Multi-step prompts and refinement

Working with Microsoft Copilot

Susanth Sutheesh

Copilot Solution Engineer, Microsoft

Why go beyond the basics?

Three chained prompt cards narrowing to a result: list launch ideas, draft a plan, then five bullets

Break one task into a chain of prompts:

Step 1 - "List marketing ideas for the product launch"

Break one task into a chain of prompts:

Step 1 - "List marketing ideas for the product launch"

Step 2 - "Draft a short campaign plan around one idea"

Break one task into a chain of prompts:

Step 1 - "List marketing ideas for the product launch"

Step 2 - "Draft a short campaign plan around one idea"

Step 3 - "Summarize the plan in five bullet points for my manager"

Add a tone instruction to your prompt:

Write this announcement in a formal business tone

Copilot's formal business announcement email draft

Follow up to reshape the same draft:

Make it shorter and use bullet points

The same email, now shorter with bullet points

Attach the notes, then two prompts:

Extract all action items, grouped by owner

Reformat that as a table: Task, Owner, Deadline

Meeting notes attached, then extracted into bullets grouped by owner, then refined into a Task / Owner / Due table

Multi-step prompting

Refinement

A side-by-side comparison of multi-step prompting building a draft in stages versus refinement polishing an existing draft

Working with Microsoft Copilot