White Paper World 56, March 12, 2025
- Quick tip: How to turn off CoPilot in Word
- How to: In a problem/solution, cover what people already tried
- Slick or ick? Opinion from our design critique winner
- February book winner: Across two cultures with Rachel Lambert
Read in 11 minutes. Listen in 17.5 minutes:
Quick tip: How to turn off Copilot in Word
2-minute read.
Did you notice a few weeks ago Microsoft stuck Copilot into all their Office apps?
Are you liking it much?
Me neither. I hate it when some pesky popup blocks my view of the screen.
Remember Clippy, the on-screen helper?
Microsoft stuck him into all the Office apps in 1997. Clippy used to pop up, take over a big chunk of screen, and ask inane questions optimized for first-time users.
It was retired in 2004 due to widespread scorn and dislike.
More of the same-old
Microsoft’s latest brainstorm feels the same as Clippy. I use AI often, and I tried Copilot a few times, but found it truly wanting.
The biggest problem is that Copilot promises much more than it can deliver.
The teensy textbox—that holds 2,000 characters max—suggests you can just prompt, “Write me a white paper” and get excellent results.
There’s no guidance on creating a full-fledged prompt with the AI’s role, more specifics on the task, and the format you want it to deliver.
I’m much happier paying $20 a month for ChatGPT+ and switching to it for AI. And from what I’ve seen on LinkedIn, millions of other people feel the same.
We just want to get rid of Copilot’s dead butterfly hiding our screen. Here’s how.
Getting rid of Copilot in Word for Windows
1. With Word running, select File > More… and then Options.
2. Select Copilot from the menu of options.
3. In the Copilot panel, uncheck the box labeled Enable Copilot and click OK.
4. Exit from Word and reopen it.
Getting rid of Copilot in Word for Mac
1. With Word running, select Word > Preferences…
2. Click on CoPilot.
3. In the Copilot panel, uncheck the box labeled Enable Copilot.
4. Exit from Word and reopen it.
After these simple steps, the Copilot icon will be grayed out in the Home ribbon, and the ugly cursor will no longer appear.
The same approach works for Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
We can all now get back to work instead of playing peek-a-boo with the Copilot cursor.
How to: In a problem/solution, share what people already tried [examples]
3-minute read.
When you write a problem/solution (chocolate) white paper, include a section on what’s been tried in the past.
Without that, your argument has a serious gap.
Jumping too quickly from the problem to the solution can feel rushed.
That can even make your paper feel like a sales pitch: the worst thing you can do.
But when you slow down to consider what’s been tried in the past, that adds educational content to your paper.
This coverage of what’s already been tried doesn’t have to be long. You can wrap it up in a page, two pages max.
In that space, you list all the things people ever tried to solve the problem you’re talking about—and why nothing ever worked.
Tuck that section in the middle of your white paper, after the problem but before the solution.
It’s like a bridge between those two sections. But it’s only a bridge: the problem is still not solved. And that’s okay.
Three simple steps
- Make a list of anything that anyone could possibly try to solve the problem.
- Brainstorm the drawbacks, failings, and weaknesses of each approach.
- Use the most serious failings to dismiss each alternative.
For example, you can claim an alternative approach is:
- Too slow, too costly, or too risky
- Too new: unknown and untested
- Too superficial: masks the symptoms without solving the real cause
- Too temporary: works for a while but the problem recurs
- Too incomplete: only solves part of the problem
And here’s one of my favourites:
You admit that, yes, this other approach solves the original problem… but it brings along unintended consequences that create brand-new problems.
Real-world example #1: ERP add-on
This paper was about a third party add-on to ERP systems.
The add-on pulled out useful data in real time that the ERP only reported once a month.
That gave executives an up-to-the-minute dashboard to help tweak their operations for better results: more sales, lower costs, and higher profits.
I brainstormed with my client about all the other ways a prospect might get a similar dashboard.
And then I researched each possibility for its most likely drawbacks or problems, as shown in the table.
| Alternate approach | Drawbacks |
|---|---|
| Do nothing | Ongoing lost sales, higher costs, and lower profit |
| Export ERP data to spreadsheets | Time-consuming and risky: spreadsheets often riddled with errors |
| Develop new report functions in-house | IT teams already booked; in-house coding is costly, slow, and risky |
| Buy new ERP module | ERP designed for monthly cycles, not real-time; new modules announced may be vaporware |
| Hire ERP vendor to add new functions | Very costly, slow, and risky |
I had evidence for many of these fails.
For example, I found statistics and a few horror stories on the many errors in home-grown spreadsheets.
The ERP vendors found it tough to argue. Their sales pitch boiled down to, “Trust us! We’re the ERP vendor! Don’t believe those other guys!”
That enabled my client to sell the add-on to many companies that wanted real-time data out of their systems.
Real-world example #2:
Online portal
This white paper had a strong news hook: the Obama stimulus grants that any infrastructure project could apply for.
But there were three big problems:
- Managing a mountain of files and blueprints
- Getting reports in by deadlines
- Storing files securely in case of audits
The white paper sponsor made an online portal where any construction files or blueprints could be easily stored and then shared securely with dozens of contractors and subcontractors.
So I summed up all the traditional ways construction companies keep and share documents in this table.
| Alternate approach | Drawbacks or limitations |
|---|---|
| Paper files | Can get lost or misfiled; can't search electronically; no version control |
| Couriers | Slow and expensive way to share paper |
| Fax | Same drawbacks as paper; can't handle large documents like blueprints |
| Tends to overload people; not reliable for finding files | |
| USB drives | No version control |
| Shared network drives | Requires everyone to name and store all files properly; not designed to share with numerous companies |
See how that works?
My client from Australia was able to gain a strong foothold in the USA with help from this white paper. Today it’s a going contender in the worldwide construction industry.
Conclusion
This “bridge” between the problem and the solution disposes of all the earlier ways to solve the problem.
That clears the way for you to present your new, improved solution.
When you write a chocolate white paper, always include a list of all the ways people tried to solve the problem in the past… and why none of them worked.
Click the cover to see the report
Slick or ick? Opinion from our design critique winner
2-minute read
What do you get when a government agency decides to shake things up?
Maybe something like the 2024 annual report from the UK National Security Cyber Centre.
For my latest book giveaway contest, I asked what you thought of the unusual design of this report.
And I drew copywriter Rachel Lambert‘s name from the entries.
Her verdict? A mix of admiration and critique, delivered in what she jokingly calls a “Clint Eastwood” approach.
The Good: A bold layout
“I like the layout,” Rachel notes. “The Table of Contents is clean and straightforward. The individual sections also look good.
“Using the ‘coding’ look is a fun idea. I’m amazed that this is from a government body in the UK—they’re not usually known for their whimsical approach.”
The report breaks from tradition by using a tech-savvy look to appeal to its intended audience: cybersecurity specialists.
The Bad: Challenging to read
But Rachel marks down the report for its typography.
“I don’t like the font choice; it’s too square and a little challenging to read,” she says. “I also think the lines of text are too close together.”
Typography must balance creativity with plain old readability.
If it doesn’t, to paraphrase the famous essay The Crystal Goblet, it’s like serving fine wine in a dirty wineglass.
Instead of shaping and enhancing the contents, the container draws undue attention to itself.
The Ugly: Colors in graphics
Rachel doesn’t hold back when it comes to the visuals.
“My apologies to the designer, but the color choices on those graphics are horrendous,” she declares.
Maybe they were looking for something retro? Or pastel-ish?
In any case, poor color choices can distract or annoy a reader, as these did for Rachel.
A call for more creative white papers
Rachel’s mixed review touches on the future of white papers.
Even within a traditionally conservative format, there’s lots of room for creativity and modern design.
“One of my goals when I write a white paper is to put it out there that white papers are not those black-and-white, text-heavy government documents that everybody thinks they are,” she says.
“They’re actually interesting; they’re fun; they have creativity; they have pictures; they have graphics; they are useful.”
As writers and designers push the boundaries, the challenge is to enhance the reader’s experience, without sacrificing clarity or professionalism.
Conclusion
The annual report from the National Security Cyber Centre is an ambitious attempt to blend government gravitas with visual whimsy.
We give them full credit for creativity… with the caveat that form shouldn’t overwhelm function.
Rachel encourages us to think of white papers as engaging, visually appealing documents—provided they remain accessible.
For her book prize, Rachel chose The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman, an excellent guide to building your writing career.
And guess what? The book’s chapter on white papers was written by yours truly, That White Paper Guy.
February book winner: Across two cultures with Rachel Lambert
4-minute read.
When you meet Rachel Lambert, you can’t help but notice her unique accent: a lilting blend of British sophistication and Texan drawl.
But it’s not the careful mid-Atlantic accent of Katherine Hepburn.
It’s more of a free-spirited back-and-forth between two melodies, one from each world she has lived in.
“I was born here in Austin, Texas,” she says. “But my parents separated, and my mother and I went back to England when I was just a few months old.”
For the next 14 years, Rachel called the UK city of Peterborough home.
“If you look on the map of England, there’s a round bit that sticks out on the right-hand side, and it’s in that area,” she explains with a smile.
But life had more in store for Rachel. At 14, she moved back to the States, landing in Marble Falls, Texas—a small town that is worlds apart from her English upbringing.
“It was a shock to the system,” she laughs. “But since then, I’ve been back and forth a few times, so Texas and England are both home for me now.”
A journey through words
Rachel’s path to becoming a writer wasn’t straightforward.
“To be honest, I wasn’t much of a student. I didn’t enjoy school,” she admits.
But she did love reading.
“Even as a child, I was a reader. I read everything I could get my hands on,” she says. And today as an adult, “I like to find stories. I like to find links between things.”
Her appreciation of stories eventually grew into a passion for writing.
After a variety of other jobs, Rachel plunged into freelance writing two years ago.
“I’ve just done whatever appealed to me,” she says, noting that her past jobs include roles in admin, computer-aided design (CAD), engineering support, and project management.
And her varied career path has become one of her greatest assets.
“With my background, I have all this technical knowledge,” she explains. “It makes me want to use that knowledge in a writing environment.”
Today, Rachel writes all different types of copy, from blog posts to webpages.
But she has her heart set on white papers and case studies.
To that end, she signed up for both the case study and white paper certification programs from AWAI.
And she highlights that direction on her website at www.rachellambert.biz/
“I want to do more writing, less selling,” she says, “writing that’s like me talking to you about the product.”
And she sums up this aspiration in a wonderful tagline: “I write white papers to guide your customers’ decisions, and case studies that prove they made the right choice.”
“White papers are more ‘everything’ than case studies,” she says. “They’re definitely more intensive, but I enjoy them both because I like writing.”
The art of translation in a tech-driven world
While she’s not a translator herself, Rachel does much of her copywriting for companies that do corporate translation and localization.
“I started with one client in that environment, they referred me to somebody else in the same industry, and it’s kind of snowballed.”
Her experiences have given her a thoughtful perspective on the rise of AI, especially in translation.
“Don’t get me wrong—I’m an AI fan. I use it for research and outlines, and sometimes I just use it like I would use Google, to ask it a question.”
But Rachel is quick to point out the limitations of AI for translation.
“What you get out of Google Translate is literal translation, one language to another,” she explains.
That’s enough for any tourist trying to figure out a menu or pick up some groceries, she says.
But in the corporate world, dealing with product launches and global marketing campaigns, the stakes are much higher.
“When you’re pushing a product or service out to all of these different countries, you need more than a literal translation,” Rachel explains.
Any translation service provider must understand cultural norms, idiomatic expressions, and regional dialects, says Rachel.
And there are nuances that AI doesn’t grasp yet.
AI and the writing life
“I find absolutely nothing wrong with using AI,” says Rachel.
“But I have an issue when somebody puts in some very generic question like, ‘Write me a case study for such-and-such,’ and then ChatGPT spits out some generic text, you know, ‘In our ever-changing world…’ and they just copy-paste that into their project.”
For Rachel, writing should be much more nuanced than that.
“There’s so much more that humans still need to be involved with,” she says.
She cautions against over-reliance on AI without human oversight.
“The AI is not there yet,” she says. “I’m sure it will be at some point, but I think it’s going to be a long time before we’re there.”
From her transatlantic upbringing to her multifaceted career, Rachel’s experiences have shaped her into a writer who follows her curiosity, embraces change, and values the human touch in an increasingly digital world.
I wish you continued success, Rachel!
If you like this newsletter…
Here are three ways to support it.
Thank you to all the people who have bought me a coffee—your support means so much to me!
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Gordon Graham
That White Paper Guy
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