Details

Category: Communication Skills

Published: Tuesday, 04 August 2026 10:51

Written by: Matt Pye - HWD

AI-Assisted Writing for Government Analysts

This practical half-day course is designed for analysts and other professionals across the UK public sector who need to produce clear, accurate and credible written work in fast-moving environments. It explores how Microsoft Copilot can support the planning, drafting, reviewing and refinement of emails, briefings, reports, submissions and other working documents.

The course recognises that readers are often scanning information under pressure, while writers may be managing competing demands. Participants will learn how to use Copilot to improve structure, clarity, concision and tone, ensuring that key messages, actions, evidence and risks are easy to identify.

Particular emphasis is placed on the standards expected of public sector analytical writing. Participants will practise using Copilot to test assumptions, identify unsupported claims, expose gaps in evidence and strengthen the reasoning behind conclusions and recommendations. They will also learn how to avoid generic AI-assisted writing by providing sufficient organisational context, audience information and decision requirements.

Responsible use is embedded throughout. Copilot is treated as a drafting, reviewing and thinking aid rather than a substitute for professional expertise, with the writer retaining responsibility for accuracy, assurance and final sign-off.

No specialist technical or AI knowledge is required.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify where Copilot can usefully support public sector writing and where professional judgement, expertise and sign-off remain essential.
• Structure written work so that its purpose, key messages, actions, evidence and risks are clear to busy readers.
• Use effective prompts to produce drafts that reflect the intended audience, purpose, tone and format.
• Apply Copilot to improve the clarity, concision, readability and organisation of written documents.
• Prompt for greater specificity, organisational relevance and decision-focused content, reducing generic output.
• Use Copilot to identify unsupported claims, missing evidence, assumptions and weaknesses in reasoning.
• Apply a structured review process to produce writing that is accurate, defensible and suitable for scrutiny and decision-making.

How our virtual classrooms work

Our Virtual Classroom courses allows you to attend our classroom training without leaving your home or office. We use the ‘Microsoft Teams’ meeting software. Before you attend, please check that you meet the system requirements. If it doesn’t work, try adjusting your settings or contact your IT department to ask about permitting the website.

You are also welcome to use your personal laptop, tablet or even your smart phone. Please just forward our course invite to your personal email, or just copy and paste the link into your browser.

If you encounter any problems, please feel free to get in touch. We can set up a test meeting before the course.