The Secret to Smarter Meetings: Copilot’s Best Features You Should Be Using
We’ve all been there: sitting through a meeting that could’ve been an email, wondering how we got trapped in another hour of “what are we even talking about?”
Here’s the thing — meetings aren’t going away. But they can get a lot smarter, and Microsoft 365 Copilot is leading the charge. You don’t need to be a power user to make it happen either; just a few Copilot features can turn your meetings from painful to powerful.
What I love about these features is that they meet you where you are. Whether you’re leading the meeting, taking notes, or just trying to keep up, Copilot works alongside you — not in your place. It doesn’t overstep; it enhances. It’s like the perfect coworker: always helpful, never annoying.
Here’s how I use Copilot to keep meetings tight, focused, and actually worth everyone’s time.
1. Pre-Meeting Prep Like a Pro
Before a meeting even starts, Copilot can pull together related emails, notes, and calendar context to create a quick pre-read.
Instead of scrambling last minute, I can glance at Copilot’s prep and walk into the room (or jump into the call) actually knowing what’s about to go down. Game. Changer.
This feature is especially useful for recurring meetings or project updates, when your inbox is flooded and context is buried. Copilot does the heavy lifting and gives you a one-pager that’s clear, current, and customized.
2. Live Meeting Summaries
Copilot listens during the meeting and builds smart, organized notes as we go.
We’re talking:
- Decisions made
- Action items assigned
- Key discussion points
No more trying to type while talking. No more “what did we decide again?” at the end. Copilot’s got your back.
This also helps keep meetings on track. When participants know that Copilot is tracking outcomes, there’s more focus and less drifting off-topic.
3. Department-Specific Highlights
Here’s where it gets even better: Copilot can sort meeting recaps by department or role.
If you’re in marketing, you get the branding highlights. Finance sees budget approvals. Operations gets next steps and deadlines.
Everyone gets what they need without having to dig through an endless wall of text.
This is a huge time-saver when sharing notes across teams, especially for cross-functional projects. You keep everyone informed without overwhelming them.
4. Actionable Follow-Ups
After the meeting, Copilot helps you draft follow-up emails, update task lists, and even schedule next steps.
Instead of “I’ll send that out later,” it’s “Already done.” It keeps the momentum going long after “Thanks, everyone!” has been said.
This is one of the most overlooked features. We often lose traction after meetings, but Copilot helps bridge that gap from conversation to action.
5. Smarter Scheduling for Next Meetings
Copilot even suggests good times for follow-ups based on everyone’s calendars, making it faster to book the next call without the painful “what works for you?” back-and-forth.
It’s like having a personal meeting coordinator that never takes a lunch break.
Plus, it takes into account time zones and conflicts, so your scheduling becomes smarter without needing you to play email ping-pong.
Final Thought: Meetings That Matter
We’re not getting rid of meetings. But with Copilot, we can make them matter more.
Use it to walk in prepared, capture the important stuff live, keep everyone aligned, and move things forward faster. Start with one feature, maybe just the live notes, and see the difference for yourself.
