Blog 5: Make It Yours - Get the Chatbot to Speak Your Language

Welcome back! So far in this series, we’ve looked at how to get useful, time-saving answers from the E-Portal Essex chatbot.

This week is all about tone and personalisation.

Because how something is said matters just as much as what is said.

If you’re using AI to draft letters, funding bids, website copy or job ads, you’ll want it to sound like you. Not like every other ChatGPT user. Here’s how.

🗣️ Three Ways to Make the Chatbot Match Your Voice

1. Update Your Chatbot Settings

If you use ChatGPT (or a similar tool) regularly, take a moment to explore the settings. You can usually tell it:

• What your role and organisation is

• What tone you prefer (e.g. plain English, formal but friendly, teen-appropriate, UK spellings)

• How you like information presented – full paragraphs? Bullet points? Tables? Emojis?

🟢 If your account supports Memory, the chatbot can even learn your preferences over time – like a new staff member picking up your tone and style.

2. Set the Style in the Conversation

Even if you haven’t set up preferences, you can guide the chatbot as you go.

🟢 Try:

• “Write this in a warm, plain-English tone suitable for a community newsletter.”

• “This is for trustees – make it formal but concise.”

• “Make it upbeat and brief for Instagram – emojis are fine.”

🛠️ You can also steer the format:

• Do you want bullet points or paragraphs?

• Should it summarise at the end?

• Would a table or infographic help?

• Is this rough notes or polished text?

💡 Pro tip: Paste in something you’ve already written and say:

“Please match this tone of voice.”

3. Be Polite – It Helps You

Technically, the chatbot doesn’t care about manners. But you do – and it shows.

🎓 AI tools are trained on the whole internet. If you want high-quality answers, it helps to prompt in a clear, respectful, structured way. That nudges the AI towards professional sources, not random social media noise.

😇 Think of it like talking to a new colleague – friendly, thoughtful and clear. It helps you shape your thoughts and get better results.

🏆 A well-framed prompt gets the conversation off to a strong start – and gets you to the right insight faster.

🧪 Real-World Example

Say you’ve drafted a project proposal. Try asking:

🟢

• “Please review this proposal and list ways to make it clearer.”

• “Could you rewrite it for a funder – persuasive and professional tone.”

• “Now simplify it for adults with learning disabilities.”

• “Now turn it into a short, friendly Facebook post with a hook.”

Same content, but tailored for different audiences. Still you – just adapted to connect.

✨ Try It Today

Pick a paragraph from something you’ve written – maybe your annual report, a bid, or a policy.

Now ask the chatbot to rewrite it in three different tones – for example:

• An apprentice

• A senior manager

• An older service user

Which one sounds most like you?

When you’ve found your match, you can reuse that style prompt – or save it in your settings for next time.

✏️ Final Step – Tweak It ‘Til It’s Right

Even the best chatbot needs a human touch.

✅ Always:

1. Proofread for accuracy
2. Adjust the tone so it really sounds like you
3. Make sure it doesn’t sound robotic or overly generic

👉 Coming Up Next: How to Write Great Prompts – Naturally

Want to get better at prompting? Ask your chatbot to create a personalised Prompting Cheat Sheet.

Or come back next week for practical, non-jargony tips you can use straight away.