AI in Action: A Practical Workshop for Business

This workshop is for businesses ready to move past ad-hoc AI use and begin leveraging it meaningfully. We will focus on where AI can add real value and how to embed it into everyday work in ways that are useful, sustainable, and relevant to your role.

 This session is practical and focused on building confidence while aligning with your business goals. You’ll work directly with AI tools (including MS Copilot), learn how to write better prompts and explore where AI can save time, improve consistency and support smarter decision-making.

Grounded in real business needs and delivered locally in Canterbury, this workshop cuts through the noise online to focus on what really works.

By the end, you’ll have practical AI skills, a clearer understanding of the tools available, and ideas you can apply immediately to make a real impact in your work.

What You’ll Gain

• A plain-language understanding of how generative AI works and what it can do for business

• Prompting techniques to get better results from AI tools

• Confidence choosing tools that suit your role, tasks, and goals

• Awareness of risks and best practices for using AI responsibly

• Real-world examples of how AI fits into everyday business workflows

• Time to reflect, experiment, and build on what you’ve learned between sessions

Paul Thornley is an accomplished Christchurch-based technology leader with a 20‑year track record. Beginning as an IT Technician and advancing to lead in-house IT teams, Paul transitioned into consulting, combining practical technical expertise with executive insight to deliver straightforward, effective results. Paul specialises in IT leadership, AI adoption, and digital transformation—turning complexity into pragmatic strategies that lift efficiency and keep organisations ahead of the curve.
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Designed for those responsible for getting things done:

• Business owners juggling multiple responsibilities who want to save time and streamline processes.

• Operations managers looking for ways to make workflows more efficient and consistent.

• Team leads interested in boosting productivity and supporting their people with smarter tools.

It’s ideal for SMEs where hands-on experience with AI is limited, but there’s a clear appetite to improve productivity, streamline processes and stay ahead of digital change.