Using AI to Improve Your Communication (ep.145)

Do you use AI to boost your communication effectiveness? Andrea shares her evolving perspective on AI, including whether using AI is “cheating,” practical ways to use AI to improve communication, and offers three “Dos” and three “Do Nots” for effective AI usage. Do you have more to add to the conversation? Let’s talk!

Resources

* Forbes October 2023 article on AI

* Talk About Talk ep.15: AI with Avi Goldfarb

* Talk About Talk ep. 129: Power with Tiziana Casciaro

Connect with Andrea & Talk About Talk:

Website: TalkAboutTalk.com

Communication Coaching Newsletter:  https://talkabouttalk.com/blog/#newsletter-signup

LinkedIn: Andrea and TalkAboutTalk

Youtube Channel: @talkabouttalkyoutube

Talk About Talk Podcast Archive

Transcript

Let me start this episode by staying until recently, I didn’t think I had a lot to say about using AI. Four and a half years ago, I interviewed Professor Avi Goldfarb for a Talk About Talk podcast episode on AI. Avi is one of my past colleagues at the university of Toronto, and the author of two AI-focused books, Prediction Machines and Power & Prediction. This was before we’d heard of ChatGPT, and before everything really took off. Obviously a lot has changed since then.

Then, in the past month or so, I had a couple of experiences that made me realize, yes, in fact, I do have a thing or two to say about AI.

Recently I was collaborating with an organization to lead a series of workshops for them. After our first meeting to plan the workshops, they sent me an e-mail asking for a title for the workshop series. I thought about it for a few minutes and nothing inspiring came to mind. So I opened ChatGPT, and I asked it to generate ten possible titles for the Workshop series. I told ChatGPT who the audience was and what the topics would be.

The list that ChatGPT generated was boring. Not helpful. So I asked the same question again, but this time I clarified that I was looking for CLEVER titles. This new list had a lot of potential. None of the 10 suggestions were bang on, but it was incredibly helpful. This list inspired me and helped me generate some better ideas.

After I forwarded 3 potential workshop series titles to my client, I quickly got a response  saying that the titles were fantastic.  Frankly, I agreed.

The next day I shared this story with a girlfriend of mine. She’s a lawyer and she works full time in a big organization. So her response surprised me. She said, Andrea! That’s cheating!

What? 

You’re not allowed to do that.! That’s cheating!

Wait! I asked. You think using ChatGPT to help me come up with a title is cheating?

Yes! She answered.

Oh boy. I had a lot to say about that, let me tell you. So that was one experience.

A few days after this conversation, I was at my sons high school, and I met his English teacher. He asked me how everything was going and if I had any questions for him. I know my kids would always wish that I’d keep my mouth shut, but that’s just not my style. So I asked him,