The brief should fit on one screen. Long enough to stop guessing. Short enough that you will actually keep it current.
Instructions to a future assistant, not a resume.
Write it as instructions to Copilot, not as a LinkedIn summary. “I lead dealer enablement for North America. This quarter I am protecting time for two product launches. Drafts should be short, named, and ready to paste into email. Never invent customer quotes.”
Include three to five facts that would change the advice — tools you actually have, audiences you actually serve, things you are not allowed to do.
Core principles
- Cover: who you are, what you are optimizing for now, how you like outputs, hard constraints, three to five load-bearing facts.
- Use real names: teams, products, regions. Vague “stakeholders” keep the advice generic.
- Say what to avoid: tone, length, topics, data you will not put in a prompt.
- Keep it under 300 words. If it reads like a performance review, cut the adjectives.
Starter: Working with AI — Tell Copilot who you are
Check yourself
What is a standing identity for?
Identity is standing context. Project files and source material still belong in the chat. The brief stops Copilot from inventing who you are.
Do this in Copilot
Leave this lesson with a draft identity you would be willing to paste into Copilot settings after you edit it.
Answer in Copilot Chat. Edit the draft until it sounds like you.
Interview, then draft
Help me write standing Copilot instructions so future chats start knowing who I am. Interview me one question at a time (max six). Use anything you already know; only ask for gaps. Cover: role and domain, what I am optimizing for this quarter, how I like outputs (tone, length, format), hard constraints (tools, confidentiality, things to avoid), and 3–5 facts that would stop you giving generic advice. Then produce a paste-ready identity block of 150–300 words written as instructions to a future Copilot assistant. Specific, not fluff. After the draft, list three things you will stop assuming.
- If Working with AI Step 0 already produced a short version, paste it here and ask Copilot to thicken it with this quarter’s priorities and constraints.
Did you run this in Copilot? Mark complete when you have tried it.
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