An interactive hands-on Copilot lesson on Word's three modes (Draft, Rewrite, Summarize): the learner matches the mode to a task, orders the five-prompt drafting structure, predicts the better rewrite approach, and makes a judgment call on summarizing legal documents.
Copilot Mastery · Lesson 03 · ProStep 1 of 6 · ~11 min
Pro
Blank page to draft in five prompts.
Most people use Copilot in Word like a text vending machine — "write a proposal about X" — and get something exactly as generic as the prompt. The real skill is using its three modes — Draft, Rewrite, Summarize — each for the right job, plus the 5-prompt structure that beats staring at a blank page.
You'll match modes to tasks, order the 5-prompt structure yourself, and make the calls that keep your voice (and your contracts) intact. About 11 minutes.
New — August 2026: Copilot in Word now lets you pick the model, not just the mode. Microsoft’s Microsoft 365 Copilot release notes dated August 11, 2026 added Anthropic models alongside the existing OpenAI ones in the model selection menu when you edit a document with Copilot (web). The three modes below work the same either way — but if your admin has enabled Anthropic models, it is worth running Rewrite and Summarize on the same document with each and keeping whichever voice you prefer. More on the model picker in Claude inside Copilot.
Three modes — most people only use one
Each mode has its own prompt patterns and strengths. The skill is switching between them naturally:
DraftBlank page → "write me X." Best with the 5-prompt structure (next).
Rewrite"Polish / reshape this text I already have." Tone and length.
Summarize"Condense this long doc into what matters."
Match the mode
You've written a rough draft, but a few paragraphs read clunky. Which mode?
01 · Draft mode — the 5-prompt structure
Basic
Asking Copilot to write the whole document at once gives you shallow, generic prose. The fix is to outline first, then expand each section as its own prompt. Five prompts, ~10 minutes.
Build the structure — tap the prompts in order
The outline comes first; the executive summary comes last (it needs the sections to exist).
Gotcha: Don't ship the first draft. Copilot's prose tilts corporate-stiff — run Rewrite mode (next) on the parts that need to sound human.
~90 min → ~12 min for a first draft from scratch
02 · Rewrite mode — polish, don't regenerate
Intermediate
Where: Highlight a paragraph → Rewrite with Copilot → Shorter / Formalize / Casual / Direct, or a custom note like "cut filler, keep my voice, make it punchier."
Your call
For a document where your voice matters, what produces the better result?
Gotcha: "Make it shorter" over-corrects — it'll cut 50% when you wanted 20%. Be specific: "Cut by ~30% while keeping the three key points."
03 · Summarize mode — the spine of any long doc
Advanced
Where: Open a long doc → ask Copilot to summarize. A structured prompt earns its keep:
Summary promptSummarize this document. Give me: (1) key decisions or claims, (2) anything needing my action, (3) open or unclear sections, (4) what I'd flag to my team.
Judgment call
Copilot summarized a 40-page contract you're about to sign. The right move?
✓
Lesson complete
Three modes, used in sequence — Draft to build, Rewrite to humanize, Summarize to top-and-tail. A document you've been dreading ships in about 30 minutes.
Ship a real document in 30 minutes
Draft mode with the 5-prompt structure (~12 min)
Rewrite the 2–3 sections that need to sound human (~8 min)
Summarize mode to generate the executive summary up top (~5 min)
Final read-through and manual edits (~5 min)
What you can do now
Switch between Draft, Rewrite, and Summarize by task, run the 5-prompt structure for any long doc, polish your own writing instead of regenerating it, and treat summaries as a start — not a substitute.
Up next in Copilot Mastery
Lesson 04 · Copilot in Teams — meeting summaries that aren't garbage
Hey! I'm your AI Coach for this lesson. Ask me anything about Copilot in Word — the three modes, the 5-prompt structure, polishing your own writing, or summarizing long docs. What's on your mind?
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