This series I have explored some incredible tools that boost our productivity. One such thing that I started to explore is the new features in Outlook: using Copilot to not only draft emails but to draft them in your unique voice.
Let's be honest, we all have a distinct style. Maybe you're direct and to the point. Maybe you're more formal, or perhaps you like to add a friendly, personal touch. The generic, robotic tone of early AI tools was a major limitation.
Microsoft has rolled out a brilliant feature that does exactly that. It analyzes your sent emails to learn your tone, phrasing, and sign-offs. In this post, we'll walk through how to set it up and use it to draft better, more authentic emails in seconds.
Draft with Copilot provided a email draft but I felt it was not my writing style
To set this up, I first used Copilot to analyse my sent emails and extract personalised style instructions that reflect how I naturally write. Once Copilot generated that guidance, I copied the instruction block and went into Outlook’s Copilot settings, where I enabled personalised drafting and pasted the instructions into the personalisation field. After saving the settings, I tested the setup by drafting a reply using Copilot to see how closely it matched my tone and workflow. If the output didn’t feel right, I refined the instructions and repeated the process until the generated drafts aligned with my communication style.
Here is the Instruction I provided to M365 copilot
Go through the provided email data (from the last 6 months) and identify the following:
Tone of Voice:
What is the typical "mood" or attitude of my messages? (e.g., confident, enthusiastic, formal, direct, friendly, etc.)
How does my tone change depending on the recipient's industry (e.g., finance vs. a creative agency)?
Provide 2-3 examples of phrases or sentences from my emails that best represent my primary tone.
Response Style:
Do I tend to write short, direct sentences or longer, more detailed paragraphs?
Do I mirror the communication style of the person I'm talking to?
Extract a sample of a concise email and a more detailed one to illustrate my range.
Conversational Flow:
How do I make my emails feel more human and less robotic?
Do I use approachable language, ask open-ended questions, or include humor or personal anecdotes?
Identify 1-2 examples of how I build rapport or make the conversation feel more natural.
Persona-Based Messaging:
How do I tailor my emails to different professional roles (e.g., VP of Sales vs. Operations Manager)?
What are the key pain points or value propositions I focus on for each persona?
Opening and Closing Style:
What are my most common opening lines and sign-offs? (e.g., "Hi [Name]," vs. "Dear [Name],", and "Best," vs. "Sincerely,")
Instruction Generation Phase:
Based on your analysis, generate a clear and concise set of instructions for an AI copilot. The instructions should be easy to follow and cover all the key elements of my communication style.
Once you get the output from the M365 copilot , lets update setting for draft with copilot. Navigate to Draft instruction and past the copilot instruction output.
Once the draft instruction is configured, lets explore how it would work with mailbox.
Now, when you generate a draft using the same prompt as before, the output will be tailored to your style.
Why This Matters for Your Workflow:
By mirroring your natural communication style, you maintain consistency and build trust. The recipient feels like they're talking to you, not a machine. This feature is a perfect example of how AI is evolving from a simple tool into a true assistant—one that understands not just what you want to say, but how you want to say it.
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