How can copilot be used for internal communications?

The rise of AI has been a hot topic . For all the talk of its benefits, much has been said about its risks too. As organizations continue to evolve their digital workplaces, AI is becoming a key component of their toolkits.

But how can it be used best for internal communication teams? How can you ensure that the sensitive information that you deal with daily is handled with care? Can it enhance the way internal communication teams work? 

Microsoft Copilot has emerged as one of the most practical tools to help communicators streamline content creation, enhance engagement and reduce manual tasks. Used well, AI can support clearer, faster and more consistent communication. Copilot can strengthen communication strategies without losing the human touch. But it needs the right governance, management and AI prompts for internal communications teams to reap the benefits fully. 

What is Microsoft Copilot?  

Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant built into Microsoft 365 that helps you to generate content, summarize information, automate tasks and find insights across documents, Teams chats, emails and SharePoint. It saves time on various tedious tasks that can take up huge chunks of your working day. 

For internal communicators, it offers a powerful extension of the tools you already use every day. Rather than reinventing processes, Copilot supports them. From drafting announcements, writing email newsletters to refining tone of voice, Copilot enhances everyday processes with speed and consistency. 

Key features of Copilot for Internal Communications teams 

Power through your to-do list. Reduce time on mundane daily tasks. Find the information you need quickly and use it to create engaging messaging. Copilot can help with all this and more. 

1. Content generation and rewriting

Create first drafts of announcements, policy updates, video scripts, blogs and campaign copy using effective AI prompts for internal communications. 

2. Tone of voice refinement

Keep copy on brand and consistent across platforms. Copilot can help to rewrite messages to reflect your brand’s tone or tweak copy to be more friendly, professional, concise or action oriented. 

3. Meeting and message summarization

Let Copilot feedback on meetings and discussions. Use it to generate summaries of long meetings or cross-department threads to keep stakeholders aligned. 

4. Data analysis for campaign insights

Copilot can easily identify themes in feedback, engagement patterns or survey responses. Those valuable insights can help you to shape your communication strategies. 

5. Maximize content usage

One piece of content can be reworked into multiple formats including intranet posts, Teams messages, emails and leadership notes. Recycling at its best.  

 

How to incorporate AI into your Internal Communications strategy 

We’ve all read the scary stories about the risks of AI. So, it’s important to carefully consider how to introduce it to your internal communications work. Take the time to decide how to move forward with AI tools. 

Introducing Copilot into internal comms is most successful when it’s done intentionally. Follow these practical steps to improve the outcomes of working with Copilot. 

1. Start with clear objectives

Why are you introducing Copilot to your internal communications team? What do you want AI to solve? 

It could be that you want to speed up content production and make it more efficient. Maybe your messaging could be more consistent across platforms and channels. Copilot could be your route to better employee engagement. Or it could be the answer to providing time-pressed leaders with clear, digestible summaries of information. 

Your starting point is knowing which problems AI can solve for your team. 

2. Build an AI prompt library

The results you get from an AI tool is only as good as the information that you provide it with. Create reusable AI prompts for internal communications so teams can quickly generate on-brand content. A shared document containing effective prompts can be really valuable for internal communications teams. Update and refine it regularly as your AI knowledge increases. 

3. Train your teams

Inform your teams with the knowledge they need to use AI responsibly. Make sure they understand the risks and limitations. Hold workshops to demonstrate effective prompts, tone control, data privacy and when human review is a must. As the technology evolves, so should your team training. Regular updates and reviews are essential. 

4. Integrate into existing workflows

You don’t have to reinvent the way your teams work. Copilot can be integrated with the tools they’re using already like SharePoint, Teams, Word and Outlook. Introduce Copilot to the places where content already lives and let it share the workload. 

5. Pilot Copilot on a small scale

It’s always wise to proceed with caution when introducing new technology or ways of working. It’s advisable to test Copilot with one team or project before rolling out across the entire comms department. Any learnings from the pilot project can inform the next phase. 

Best practices for implementing AI prompts in Copilot for internal communication 

Used effectively, Copilot can return great results for internal communications. These tips will help you to implement it to best effect. 

Define and lock in your brand’s tone of voice 

Establish how you want AI-generated content to sound. Is it formal or conversational? Serious or friendly? Make sure Copilot writes in a way that matches your company’s tone of voice. 

Create a tone of voice guide and upload it to Copilot. Use this consistently in your prompts, so AI understands your preferred style from the outset. 

Be explicit about the audience and context 

Like all communicators, AI works best when it knows who it’s writing for and why. Be clear about who you’re trying to communicate with.  

In your prompt, specify the intended audience (e.g. the local customer service team), what this group needs to know and what action you want them to take. 

Set a clear objective and format constraints 

Copilot’s output is only as good as your instruction. Be specific about the length, style and purpose of the content.  

State whether it’s an intranet post, Teams message, email newsletter or leadership address for example. Include details such as the ideal word count, call to action and any internal links to include. 

Provide relevant examples  

Let AI learn from your voice by sharing good examples of your existing content. Ask Copilot to ‘rewrite this newsletter’ or ‘use this style’ as part of your prompt.
 

Use human judgement 

Remember, AI’s an assistant rather than a replacement. You should always review, refine and shape the content. Don’t trust the results blindly. Check and edit the content for brand alignment, factual accuracy, tone and any sensitive content. You can always ask Copilot to create another version (or versions). Then you can cherry pick the best bits for the final version. 

Govern content, privacy and brand compliance 

Establish guidelines around data usage and the sharing of internal information to ensure confidentiality and security. Communicate this guidance clearly with your teams. 

Define approval workflows. Who signs off the output? Human review is required for leadership, policy or regulatory messages in particular. Make sure AI outputs are consistent with legal and regulatory constraints. 

Ready to introduce AI to your team? 

It’s an exciting time for AI and its potential for your teams. But it needs careful thought and governance before you start.