Claude Cowork - Let's Build Some Skills

Overview:

This session is for people who have used Claude Cowork for a few weeks and are ready to stop re-typing the same instructions. We start with what a Skill actually is: a folder containing a SKILL.md file with a name, a description, and instructions in plain English, picked up automatically by Claude when a task matches. We look at why Skills work the way they do - only the description loads into context until a task triggers the full Skill, which means you can keep dozens of them installed without paying for them on every conversation. We then build several Skills together. A simple one for cleaning up meeting notes the way you like them. A more structured one for weekly reports that adapts its format to the audience. A document Skill that locks in your brand: your typography, your colours, your logo placement, your tone. We use the built-in skill-creator to build some of these conversationally, and we hand-write others to understand what is happening underneath. We cover the practical realities: how Claude decides when to fire a Skill, why descriptions need to be a bit "pushy" to trigger reliably, how Skills work the same in Cowork, regular chat, Claude for Excel, and Claude for PowerPoint, and how to share Skills across your team or organisation safely. You leave with working Skills of your own and a clear method for building more.

Why you should Attend:

This session is for people who have used Claude Cowork for a few weeks and are ready to stop re-typing the same instructions. We start with what a Skill actually is: a folder containing a SKILL.md file with a name, a description, and instructions in plain English, picked up automatically by Claude when a task matches. We look at why Skills work the way they do - only the description loads into context until a task triggers the full Skill, which means you can keep dozens of them installed without paying for them on every conversation. We then build several Skills together. A simple one for cleaning up meeting notes the way you like them. A more structured one for weekly reports that adapts its format to the audience. A document Skill that locks in your brand: your typography, your colours, your logo placement, your tone. We use the built-in skill-creator to build some of these conversationally, and we hand-write others to understand what is happening underneath. We cover the practical realities: how Claude decides when to fire a Skill, why descriptions need to be a bit "pushy" to trigger reliably, how Skills work the same in Cowork, regular chat, Claude for Excel, and Claude for PowerPoint, and how to share Skills across your team or organisation safely. You leave with working Skills of your own and a clear method for building more.

Areas Covered in the Session:

• What a Skill is, and why it changes how you work with Claude
• Anatomy of a Skill: name, description, instructions, supporting files
• Why descriptions matter more than you think (and how to make them trigger)
• Using the skill-creator to build Skills conversationally
• Building Skill #1: cleaning up meeting notes the way you like them
• Building Skill #2: weekly reports that adapt to different audiences
• Building Skill #3: a brand Skill that locks in tone, colours, and templates
• Where Skills work: Cowork, chat, Claude for Excel, Claude for PowerPoint
• Sharing Skills with your team and organisation
• Why dozens of Skills cost almost nothing until they fire

Who Will Benefit:

• Cowork Users - ready to stop re-typing the same instructions
• Power Users - with repeatable workflows worth packaging
• Communications & Brand Teams - standardising tone and format at scale
• Operations & Project Managers - with structured weekly outputs
• Champions & Trainers - scaling Cowork across colleagues