts to say please and thank you.
- Watch the AI prompting Demo Day recording showing how prompt design works. If you want to learn more AI skills, make sure to also register for the full Demo Days series!
- Read about prompt ingredients in Copilot for Microsoft 365 using Goal, Context, Source, and Expectations for each query. We like the simple tip here: “When creating a prompt, think of it as if you were talking to a helpful coworker – no need to stress over order, formatting, or structure; just keep it conversational.”
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