January 2025 CollabTalk TweetJam

To kick off the new year, the January 2025 CollabTalk TweetJam focused on the topic of “Shaping the Future of Productivity with Copilot.” The online community discussion across X, Bsky, Mastodon, and Threads explored how AI-driven tools like Microsoft Copilot are transforming individual and team productivity, highlighting AI’s role in automating tedious tasks, streamlining workflows, and serving as a collaborative partner rather than just a passive tool. In the post-tweetjam panel discussion, which you can watch below, the panelists noted the shift from simple generative AI responses to more interactive, agent-driven assistance that enhances creativity and efficiency. While AI has been embedded in workplace tools for years, its increased visibility is generating mixed reactions—ranging from enthusiasm for its potential to improve productivity and unblock creative barriers to concerns about over-reliance and fears of job displacement. The discussion emphasized the importance of AI as an enabler rather than a replacement, allowing professionals to focus on higher-value work while leveraging AI for routine tasks like content creation, summarization, and automation.

Both the online and panel discussions also addressed challenges and best practices for adopting AI in the workplace. A key barrier is the inconsistency in AI-generated outputs, which highlights the need for improved user education and better prompt engineering. Organizational culture plays a crucial role in AI adoption, with panelists stressing the need for executive buy-in, clear guidelines, and training to mitigate risks like misinformation and improper data usage. The future of Copilot and AI in productivity is expected to move toward more sophisticated agent-based automation, enabling AI to handle complex workflows and decision-making with minimal human input. As businesses increasingly integrate AI, fostering a culture of experimentation, continuous learning, and collaboration will be essential for maximizing its potential and driving meaningful innovation.

Check out the post-tweetjam panel that I moderated, with fellow MVPs Kirsty McGrath (@KirstyMcGrath13), Daniel Anderson (@sharepointfocus) and Shari Oswald (@shortcutshari), here:

Anyone can join this community discussion using X (Twitter), Bsky, Mastodon, or Threads and the #CollabTalk hashtag. You don’t even need to be an “expert” to participate in the online conversation. Anyone can ask questions, comment on the questions posed, or just “lurk” in the background. These online discussions are open to anyone — you do not have to be on the panel to participate.

If you have never participated in one of these tweetjams, it’s pretty simple: anyone can jump in and share their thoughts, or just lurk in the wings and absorb the wisdom of the crowd. Either way, it’ll be a TON of content to consume in a single hour. You can follow the live session using the social platform of your choice. How it works is that I’ll post a series of questions every few minutes, and people will respond to Q1, Q2, Q3 and so forth with A1, A2, A3, always including the #CollabTalk hashtag with their answers. Feel free to reply as often (or as little) as you’d like, ask your own follow up questions, share relevant links, re-tweet others, and engage with the audience.

The questions we discussed during the session included:

1. How has the rise of AI reshaped the way people approach work, both individually and as part of a team?
2. What are the most surprising or creative ways people are using Copilot to enhance their personal productivity?
3. What are the potential limitations or challenges of using Copilot, and how can users overcome them?
4. How are businesses leveraging Copilot to streamline operations and achieve better outcomes?
5. What role does organizational culture play in successfully adopting AI tools like Copilot, and how can leaders foster a culture that embraces AI-driven productivity?
6. What skills or mindsets will be essential for individuals and teams to thrive in a world increasingly powered by AI?
7. How do you see AI and Copilot evolving in the next few years, and what impact will this have on productivity at work?

As always, there will be side-questions, side-conversations, and wise-cracking throughout. This is open to the public, so please join in the discussion! The dialog is always thought-provoking and fun.

Participants this month:

• Adam Ball (@AdamCBall), co-founder of COUCUG, Teams and Skype for Business MVP
• Hal Hostetler (@TVWizard), Microsoft MVP and senior field engineer and social media coordinator for Roland, Schorr & Tower
• Ben Stegink (@benstegink), M365 Apps & Services MVP, SharePoint, Office 365 and Azure consultant, owner of Intelligink, LLC
• David Patrick (@DavidEPatrick),  M365 Apps & Services MVP, user group organizer, subject-matter expert with DSA, Inc.
• Sascha Fredrich (@saschaF80), IT consultant of Microsoft solutions at bei Bechtle AG
• Emily Mancini (@EEmancini), Microsoft MVP, PnP team member, executive director at Left Uncharted
• Eli Robillard (@erobillard), SharePoint MVP, musician, fly-fisher, collaboration technology guy
• Galen Keene (@sdkeene), owner and chief business transformation leader at Lion Tech
• Kurt Kragh Sørensen (@KurtKragh),  intranet consultant and owner of IntraTeam.com
• Kevin McDonnell (@kevmcdonk), M365 Apps & Services MVP and group manager, modern workplace at Avanade
• Nicki Borell (@NickiBorell), Microsoft MVP & RD, evangelist & consultant for SharePoint, Office 365 and Azure
• Tobiasz Koprowski (@KoprowskiT), Data Platform MVP, founder and consultant at Shadowland Consulting
• Jeff Willinger (@jwillie), Office 365 MVP and digital experience director at Withum
• Matt Varney (@thevarnish), intranet manager at KCTCS
• Shari Oswald (@shortcutshari), M365 MVP, co-founder and productivity evangelist at PowerUP! Learning
• Mike Maadarani (@mikemaadarani), M365 Apps & Services MVP, cloud solution architect at MCM Consulting
• Ryan Schouten (@ShrPntKnight) Office Apps & Services MVP, MCT, and senior technical consultant at Xilio
• Sascha Fredrich (@saschaF80), IT consultant of Microsoft solutions at bei Bechtle AG
• Stacy Deere (@sldeere), M365 Apps & Services MVP and owner of Focal Point Solutions
• Wes Preston (@idubbs), SharePoint MVP, evangelist,  and owner at TrecStone
• Simon Denton (@buildbod), M365 Apps & Services MVP, visiting professor at Birmingham City University, and business architect at Mott MacDonald
• Sue Hanley (@susanhanley), M365 Apps & Services MVP, portal, KM, and SharePoint consultant
• Maarten Eekels (@maarteneekels), Microsoft RD, SharePoint MVP, global director data & AI and cto for Rapid Circle
• and your host, Christian Buckley (@buckleyplanet), M365 MVP & RD, 6-time author, independent consultant, international speaker, co-host of #ProjectFailureFiles #GoM365gov #MVPbuzzChat and #M365AMA, and founder of the #CollabTalk Podcast & TweetJam

If you would like to be included on one of these panels, please drop me a line via email, LinkedIn, or xTwitter. And if you are interested in being a sponsor of a future tweetjam, please contact me.