A lot of AI editing is repetitive. We’re often adjusting tone, shortening length, adding bullets, or clarifying what we’re asking for. Those are preferences about style and structure, and they can usually be set in advance.
When you take a few minutes to personalize your AI tools, drafts can start closer to what you actually want. That often means fewer rewrite prompts and less back-and-forth on formatting, so you can spend your energy on the part that actually matters: reviewing for accuracy, missing context, and whether the message fits your audience.
Personalization helps with style and structure. It does not guarantee accuracy. Even with custom instructions, AI can still produce incorrect or incomplete information, and it may guess when details are missing. Careful review is still required.
At the University of Iowa, personalization shows up in three places: Outlook (for email drafting with an elevated Copilot license), Copilot Chat (for how chat responses are structured), and ChatGPT Edu (for writing and ideation outside Microsoft 365).
1) Outlook: Draft Instructions
If you have the elevated Microsoft 365 Copilot license, the Copilot experience that works more deeply inside Microsoft apps rather than only with web-style chat—Outlook includes Draft Instructions. These let you define how Copilot should draft emails on your behalf.
Instead of refining every draft from scratch, you can tell Copilot upfront what good looks like for your typical emails. This won’t fit every message, but it can improve the default starting point.
How to personalize it
Draft Instructions are available in the new Outlook desktop app and Outlook on the web. Outlook classic does not support this setting.
To set it up:
Open the dropdown next to the Copilot icon then click Settings then Draft Instructions then turn on “Use custom instructions when drafting email” and click Save.
Starter Draft Instructions
These are an example of defaults you might be able to reuse for many messages:
- Keep emails short, direct, and calm (6 to 10 lines).
- Use bullets for requests and next steps.
- Avoid hype or marketing language.
- If details are missing, flag the gaps and ask one or two clarifying questions.
- Don’t invent dates, names, or requirements.
Even with these instructions, Copilot may still make assumptions when information is missing. Treat questions and “unknowns” as a prompt to confirm details rather than a guarantee that the draft is correct.
If you don’t see Draft Instructions in your Outlook version, it may be due to rollout timing or version differences. The web experience is often the best place to check first.
2) Copilot Chat: Custom Instructions and Memory
Copilot Chat also supports personalization through Custom Instructions and, for some users, Memory. Availability can vary by account and rollout.
Why this matters: instead of re-explaining your preferences every time you open a chat, you can set expectations once for common tasks. This helps responses stay organized and easier to review, but it does not guarantee accuracy.
Starter Custom Instructions
These are an example of defaults you might be able to reuse for many messages:
- Use headings and bullets; put recommended next steps first.
- Default to 150 to 250 words unless I ask for more detail.
- If something is uncertain, say what’s unknown and what to verify.
- For communications drafts, provide two options:
- short (120 words or fewer)
- standard (250 words or fewer)
These settings can make responses more consistent in format and tone. You still need to review for factual accuracy, missing context, and appropriateness for your audience.
3) ChatGPT Edu: Custom Instructions
ChatGPT Edu supports Custom Instructions through Personalization in the Settings menu, where you can turn customization on, adjust it, or turn it off at any time.
This can be especially useful because ChatGPT does not automatically know your role, audience, or institutional context unless you provide it.
Starter Custom Instructions
These are an example of defaults you might be able to reuse for many messages:
About me
I write internal communications and training materials in a higher-education setting.
How to respond
- Keep the tone professional, plainspoken, and specific.
- Use short sections and bullets where helpful.
- Avoid filler transitions and overconfident language.
- If I mention a tool feature, remind me to confirm availability or rollout differences.
Custom instructions improve the shape of the output, not the truth of it. You should still verify key facts and any claims that matter.
What to check every time (even with personalization)
Personalization can reduce repetitive editing but review still matters. When reviewing AI-generated content, always check:
- facts and claims (especially anything that sounds certain)
- dates, names, numbers, and locations
- whether anything was assumed or “filled in” without evidence
- whether the content fits your local context (Iowa, your unit, your audience)
- whether the tone and message match what you would stand behind
If something feels unclear, that’s usually a signal to pause and confirm before you share.
The ‘systemized comms stack’
When used together, these settings form a simple system for common work:
- Outlook Draft Instructions: your typical email voice and structure.
- Copilot Chat instructions (with optional memory): your everyday work style.
- ChatGPT Edu instructions: your drafting and ideation defaults outside Microsoft tools.
The goal isn’t perfection or “set it and forget it.” It’s fewer repetitive style edits and a better starting draft, with careful review still required for accuracy, context, and judgment.
To find Iowa-supported AI tools and guidance on which tools are appropriate for different kinds of work and data, visit the AI Tools page. Want more short, practical guidance like this? Subscribe to the AI at Iowa newsletter for future issues and campus updates.