Practical AI Workshops for Local Government.

“We have Copilot. Now what?”

Bring your questions. We’ll put AI to work.

We start with the basics and build towards useful applications.

Participants learn how to give AI clear instructions, improve its responses, check its work, and recognise when human judgement needs to take over.

Think reports, documents, internal communications, and the everyday tasks that keep municipal teams busy.

And yes, we can explore building agents. That’s usually where my inner AI geek gets particularly excited.

What your team will learn

Understand AI without needing a technical dictionary

We cover what AI is, how it works, its opportunities and limitations, and the questions it raises about security and changes to work.

There’s space to discuss the uncertainty as well as the possibilities.

Understand the tools

Explore key AI platforms, how to assess where they fit, and practical demonstrations using Microsoft Copilot.

We connect those examples to the tools your organization approves and the access available to your participants.

Write better prompts

Practise giving AI a clear task, useful context, and a specific outcome.

Then learn how to question the response, refine the instructions, and check whether the result is usable.

“Write me a report” leaves rather a lot to the imagination. Let’s give it a better brief.

Try municipal tasks and agents

Work through practical scenarios and hands-on exercises relevant to local government.

Agent exercises introduce how focused instructions can support a defined task, with appropriate boundaries and human review.

Explore Copilot in everyday work

See how Copilot can support work in Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint, depending on your available licences and configuration.

We connect the demonstrations to documents, reporting, and communication tasks your team recognises.

Keep responsibility with the human

Responsible use runs through the learning: protecting information, checking accuracy, recognising limitations, and following your organization’s policies.

A polished answer still needs a person who understands the work.

Choose your workshop format

Online learning series

Three to four interactive sessions, each lasting one to two hours, typically delivered over four weeks.

Your team has time to practise between sessions and return with questions from actual use.

Includes live demonstrations, practical exercises, a custom workbook, and questions and answers in each session.

Full-day, in-person workshop

A practical workshop, typically running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with demonstrations, exercises, discussion, and a digital workbook.

Content is tailored to your team’s starting point and agreed learning goals.

Half-day, in-person workshop

A shorter option with a focused scope agreed around your team’s priorities and available time.

What your team takes away

• A clearer understanding of AI and its limitations.
• More confidence using approved tools.
• Practical experience writing and improving prompts.
• Ways to apply AI to documents, reports, and communications.
• A better understanding of what to check and protect.
• Learning materials to support continued practice.

Success is seeing people apply what they’ve learned to their work and knowing when to pause, verify, or ask for help.

Learning with someone who understands municipal work

I’m Daphne Thomson, founder of Catch the Beat, former Director of Legislative Services, and an enthusiastic AI geek.

I’ve supported more than 20 local governments across Canada through AI guidance, training, and transformation work.

I love showing people what’s possible. I love it even more when someone says, “Oh! I could use that for the thing I’ve been putting off.”

Let’s make this useful for your people.

Tell me who’s attending, which tools you have, and what your team would like help with.

We’ll build the workshop around that.

Looking for elected-official training? Explore AI for Council.

Need help building operational workflows? Explore AI Implementation.