According to the latest report from McKinsey, 13 percent of us own up to using AI for 30 percent of our work tasks. While there isn’t clear data on how many senior executives are using AI for presentations and speeches, it’s clear AI is gaining increasing acceptance for all sorts of work products.
I’m not the first to focus on why senior executives, especially those in the C suite, should be careful about substituting the human element for AI, especially in high stake communications. Setting aside recent scandals over AI failures, here’s some things to remember about why you may not want to remove yourself from the hard work of formal communications:
1.) Authenticity is not only key to executive communications, its inseparable from your reputation.
Ok, you want to save time and having someone or something else write that draft on deadline is tempting. The problem is data alone isn’t going to be what enhances your reputation and gets you remembered. Basically, that’s what you’re getting back: data. If you’re not connected to the substance of what you’re saying, beyond the data, we in your target audience are going to be able to tell. If we think someone or something else wrote what you’re delivering, we have reason to question your understanding of it.
2.) If you don’t have time to put yourself into your communications, say no.
If you’re a senior executive and you’re speaking to people in person, they’re going to judge you. That’s how this works, and it’s not a bad thing. In fact, that judgement is your opportunity to exceed expectations. You can only do that if you put in the effort to show people exactly why you’re in a leadership role. AI can do a lot of things, but it can’t inspire or connect the way humans can. Only accept those appearances you have the time to prepare for, because that’s how you’ll ace that judgement test.
3.) Show UP
Whether you have a speechwriter or use AI or both to produce a rough draft, don’t leave the final product to others. No one else sounds quite like you and that’s the point of why we choose in person communication. Even the best of speechwriters takes a while to learn how to present something in “your voice”. Make the effort to make sure you’re comfortable with everything in that draft from messaging to phrasing. Even then, find a way to add more of ‘you’: a story, an anecdote, some perspective that gives us insight into your thinking. OWN it.
Whatever you do to prepare for your public presentations and speeches, take them seriously. For your audiences who don’t work side by side with you daily, this is how they will know (and judge) you. Oh, and invest in a coach. We’ll help you match the power of your ideas to the power of your communications.
I’m not the first to focus on why senior executives, especially those in the C suite, should be careful about substituting the human element for AI, especially in high stake communications. Setting aside recent scandals over AI failures, here’s some things to remember about why you may not want to remove yourself from the hard work of formal communications:
1.) Authenticity is not only key to executive communications, its inseparable from your reputation.
Ok, you want to save time and having someone or something else write that draft on deadline is tempting. The problem is data alone isn’t going to be what enhances your reputation and gets you remembered. Basically, that’s what you’re getting back: data. If you’re not connected to the substance of what you’re saying, beyond the data, we in your target audience are going to be able to tell. If we think someone or something else wrote what you’re delivering, we have reason to question your understanding of it.
2.) If you don’t have time to put yourself into your communications, say no.
If you’re a senior executive and you’re speaking to people in person, they’re going to judge you. That’s how this works, and it’s not a bad thing. In fact, that judgement is your opportunity to exceed expectations. You can only do that if you put in the effort to show people exactly why you’re in a leadership role. AI can do a lot of things, but it can’t inspire or connect the way humans can. Only accept those appearances you have the time to prepare for, because that’s how you’ll ace that judgement test.
3.) Show UP
Whether you have a speechwriter or use AI or both to produce a rough draft, don’t leave the final product to others. No one else sounds quite like you and that’s the point of why we choose in person communication. Even the best of speechwriters takes a while to learn how to present something in “your voice”. Make the effort to make sure you’re comfortable with everything in that draft from messaging to phrasing. Even then, find a way to add more of ‘you’: a story, an anecdote, some perspective that gives us insight into your thinking. OWN it.
Whatever you do to prepare for your public presentations and speeches, take them seriously. For your audiences who don’t work side by side with you daily, this is how they will know (and judge) you. Oh, and invest in a coach. We’ll help you match the power of your ideas to the power of your communications.
