In recent weeks there’s been a number of stories circulating about the demand for Prompt Engineers, one of the hottest new job roles in this fuzzy and sometimes contradictory job market. After all, on one hand, we’re seeing mass layoffs across major tech companies, while on the other we’re witnessing the creation of “AI Whisperer” roles very few had heard of just six months ago.
What’s particularly interesting is the lack of computer engineering or advanced coding expertise these roles are requiring.
It got me thinking – firstly, how soon will it be until it’s commonplace for Prompt Engineers to have an integral seat at the table in all major corporations and if so, in which departments?
And secondly, what generative AI quick wins can business leaders, regardless of their seniority, be using right now in their communications? But how can they do so without losing touch with employees?
Zoning in on the latter, here are three ways the senior leadership at Bud Communications has been using generative AI with employees:
Greater brevity in written communications
Our core business is media relations and we know from industry research that sending a journalist with lead paragraphs of between 50-79 words score the best engagement. But in reality, this need for brevity also applies across our internal communications.
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For example, if there’s a new company policy I want to make for the team, it’s likely the draft is convoluted and perhaps a tad dry. I want the team to read this communication and react to it, so I use ChatGPT to condense and pep up the message.
Another example: I’m writing a synopsis for an event’s fireside chat I’m chairing. The process is the same, I want to cut out some of the superlative fluff from my prose, but it requires practice and some trial/error to work out the right prompts to get the optimal outcome.
Aligning teams during complex creative or strategy brainstorms
Creative brainstorms are energising for teams, but unless chaired correctly, the end outcome can be several hours of time and a lot of tangential ideas with no clear way forward. This is no different from strategy meetings, where stakeholders can have conflicting ideas aligned with the goals of their own business units.
For the past 12 months or so, we’ve been using Otter.ai to take meeting notes during virtual and in-person meetings, with the tool capturing notes and generating a summary at the end. Alternatively, for the latter ChatGPT has also proven a useful tool to capture the high-level themes and suggested next steps.
Cranking up the visual quality of storytelling in presentations
Not everyone enjoys creating decks; I am one of them. But then SaaS platforms like Pitch and Canva came along and made the art of crafting engaging presentations actually fun.
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If you’re a senior business leader, you’ve probably been in a situation late at night, hunched over your laptop trying to think of the most compelling image to ramp up the visual quality of your all-hands meeting presentation.
Canva launched a relatively basic text-to-image AI tool at the end of last year, but one of the generative AI (text-to-image) tools a lot of creatives are getting really excited about is Midjourney. With a few well-written prompts, you’ll have already forgotten about those “smiling employees in the office” stock images you’ve been using for years (personal anecdote).
Don’t leave authenticity behind
The list of use cases goes on, from creating a topline structure for a last-minute presentation to iterating with written headlines to spark new content approaches, like when posting on a company intranet or employee experience app.
The main takeaway from this post is that as a leader, there are some incredible use cases where generative AI can increase efficiency and help you focus on the stuff that matters. But the pitfall is overuse. One of the biggest corporate learnings from the pandemic was that employees crave authentic communication from their leaders, which is unsanitised and most importantly, human.
Tl;dr: use this groundbreaking new technology wisely. Treat it like a cross between a sparring partner and a bit part project manager. You’ve likely spent your whole career honing a communications/leadership style that’s authentic to your personality and values. That groundwork is as important as ever to motivate and inspire your team.
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Image credit: Canva Pro
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