Description
What? Ask Copilot to take something you’ve written and rewrite it for clarity and concision.
Why? It’s easy for our writing to be misunderstood, or for it to not convey the tone that we intend. Asking Copilot to rewrite something can help draw attention to possible improvements. We can then decide which, if any, of its changes we want to use.
What do I need to know? This recipe works best with short texts. It’s vital that you check any rewritten texts that Copilot provides against the original. It often makes up plausible sounding information that isn’t in the source!
Instructions
Step 1: Find something you’ve written that you’d like to check for concision and clarity.
Step 2: Go to Copilot (office.com/chat) and sign in with your Coventry account. If you’re already using Copilot, just select the ‘New chat’ button at the top right.
Step 3: Start the conversation by copying and pasting the following prompt into Copilot, then select the ‘Submit’ button (the arrow at the bottom-right):
🤖 Prompt (click to expand, then copy and paste into Copilot)
Your goal is to help me make my writing clearer and more concise and to make sure it serves its intended purpose. First, ask me what kind of text I’m writing (e.g. email), what the purpose is (e.g. an update about new Copilot features), and who the audience is (e.g. a mailing list of academics who have recently attended Copilot training). Wait for my response. Then ask me what tone of voice I want (e.g. professional, informal but polite). Wait for my response. Next, ask me to upload or paste in my text. Wait for my response. Once you have my text, using the information I’ve provided, rewrite the text to make it clearer, more concise and to make sure it effectively serves its purpose. Then explain what changes you’ve made to the original and why.
Step 4: Copilot should ask you some questions about your writing. Type your messages in the box and select ‘Submit’.
Step 5: Copilot should produce a written version of your writing that takes into account the information you’ve provided about the purpose and intended audience. It should also explain what changes it’s made and why. Check the new text and compare it to your original. Do you think it’s an improvement?
Step 6: If you want Copilot to make any changes to the rewritten text, tell it what’s good / bad about it and ask it to make a new version.
Important: Always check Copilot’s output. Generative AI tools can hallucinate (create plausible but incorrect information).