Resource 6 · Make AI Work Better for You
Teach AI to Sound More Like You
Build a voice guide from your own writing so AI sounds more like you and less like AI.
- You finish with
- A reusable voice guide based on your actual writing
- Time
- 20–30 minutes
- Best for
- Anyone using AI for emails, articles, reports, posts, proposals, or other business communication
AI can produce polished writing that still sounds nothing like the person whose name is on it. Telling AI to “make it sound like me” is not enough. Give it evidence: writing that genuinely sounds like you and, when available, the corrections you repeatedly make.
Before you start
- Choose 3–6 writing samples that genuinely sound like you.
- Prefer your own writing over heavily edited or AI-generated work.
- Prior AI history is optional; the writing samples alone are enough.
The exercise
-
Select authentic samples
Choose emails, articles, memos, proposals, posts, or other work where you recognize your own voice.
-
Analyze patterns, not adjectives
Have AI identify sentence rhythm, directness, structure, vocabulary, use of examples, recommendations, disagreement, openings, closings, and language you avoid.
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Compare with your corrections
If available, add recurring writing corrections you have given AI. They often reveal what the samples alone do not.
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Build the voice guide
Keep the guide concise and behavioral. “Use fewer choppy sentences” is actionable; “be authentic” is not.
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Test on new writing
Draft something new with the guide and ask: would someone who knows me believe I wrote this?
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Protect what is distinctive
Do not let AI polish away memorable language, strong points of view, or useful rhetorical edge merely because safer prose is easier to generate.
Copy this prompt
The writing samples below genuinely sound like me. Analyze them to identify the recurring characteristics of my writing voice. Focus on behaviors supported by the samples: - sentence length and rhythm - level of formality and directness - vocabulary - paragraph structure - use of examples and analogies - how I make recommendations - how I disagree or challenge an idea - how I open and close - use of humor, emphasis, or rhetorical language - things I consistently avoid Separate STRONG PATTERNS from POSSIBLE PATTERNS. Do not use vague labels such as "professional," "clear," or "authentic" unless you explain the specific writing behavior behind them. Then draft a concise voice guide another AI could follow. Do not exaggerate the patterns or turn the voice into a caricature. [PASTE WRITING SAMPLES]
Review your result
- Does this actually describe your writing?
- Which parts are generic?
- Is AI exaggerating something you only do occasionally?
- What distinctive language or rhythm should be protected?
- What words or habits make AI-generated writing obviously unlike you?
Operator example
Your real emails may be direct, use complete paragraphs, lead with the decision, avoid inflated business language, and end without a ceremonial closing. A voice guide captures those behaviors. It should not invent quirks simply to make the writing seem “personal.”
What not to do
Do not use a voice guide to imitate someone else deceptively. The purpose is to preserve your own communication style in work you are responsible for.
Save the result
Save the guide as [Name] Voice Guide — [Month Year]. Update it when repeated corrections reveal a durable pattern.
Next resource
Teach AI How You Work
Voice is one part of the broader working relationship.
Go to Teach AI How You WorkReady for the next step?
Most companies are using AI too small.
Employees writing faster emails is not transformation. Real AI leverage happens when capable leaders apply it to pricing, operations, planning, forecasting, execution, and decision-making. That shift produced $650,000 in measurable business value for one executive in eight months. That is the standard we build toward.
