What If Copilot Wrote Like You Instead of Like AI? Teach Copilot Your Writing Voice
Make Copilot write like you: have it study your emails and Teams messages, save your voice as a skill file, and use it in an agent, chat, and Outlook.
MICROSOFT 365 COPILOTAGENT BUILDERWRITING
10/3/20264 min read
Why AI Writing Sounds Like AI, and How to Fix It
Ask Copilot to draft an email and you get something correct but generic. The phrasing is a little too polished, the structure is predictable, and anyone who knows you can tell you did not write it. So you rewrite half of it, and the time you saved is gone.
The fix is to teach Copilot how you actually write. Copilot can already read your sent emails and Teams messages, so it can work out your tone, the words you use, and how you format things. This post shows how to capture that in a skill file, then put it to work in three places: a personal writing agent, Copilot chat, and Outlook.
Watch the Full Walkthrough First
The video goes from the first prompt to a finished email in about ten minutes, including the moment Copilot describes your writing style back to you. It is worth seeing that part before you try it.
Step 1: Have Copilot Study Your Writing
Open Microsoft 365 Copilot chat and paste in the prompt below. You need a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, because the prompt asks Copilot to read your email and Teams messages.
Copy everything between START COPYING and STOP COPYING.
--- START COPYING
If you look over the emails I sent or replied to and teams messages I responded to within the last two years, can you formulate my brand voice and style. My tone, terminology, and formatting rules. I'd like you to create a skill file based on what you find so I can use it as a reference on how I would like you to create content for me, in my voice.
--- STOP COPYING
Copilot reads through what you have sent and comes back with a profile of your voice. In the demo, it described a style that is practical before theoretical, leads with what matters, and stays conversational but professional and direct, with examples of each. Yours will reflect how you write.
At the end, it creates a SKILL.md file you can download. That file is the key piece. Everything that follows uses it.
Before moving on, read the file. If it quotes real emails as examples, remove anything confidential, such as client names or numbers, since you will be reusing this file.
Step 2: Build a My Voice Agent
There are three ways to use the skill file. The favorite is a small agent built in Agent Builder, because it can write emails and documents in your voice on demand. Adding a skill file is a newer Agent Builder feature, currently in preview for organizations in Microsoft's Frontier program, so check with your IT team if you do not see it.
In Microsoft 365 Copilot, open Agents, choose to create a new agent, and paste in this description. Agent Builder drafts the agent from it.
--- START COPYING
This agent creates content for me by using my brand voice skill. There are options to create emails, word, excel and PowerPoint documents. Every output you generate uses my voice and writes in my style. Only create one option. When each suggested prompt is selected you will ask if there are additional details or attachments and you will consider these in the output generated.
--- STOP COPYING
Customize what it builds
Rename the agent (the video uses My Voice) and upload an image
Replace the generated instructions with the same description you pasted in. Keeping the instructions simple works well here
Keep the suggested prompts it created for email, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. That is the main reason to let Agent Builder draft the agent
Swap in your own skill file
Agent Builder may generate a skill of its own. Remove it from its menu
Under Skills, select Add and upload the SKILL.md file from step 1. The file must be named SKILL.md, or it will not be accepted. If your file picker hides it, switch the file type to all files
Microsoft's documentation describes uploading a skill as a .zip file that contains SKILL.md. If a plain file is not accepted, zip it and upload the .zip instead
Adjust the settings
In the knowledge settings, turn on the option that discourages the model from using its general knowledge, so it leans on your content
Leave creating images and documents on, along with access to your organization and people data
Select Create, then pin the agent from the Agents list so it stays in your sidebar
Using Your Voice Agent
Pick one of the suggested prompts, such as the email option. The agent asks for details first, as the description told it to. In the demo, the request was to write an email highlighting the key points of an attached document about a new chair design, and the agent returned a draft in the right voice.
A quick check is to ask it, "Did you use my brand voice?" In the demo, it confirmed and listed the traits it applied, such as warm, direct, practical, and action-oriented. The real test is still reading it yourself and asking whether it sounds like you.
Two Other Ways to Use Your Voice
Custom instructions in Copilot chat: open Settings, then Personalization, and under Custom instructions select Edit instructions. Paste the full contents of your skill file, save, and make sure custom instructions are turned on. Copilot then uses your style in every chat, even when you are not using the agent
Draft instructions in Outlook: in the new Outlook or Outlook on the web, open the Copilot settings and select Draft instructions. Turn on custom instructions for drafting, paste the skill file contents, and save. From then on, Copilot drafts new emails using those rules
Each option suits a different habit. The agent is best for documents in several formats, custom instructions cover everything you ask Copilot, and Outlook draft instructions are the simplest choice if email is what you write most. The video spends the most time with the agent, and it is a good place to start.
Keep Your Voice File Current
Your writing changes over time, and so do your roles and audiences. Rerun the first prompt every few months and replace the skill file wherever you use it. Keep treating every draft as a draft: Copilot can get very close to how you write, but your name is on what goes out, so give it a read before you send it.
Where to Take It Next
Once Copilot writes like you, pair it with knowing what your audience wants. Our Boss Brain agent for managing up with AI uses Agent Builder too, and the two work well together for drafts that sound like you and land with your manager. Which piece of writing will you hand off first?
Have a question or an idea for a future video? Leave a comment on the full video walkthrough on the Collaboration Simplified YouTube channel.
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