Copilot takes the stress out of creating presentations. Instead of wrestling with layouts, hunting for images, or spending hours trying to make slides look “just right,” you can simply explain what you want, and Copilot brings it to life. Tell it the topic, the audience, and the tone, and it drafts your slides, chooses visuals, and even writes your speaker notes.

This blog explores how Copilot transforms everyday PowerPoint work: from turning rough ideas into beautiful presentations, to speeding up the design process, to helping you feel more confident when presenting. Whether you’re preparing a workshop, pitching a project, or building a team update, Copilot ensures you spend less time formatting and more time focusing on your message.

The tips shared in this article is based on the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on (Business or Enterprise).

I know my current Copilot blogs have a lot of text and not many videos right now. That’s because I want to share practical prompts and examples you can use straight away. Where possible, I’m adding official Microsoft videos as extra resources to help you learn visually. In the future, I’ll create some custom videos, especially when I cover additional creative topics for PowerPoint and SharePoint. 😊

Why Use Copilot in PowerPoint?

Copilot is like a helpful assistant for your slides. It can:

  • Make slides from scratch or turn your Word document into a presentation.
  • Suggest layouts and designs that look professional.
  • Add images and graphics for you.
  • Write speaker notes so you know what to say.
  • Help you practice your talk with Speaker Coach.

How to Start

  • Open PowerPoint and click the Copilot button.Type what you want:
  • “Create a 10‑slide presentation about our new product. Audience: employees. Tone: friendly.
  • ”Copilot drafts your slides, ready for you to tweak.

What Copilot Can Do

  • Create slides from scratch or from a file (like a Word doc).
  • Suggest layouts and designs so your slides look great.
  • Add images, Copilot can generate visuals for you.
  • Write speaker notes to help you present confidently.
  • Help you rehearse with Speaker Coach.

Easy Workflow

  1. Start with a prompt or upload a Word file.
  2. Let Copilot create your slides.
  3. Apply your company template for branding.
  4. Ask Copilot for design suggestions and images.
  5. Generate speaker notes.
  6. Rehearse with Speaker Coach.

Prompt Ideas You Can Copy

Create & Structure

  • “Create a 10‑slide presentation about our new intranet. Audience: employees. Tone: friendly.”
  • “Turn this Word report into a 12‑slide summary deck.”
  • “Generate a presentation from these meeting notes with key decisions and visuals.”
  • “Turn this Excel report into a PowerPoint deck with charts and insights.”

Design & Visuals

  • “Suggest 3 layout options for this slide.”
  • “Create a background image in our brand colors.”
  • “Apply a modern design theme to this presentation.”
  • “Reformat these slides for a more professional look.”
  • “Add relevant images and icons to make the slides engaging.”

Summarize & Highlight

  • “Summarize this 20-page report into 5 key slides.”
  • “Highlight the top 3 insights from this dataset and create a slide for each.”

Tailor for Audience

  • “Customize this presentation for a client pitch with a persuasive tone.”
  • “Add a slide with customer-specific data from [file name].”

Add Visuals & Charts

  • “Insert a bar chart comparing quarterly revenue by region.”
  • “Create a slide with a timeline of project milestones.”

Speaker Notes

  • “Add speaker notes for all slides. Keep them short and conversational.”

Polish & Finalize

  • “Rewrite slide titles to be more engaging.”
  • “Add speaker notes for each slide summarizing key talking points.”

Accessibility

  • “Check this deck for accessibility: add alt text and improve color contrast.”

Tips for Success

  • Always start with your company template.
  • Review Copilot’s work, make sure facts are correct.
  • Keep prompts clear: say what you want, who it’s for, and the tone.

Quick Cheat Sheet

  • Three things to include in your prompt: Audience, Purpose, Format.
  • Five slide types Copilot makes easy: Title, Agenda, Timeline, KPI Summary, Call‑to‑Action.

PowerPoint Presenter Coach

PowerPoint Presenter Coach is a built-in feature in Microsoft PowerPoint designed to help you improve your presentation skills through real-time feedback and post-rehearsal insights.

What It Does

  • Real-Time Coaching: While you rehearse, Presenter Coach listens and provides tips on pacing, tone, and filler words.
  • Inclusivity & Clarity: Flags jargon or culturally insensitive language.
  • Body Language & Eye Contact (in supported versions): Gives feedback on how engaging your delivery is.
  • Post-Rehearsal Report: Summarizes your performance with actionable suggestions for improvement.

Why It’s Useful

  • Helps you sound confident and professional.
  • Improves timing and clarity for better audience engagement.
  • Great for virtual presentations and hybrid meetings where delivery matters

Microsoft Resources:

Other Copilot related blogs I’ve written:

“Build confidence, boost creativity, and let Copilot do the heavy lifting. Your journey from beginner to brilliant starts with one good prompt.”

Spoiler Alert!! I use Copilot to create my Blog Thumbnails and help fact check my articles / shorten / summarise paragraphs where needed. I also use Napkin.AI to create any infographics I use. Of course I can create my own images, and I ROCK at PowerPoint, but with Copilot I can do SO MUCH MORE, SO MUCH FASTER! I’ve always wanted an assistant, now I do. #WinningAtLife

Contact me:

Do you need help with your #Microsoft365 #Copilot journey? Contact me.

Please DO NOT contact me to publish blogs on your behalf, advertise on my site, endorse your product or solve a problem you have (that could have been solved by posting on an online forum). As part of the #Micosoft365 #Copilot #Community, we work really hard on content and support that we give back to you, for free – because we really do care. You are always welcome to leave (relevant) comments on my blogs / videos, and I’ll respond, as this way, others also get value from it. 

Stay awesome, keep learning, help others.