Over the past two years, while I hav shifted from being a ghostwriter to an executive coach, society has experienced the spread of incredibly powerful AI systems that can write articles and create art in mere seconds.
Wait a minute—why did I make a personal reference in that opening paragraph?
I want to demonstrate that in the months and years ahead, you will need to work harder to make it obvious that you are communicating, rather than a machine that you paid seven cents to communicate for you.
Just before these AI systems debuted, my friend Jacquelyn Lane said to me that every time she sends an email or leaves a message she thinks, “How can I prove that I’m human?”
Yes, prove you’re human.
Our in-boxes are deluged with spam generated and distributed by machines. To cut through the clutter and be able to form and strengthen meaningful relationships, you will need to get better and better at proving you are human.
Let me now address the elephant in the room. For ten years, I was a ghostwriter. Isn't it hypocritical for me to publish an article telling you to work harder to be yourself?
That job was 100% about helping my clients to be themselves. I ask probing questions, have deep conversations and nudge each of my clients to be more open and genuine. My job is not to write words for them; my job is to help each client share content that could only have come from their mind, heart and soul.
This is what we all need to do: dig deeper.
Find the essence of you. What makes you different from everyone else?
Most importantly, never distribute something in your name that a machine could have written in three seconds.
Do you worry about having your voice be heard? You should.
The people who matter most to you are increasingly deluged by communications from "people" who aren't actually who they claim to be:
Many of the comments on LinkedIn are posted by virtual assistants or hired hands.
Many of the articles and emails they receive were written by AI or composed in a formulaic manner according to a script.
We are even getting to the point at which videos of a person aren't actually videos of that person, but instead an AI composition of a photo and a script.
If you fast-forward two years, the competition to have your voice be heard is going to be fiercer than you can imagine.
This is a big problem if you aspire to do any of the following:
Attract customers
Grow your business
Get promoted
Hire the best talent
Motivate your team
Strengthen your relationships
Unearth new opportunities
Protect and enhance your reputation
For all of these reasons and more, every time you share a communication, it's important that you prove you're human.
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I just paused in my writing long enough to give you a taste of my own reality. I'm looking west as the sun is about to rise, and a sole light illuminates my desk. The dogs and other humans in the house are still sleeping and the atmospheric river of rain seems like it's going to pause today.
There are many ways to prove that you're human beyond actually sharing a photo.
You can share genuine, personal and/or quirky experiences that make it easier for others to relate to you.
You can be so true to yourself that only you could have said or done that.
Or, if you are writing a personal note, you can literally include knowledge that only you and the recipient share. "Remember when you fell into the lake that night? I had a similar experience yesterday."
An even better strategy is to recount something the other person told or asked you. "Earlier this year, you asked me to be on the lookout for up-and-coming talent. I just met someone who might make an extraordinary addition to your team."
You might be thinking: this is crazy... have we really reached the point at which I first have to prove that I'm human?
Yes, we have.
I am Bruce Kasanoff, an executive coach who can help you get what you want. Book a one-hour call with me and I’ll prove it.