Things to consider in telling your story
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It’s no secret that the way people get their news & information has changed drastically over the last few years.
By 2026, half of Canadians won’t have TV subscriptions according to a report done this year by Convergence Research. The 2023 Reuters Digital News Report found that only 11% of Canadians pay for online news, and only 37% of English Canadians trust most news, which is down by a third in 7 years.
As patterns continue to shift, individuals and organizations with a story to tell need to start going directly to audiences to get their point across. They need to tell their own stories, or they won’t be heard.
There are a couple of things to consider when looking at how best to do this:
- What’s the best format to connect with people and build trust? There’s a lot to be said for the speed and simplicity of written content, but video and audio can lead to super rich storytelling. Pictures and sound can do amazing things.
- How do you tell your story like “a story”? There’s a big difference between distributing information and telling an actual story that motivates and engages your audience.
- How can you distribute your stories to get to your stakeholders? Social media, your website, emails, the options are many.
- What systems and infrastructure are you putting into place? Execution is everything. It’s vital to determine the optimal way for your organization to deliver in a fast, and cost-effective way with the right technology and solutions.
- What skills do you need, and where can you get them? Can your internal team learn how to do this, and if so, who can train them? Does it make sense to get some components from an external team?
Taking control of telling your own story is exciting. You can ensure it’s delivered with context and with care. If done right, your storytelling strategy will fit perfectly with your overall organizational strategy getting your message across, building connections with your team, and trust with your stakeholders.
Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly useful tool in professional communications, including media training. While AI cannot replace traditional media training led by experienced professionals, it can serve as a valuable resource for follow-up practice after formal training sessions. Traditional media training helps spokespeople learn essential skills such as delivering clear messages, staying on topic during interviews, and handling difficult questions from journalists. Trainers often simulate real interview scenarios and provide feedback on tone, body language, and message clarity. These sessions are important because they prepare individuals for the pressure and unpredictability of real media interactions. After completing media training, AI tools can help individuals continue practicing these skills. For example, AI can simulate interview questions that a journalist might ask about a company, product launch, or industry issue. This allows spokespeople to practice answering questions out loud and refining their responses. AI can also generate unexpected follow-up questions, helping users strengthen their ability to think quickly and stay focused on key messages. In addition, AI can assist with reviewing and improving responses. Users can type or summarize their answers and receive suggestions on how to make them clearer, more concise, or more engaging. This kind of practice can reinforce the techniques learned during professional media training sessions. However, AI does have limitations. It cannot fully replicate the pressure of a live interview, interpret body language, or provide the nuanced feedback that an experienced media trainer can offer. Human trainers bring industry experience and real-world insight that AI cannot replace. Ultimately, AI works best as a complementary tool. When used alongside traditional media training, it can help spokespeople maintain their skills, practice regularly, and build greater confidence in media interviews.
It can’t replace real-time human thinking, but it can serve as a practice partner and preparation tool to help prepare for real conversations. Here are several ways AI can help: ⭐1. Practice with Simulated Conversations AI can simulate conversations, interviews, or debates. By practicing with AI, you can get used to responding to unexpected questions or ideas. For example, you could ask AI to act as: 🔵A job interviewer 🔵A customer with a complaint 🔵A debate opponent This kind of practice forces you to form responses quickly, which helps build confidence in real-life conversations. ⭐2. Generating Practice Questions AI can generate challenging or unpredictable questions about a topic. Practicing answering these questions out loud helps train your brain to organize thoughts quickly. For instance, if you are preparing for a presentation, AI could create possible audience questions so you can practice responding clearly and calmly. ⭐3. Improving Idea Organization AI can help you learn how to structure answers quickly. It can suggest simple frameworks for responding in conversation. Practicing with these structures can make it easier to respond quickly in discussions. ⭐4. Building Topic Knowledge Thinking on your feet becomes easier when you understand a topic well. AI can help you quickly learn background information, explanations, or different viewpoints, giving you more ideas to draw from during conversations. (Just make sure it's accurate!) ‼️Helpful, but with limits Where AI is limited as a practice tool for verbal communication is its inability to provide feedback and coaching on your performance to help you improve even further. Verbal communication, whether its in an interview, meeting, or one-on-one interaction involves so much more than just the words you say – how you say things is often just as important as what you say. This is why it’s important to have a trusted human partner who can provide coaching and guidance to help you become the best verbal communicator you can be.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how we communicate, especially in writing. Tools powered by AI can help people draft emails, summarize long documents, correct grammar, and adjust tone for different audiences. These technologies make written communication faster, clearer, and more accessible. For students, professionals, and organizations, AI can save time and reduce the stress of writing by offering suggestions and helping structure ideas effectively. One of the biggest advantages of AI in written communication is clarity. AI tools can review a message and suggest ways to make it more concise and professional. They can also help people who struggle with grammar or language barriers express their ideas more accurately. In workplaces where communication happens through emails, reports, and messaging platforms, AI can improve efficiency by helping people quickly create well-organized and understandable messages. However, while AI is a powerful tool for written communication, it cannot replace the importance of strong verbal communication skills. Speaking clearly, presenting ideas in front of an audience, and responding to questions in real time are abilities that require practice and confidence. Skills like thinking on your feet, explaining ideas verbally, and engaging with others in conversation are still essential in many areas of life, including meetings, interviews, and public presentations. Verbal communication also allows people to convey emotion, build relationships, and show authenticity in ways that written communication often cannot. A strong speaker can adapt their message based on audience reactions and respond instantly to new ideas or challenges. As AI continues to improve written communication, it is important for people to remember that communication is not only about writing. Developing strong speaking and presentation skills remains just as valuable. The most effective communicators will be those who use AI as a tool to enhance their writing while continuing to build their confidence and ability to communicate verbally.
