6.4Toolbox
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Trust: 8 yeses — RTCF prompt, referenced file, verified facts, tested formulas, adapted tone, protected data, re-reading done, human decider.
- Daily: RTCF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams templates drawn without fumbling.
- Rule: one checklist ticked every time beats a method known by heart — under rush, you execute.
Hicham thread — the cards near the desk
After one quarter, the two cards below stay near Hicham's desk: the trust one displayed next to the screen, the templates one in his notebook. "What saved me, he says in substance, is not knowing the points, it is ticking them every time — especially on committee days."
Adapt the wordings to your context, keep the structure: it is what avoids omissions and incidents.
Ready-to-use markers
A good checklist makes a task fast and free of omissions; a good prompt template speeds up each request. Adapt to your context.
Before trusting a Copilot result
- Was the prompt structured (role, task, context, format)?
- Was the right file referenced?
- Were facts and figures verified?
- Do the Excel formulas give the right result?
- Does the tone match the recipient?
- Did no sensitive data leak?
- Did I re-read before sending or publishing?
- Is it me deciding, not Copilot?
Prompt templates to draw
- RTCF: "You are [role]. Do [task]. Context: [...]. Format: [...]"
- Word: "Draft a [doc] from /file, tone [tone]"
- Word: "Rephrase this passage more [clearly/briefly/formally]"
- Excel: "Analyze this table and give 3 key insights + the suitable chart"
- Excel: "Write the formula that [need in plain words], explain it"
- PowerPoint: "Create a presentation from /document, [N] slides"
- Outlook: "Write an e-mail to [recipient] for [goal], tone [tone]"
- Teams: "Summarize the meeting: decisions, actions, owners, deadlines"
Ready-to-say script — validating a Copilot result (30 s)
"RTCF prompt? Right file referenced? Facts verified, formulas tested, tone adapted? Data protected, re-read before sending? If any no, we do not share."
Copy-paste template — trust tracking (1 line per point)
suivi_confiance = {
"prompt RTCF": "OK / to redo",
"fichier reference": "OK / to redo",
"faits et chiffres verifies": "OK / to redo",
"formules Excel testees": "OK / to redo",
"ton et destinataire": "OK / to redo",
"donnees protegees + relecture": "OK / to redo",
"humain decideur": "OK / to redo"
}Small business / tight budget
Cards on one page displayed on the wall: the essentials (RTCF, file, re-reading) are enough.
Algiers SME
Plan for local realities in the card: known owners, committee days, verified shared files.
Remote / hybrid
Add one written-confirmation line to the tracking: at a distance, dated and validated sharing avoids misunderstandings.
Cross-cultural
Spell out headings in writing: what seems obvious (who validates, which tone) is not obvious to everyone.
48h challenge — apply tomorrow
Take 1 real Copilot result, run the "Before trusting" checklist and tick where it stands. Test one template.
- I ticked a checklist on a real result.
- I can draw the trust card and the templates at the right moment.
- I did the 48h challenge or scheduled its date.
Hicham is about to share his Excel analysis. What must he tick first?
Tip: keep these templates close to the guide's capstone project (your library of prompts that work).