AI and Automation: Five steps to enhance internal communication with AI prompts
AI can speed up internal comms. But the results depend on your prompts and how you fold the tool into your daily workflow.
Usage is climbing: U.S. employees using AI a few times per week rose from 12% to 19% year over year, per Gallup. Yet an MIT report notes that most organizations still aren't seeing meaningful ROI. The gap isn't the tech-it's the application. Clarity, context, and iteration turn generic outputs into useful comms.
Make Copilot part of the flow of work
Accessing Microsoft Copilot inside Outlook lets you summarize long threads, rewrite messages, and spin up follow-ups without opening new tabs. That saves time and reduces context switching-two quiet killers of comms productivity.
What is Copilot?
Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more. Because it sits inside each app, it understands the context of your files, emails, and calendars. For comms teams, that means less copying and pasting, fewer mix-ups, and content that stays within your existing tools and permissions.
Five steps to better prompts for internal comms
1) Establish your brand voice
Lock in tone before you create. Define whether your voice is formal or casual, playful or serious, simple or sophisticated. Set this once and reuse it in every prompt.
Try this prompt: Review the following brand voice document [upload the document]. Following these guidelines, write a request asking employees to fill out a survey on their workplace experiences.
2) Define your audience
Tell Copilot who you're speaking to and what they care about. Role, location, tenure, and current initiatives all change what "good" looks like.
Try this prompt: Write a post showcasing three highlights from the company's past quarter. The post is meant for members of the sales team who have just started a new initiative that involves attending more conferences and in-person events. Make sure to show how these efforts are driving more revenue.
3) Have a clear objective
Specific inputs lead to useful outputs. Include length, format, deadlines, and must-include details. If your brief is vague, your result will be too.
Try this prompt: In 200 words or fewer, write two paragraphs introducing the company's new CFO for an internal newsletter. Make sure to mention she starts on Monday and include a couple of highlights from her LinkedIn profile [paste the link].
4) Upload examples
Examples reduce guesswork. Share past newsletters or posts you like so Copilot can mirror the structure, pacing, and tone.
Try this prompt: Examine this newsletter for style and tone of voice: [paste the text]. Then use that style and tone of voice to write a new post asking employees to prepare for open enrollment by reviewing the information attached and scheduling a one-on-one meeting if they need assistance selecting the plan best for them.
5) Repeat and refine
Treat each output as a draft. Ask for alternatives, adjust tone, remove jargon, or compress the copy. Iteration compounds quality.
Try this prompt: Rephrase the following passage in a more casual manner and replace any jargon with plain language: [paste the text].
A quick prompt checklist for PR and comms teams
- Voice and tone: one line with guardrails (e.g., "plain language, warm, no buzzwords").
- Audience: role, location, context (e.g., "new sales hires, field-based, ramping on events").
- Objective: the one thing you want readers to do or know.
- Constraints: word count, format, deadline, must-include details.
- Inputs: links, attachments, past examples, quotes to include.
- Output spec: headline options, CTA, alt versions (formal/casual).
Practical ways to use Copilot this week
- Summarize a 40-email thread into three bullets and a draft reply.
- Turn a town hall transcript into a 150-word recap with a clear CTA.
- Rewrite policy updates in plain language and add a one-sentence why-it-matters.
- Generate three headline options and two email subject lines per story.
As AI becomes part of everyday work, communicators who set clear direction, feed the right context, and iterate will save time and improve employee understanding. Thoughtful prompting isn't a shortcut-it's a skill that strengthens alignment across teams.
Want more reps with prompts and internal comms use cases? Explore hands-on resources at Complete AI Training.
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