Copilot can be a bit like a person. If you give it vague instructions, you’ll be disappointed with the results. However, Copilot can only work with the context you provide or that it can access. Missing information often leads to weaker results. To get the best out of the tool, you need to give information that a person might naturally infer from context.
At Resolve, our AI consulting Sheffield team regularly helps businesses get more value from Microsoft Copilot by improving the quality of their prompts. Prompting is a skill you can learn quickly. To help people remember how to do it, we use a simple method called the GCSE framework: Goal, Context, Source and Expectations. Get these four ingredients right and you'll get better results the first time, with far less back and forth.
Let's break it down:
G is for Goal
Always explain the goal of your prompt. This is the one part you can't skip. Tell Copilot exactly what you want it to do, whether that's writing an email, summarising a report or drafting a social media post. A clear goal is the foundation of every good prompt.
Goal - Write a report that persuades the board to increase my team's budget.
C is for Context
Explain where this task sits. What's it for, who's involved and why do you need it? Context helps Copilot understand the bigger picture, so it can shape its answer to fit your business, your team and the job in hand, rather than giving you something generic.
Context - My team's budget is at risk because the business is looking to streamline costs. We need a higher budget to attract more clients, which will increase revenue in the long run. The board likes facts, figures and graphs.
S is for Source
Attach or point Copilot to the right sources. Want a report written in your style? Give it your brand guidelines, raw data and a couple of previous reports to use as references. Explain what the data means, what matters most and how you want the information used. That way, Copilot has the detail it needs to follow your style, understand the task and produce something much closer to what you actually need.
The better the source material you give it, the more accurate and useful the results will be.
Source - Last year's budget, the proposed budget and projected results.
E is for Expectations
Tell Copilot exactly what you need returned to you. If you want a 400-word blog, say so. If you want a one-page report, say so. If you want it to sound friendly and fun, say that too. Being specific about length, format and tone saves you a world of editing later.
And remember, the GCSE framework is a starting point, not a ridged set of rules. If the first answer isn't quite right, follow up and refine it, just as you would with a colleague. The main difference is that you can be direct if you don’t like something. Unlike a colleague, AI doesn’t have feelings, so you don’t have to worry about that.
Expectations - I need a 10–20-page report outlining a clear argument on why the extra funds are needed.
Ready to give it a go?
Prompting really is a skill, and GCSE is the easiest way to build it. Try the framework on your next task and see the difference for yourself.
Improve your confidence and get more value from Copilot by signing up for our free Can't AI Do That? newsletter for practical AI tips straight to your inbox. Or, if you’re looking for AI consulting in Sheffield, get in touch at solutions@resolve.co.uk to see how we can help your business.
