GitHub Copilot for Non-Developers Workshop

Welcome! This repository contains demo materials for learning how GitHub Copilot can help non-developers be more productive.

What's Inside

Workshop Exercise Guides

Complete step-by-step guides for hands-on learning:

1. github-copilot-vscode.md - VS Code workshop guide with demos for documentation, meeting notes, emails, and Git commit messages
2. github-copilot-web-guide.md - GitHub.com web-based exercises (no IDE required) for product roadmaps, feature requirements, and creating tables
3. github-spaces-demo-guide.md - Multi-file analysis exercises for tracking project progress, analyzing customer feedback, and extracting insights

Practice Data

provide-references/ - Sample data for testing Copilot's ability to work with references:

• example-survey.txt - Survey template
• raw-survey-responses.txt - Raw survey data for analysis

spaces-data/ - Sample files for GitHub Spaces demonstrations:

• Customer feedback call notes (3 files)
• Weekly meeting notes (3 weeks)
• Weekly reports (3 weeks)

demo-docs/ - Demo files for documentation and communication exercises:

• demo-03-messy-meeting-notes.md - Messy meeting notes to clean up
• demo-04-bullet-points-to-format.md - New employee onboarding bullet points to format
• demo-05-email-draft-rough.md - Unpolished email draft
• demo-06-process-documentation-outline.md - Incomplete process doc to expand
• demo-07-code-to-documentation.sql - SQL code snippet to document
• demo-09-product-roadmap.md - Rough product roadmap to detail
• demo-10-feature-requirement.md - Feature requirement outline to elaborate

start-general/ - Getting started materials:

• meeting-notes.md - Basic meeting notes example

How to Use These Materials

For Attendees:

1. Open this repository in VS Code
2. Ensure GitHub Copilot extensions are installed
3. Open any demo file
4. Try asking Copilot to improve, format, or expand the content
5. Experiment with different prompts!

Example Prompts to Try

With any demo file:

• Format this professionally
• Make this more concise
• Expand this with more details
• Improve the tone to be more [formal/friendly/urgent]
• Convert this to a table
• Add a summary at the top

What Non-Developers Can Do with Copilot

✅ Documentation - Create and format docs faster
✅ Communication - Polish emails and messages
✅ Meeting Notes - Transform rough notes into structured records
✅ Process Docs - Document procedures and workflows
✅ Content Creation - Draft reports, briefs, and summaries
✅ Templates - Generate reusable formats
✅ Editing - Improve clarity, tone, and structure

Getting Started

1. Install VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/
2. Install extensions:
   • GitHub Copilot
   • GitHub Copilot Chat
3. Open this repository
4. Start with the demo files in demo-docs/ and experiment!

Tips for Success

💡 Be specific - "Make this email more professional and add a clear call to action"
💡 Iterate - If you don't like the first result, ask Copilot to refine it
💡 Experiment - Try different ways of asking the same question
💡 You're in control - Always review and edit Copilot's suggestions

Questions?

This is a learning space - experiment and see what works for your workflows!

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Remember: GitHub Copilot is a productivity tool, not a replacement for your expertise and judgment. Use it to speed up mechanical tasks so you can focus on the work that requires your unique skills!