Microsoft Innovation Podcast

• Why Loop Is Changing the Way We Collaborate

  Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM Amanda Sterner shares practical insights on how Microsoft Loop and Copilot are reshaping collaboration, productivity, and digital adoption. From overcoming tool resistance to driving change through Champions programs, this episode offers actionable strategies for tech professionals navigating modern workplace transformation. 👉 Full Show Notes https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/755   🎙️ What you’ll learn How Loop enhances personal and collaborative workflows Ways Copilot unlocks value in underused Microsoft 365 apps Why fast, iterative cloud innovation beats slow release cycles How to build effective Champions programs for tech adoption What blocks Copilot adoption—and how to overcome it  ✅ Highlights “Loop came. It looks beautiful. I was hooked immediately.” “I want to be able to use it when I don’t have Wi-Fi.” “Copilot can help us in apps we’re not used to working with.” “I hate Excel. But now I’m a very average user of Excel.” “Copilot fixes it for me, or at least points me in a direction.” “Copilot makes so ugly things.” “Champions is the most flexible, price-worthy way of driving change.” “You don’t need lurkers. You need people who want to be champions.” “Change doesn’t magically happen by itself.” “It’s not just saving your files in the cloud—it’s how you work.” “If people don’t want to put the time on it, remove their licence.” 🧰 Mentioned    Microsoft Loop - Microsoft Loop: Collaborative App | Microsoft 365 Microsoft Copilot - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot  Microsoft 365 - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365  Microsoft MVP YouTube Series: How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 ✅ Keywords    copilot, loop, microsoft 365, champions program, productivity, collaboration, excel, powerpoint, cloud, digital adoption, employee experience, ai toolsMicrosoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoptionSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

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• Mental Models with AI: Think Better, Decide Faster

  Hosts: Mark Smith, Meg Smith👉 Full Show Notes https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/754How to use AI to structure thinking, surface blind spots, and move through complex problems. Meg and Mark show practical patterns: building mental models, running thinking-hat challenges to cut confirmation bias, using AI as a thought partner, debugging code and page issues, automating inbox and workflows, role-playing hard conversations, and rapid research. They share personal wins from branding decisions to rescuing a bee swarm. The episode closes by flagging next week’s focus on ethical decision making and safety.Join the private WhatsApp group for Q&A and community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/E0iyXcUVhpl9um7DuKLYEz🎙️ What you’ll learnUse AI to build and test mental models that expose blind spots.Run thinking-hat challenges to counter confirmation bias.Treat AI as a thought partner to frame better questions and choices.Diagnose code and page layout issues fast, then move to fixes.Design inbox and workflow automations with Copilot and Power Automate.✅Highlights“How can we use AI to help us solve problems.”“AI is not gonna take our jobs, but greedy capitalist will.”“We are living in this world that is trying to polarize us all the time.”“I like the concept of mental models.”“I’m going to ask my dumbest question.”“I’m waking up and within three minutes of inbox, it’s empty again.”“I’ve got AI. I don’t need to call anybody.”🧰MentionedEdward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Thinking_HatsZenler https://www.newzenler.com/invite/aeLVdHRecipetineats https://www.recipetineats.com/Connect with the hostsMark Smith:  Blog https://www.nz365guy.comLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nz365guyMeg Smith:  Blog https://www.megsmith.nzLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/megsmithnzSupport the showSubscribe, rate, and share with someone who wants to be future ready. Drop your questions in the comments or the WhatsApp group, and we may feature them in an upcoming episode.✅Keywords:  ai, mental models, problem solving, strategic thinking, copilot, power automate, code reviewing, confirmation bias, six thinking hats, ethical decision making, chatgpt, beekeeping Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoptionSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

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• Copilot Success Starts with Clean Data

  Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM 👉 Full Show Notes https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/753  AI adoption starts with data readiness. Yatindra Ranpura shares a practical framework for deploying Copilot successfully, including how to clean legacy systems, measure adoption, and align with regulations like GDPR and the EU AI Act. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls and build a resilient, scalable AI strategy. 🎙️ What you’ll learn How to prepare your data for Copilot and AI tools A 3-step framework for successful AI adoption Ways to identify and remove ROT (redundant, obsolete, trivial) data How to align AI rollouts with GDPR and the EU AI Act Techniques for measuring sentiment and adoption across teams ✅ Highlights “Data quality is a super important topic.” “Establishing the correct guardrails of any Copilot release is fundamental.” “If you don’t need it, you should get rid of it.” “ROT data means you can really focus on what is the key thing.” “We discovered the most popular file was the restaurant menu.” “You want to get something done rapidly, but pull in the right parts of the business.” “GDPR and the EU AI Act are super important.” “You can measure sentiment without needing a formal survey.” “We realised there were three copies of the same information going around.” “Some organisations aren’t even prepared.” “You’ve got to make sure you’ve packed properly.” “We help restructure and break down huge icebergs into smaller ones.” 🧰 Mentioned Microsoft Copilot - Enjoy an AI Assistant Anywhere with Copilot for PC, Mac, Mobile, and More | Microsoft Copilot Office 365 - Microsoft 365 - Subscription for Productivity Apps | Microsoft 365 SharePoint - Safely Collaborate and Share Content | Microsoft SharePoint ✅Keywords copilot, ai adoption, data quality, office 365, sharepoint, gdpr, eu ai act, rot data, sentiment analysis, power platform, data governance, legacy systems Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoptionSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

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• From Burnout to Breakthrough: Rediscovering Purpose in Tech

  Get featured on the show by leaving us a Voice Mail: https://bit.ly/MIPVM👉 Full Show Notes https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/752Jared Matfess shares his journey from aerospace to Microsoft MVP, navigating burnout, rediscovering purpose, and diving deep into Microsoft Copilot Studio. With a passion for simplifying complex tech, Jared explains how he helps professionals understand and apply AI tools in real-world enterprise settings. 🎙️ What you’ll learn     How to simplify complex AI tools for business users Lessons from implementing SharePoint under strict compliance Strategies for recovering from professional burnout How to approach writing and publishing a tech book Practical use cases for Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Studio ✅ Highlights   “I found myself having to become a pseudo data security expert really fast.” “Anybody can share their story.” “It felt so good helping other people that I kind of got like that little high.” “I hit the wall hard. I had a hard time getting out of bed.” “Copilot to me was actually a huge catalyst for that.” “They're literally attacking us with Copilots.” “How do you keep up with the Copilots?” “I like to say I’m a Jared of all trades.” “I wrote chapter 14 with having no Copilot Studio experience.” “Microsoft pushed an update, broke everything.” “It was a fun and stressful time being a solo author on an ever-changing book.” “The village kind of lifted me up, which was a pretty cool feeling.” 🧰 Mentioned    Microsoft Copilot - https://copilot.microsoft.com/  Microsoft Copilot Studio - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/microsoft-copilot-studio/  M365 Copilot at Work (Book on Amazon) - https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-365-Copilot-At-Work/dp/1394258372  Sharepoint 2010 - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/previous-versions/microsoft-sharepoint-2010  Microsoft MVP YouTube Series - How to Become a Microsoft MVP - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf0yupPbVkqdRJDPVE4PtTlm6quDhiu7 ✅ Keywords   microsoft copilot, copilot studio, sharepoint, ai skills, burnout recovery, enterprise tech, mvp program, data security, power automate, crm integration, tech storytelling, book writing Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoptionSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

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• Delegate to AI: The Skill Every Pro Now Needs

  👉Full Show notes https://www.microsoftinnovationpodcast.com/751Hosts: Mark Smith, Meg SmithHumans need sharper collaboration and delegation to work with AI agents as digital labour. The episode maps how to brief agents with clear goals, definition of done, checkpoints, and feedback loops, and when to keep humans in the loop by risk. Expect interfaces like Microsoft Teams surfacing agent actions while BPM and process mining reshape workflows. The hosts weigh responsibility, repeatability, and trust, noting variability in large language models and law such as the EU AI Act. Practical exercises and consumer examples show how to build these skills now.Join the private WhatsApp group for Q&A and community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/E0iyXcUVhpl9um7DuKLYEz🎙️ What you’ll learnDefine goals, constraints, and a clear definition of done for agent tasks.Set feedback loops, checkpoints, and timeframes to prevent rework.Calibrate human-in-the-loop oversight by risk tier and impact.Use BPM and process mining to prepare and optimise workflows for agents.Practise explicit, testable instructions to improve delegation and collaboration.✅Highlights“what are the human skills that we need to learn to work with AI better.”“software-based labor that partners with humans on specific processes.”“We can't be future-proofed anymore. The best we can hope for is future ready.”“delegation being an important skill for people who are going to be working with and instructing agents to do tasks.”“I think that the human to human collaboration is going to be such an important part.”“What does the definition of done look like?”“Parkinson's Law states that you will stretch out the completion of your task until they fill the time available to complete them.”“how should responsibility be managed when these agents make mistakes?”“communication happens at the listener's ear, not at the speaker's mouth.”🧰 MentionedBusiness Process Management (BPM) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process_managementBon Appétit YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbpMy0Fg74eXXkvxJrtEn3wLisa Crosbie YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/lisacrosbieParkinson's Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_lawThe Four Hour Work Week https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_4-Hour_WorkweekConnect with the hostsMark Smith:  Blog https://www.nz365guy.com LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nz365guy Meg Smith:  Blog https://www.megsmith.nz LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/megsmithnzSubscribe, rate, and share with someone who wants to be future ready. Drop your questions in the comments or the WhatsApp group, and we may feature them in an upcoming episode.Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption is a Microsoft Press book for leaders and consultants. It shows how to identify high-value use cases, set guardrails, enable champions, and measure impact, so Copilot sticks. Practical frameworks, checklists, and metrics you can use this month. Get the book: https://bit.ly/CopilotAdoptionSupport the showIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith

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