Communications coach, Annabel Cole, shares five key insights into navigating AI for success – and reveals the mistakes to avoid.
‘Do you feel confident about public speaking?’ For native English speakers, the answer is invariably ‘no’, and for people working in English as an additional language, fears about stepping into the spotlight are even greater. There are now a vast number of AI tools which can help: from grammar checking
and speech writing to post-production software to edit out mistakes and apps which
improve fluency. There is more choice than ever before but whether you are faced with the prospect
of giving a keynote or a team talk, pitching to investors presenting to clients, how can
you best use AI to boost your performance?
- To get the best out of AI, develop your own voice first
AI has transformed the communications landscape and nowhere more than
written communications. As well as AI text generators like Claude and
ChatGPT, AI writing companions HyperWrite AI and Justdone and
speechwriting tool, Verble, can generate audience-specific content in
seconds, speeding up work and making writer’s block a fear of the past.
AI frees us from productivity pressures but makes our own authenticity more
important. Powerful communicators – from Barack Obama to Brené Brown –
share one common trait: they connect with their audiences. When it comes to
public speaking it’s you, not AI, who creates that connection.
Outsourcing speechwriting or presentations to AI might seem like the easy
answer but if you really want to make an impact, it’s critical to develop your
own voice first. As a simple step, before clicking on your AI of choice, get in
the habit of asking yourself some basic questions: What is the story I want to
tell? Why is it important? What insights are unique to me? Only when you
bring your true self will you show the integrity and authenticity needed to build
connection. - Perfection is not your only goal
If you are a non-native speaker working in English, being correct can seem
like your most important aim. The great news is that with AI translation and
language tools (Deepl, Grammarly, Wordtune) anxiety about grammar and
vocabulary are now a thing of the past. But, when it comes reaching your
audience, being accurate is not the same as being effective. Sometimes, it
can even create barriers.
Whether giving a keynote or presenting to colleagues at work, building rapport
is essential and for that, it is vital to come across as genuine. A French
architect based in London told me how AI has transformed his written client
communications, yet he deliberately includes a few mistakes in his AI-
generated emails. “If I meet a client in person and appear very different from
the person they’ve met online, trust is immediately undermined.”
My advice: use AI to help with grammar and language but when you are
speaking in public, don’t worry about making a mistake. That’s what makes
you human. - Prioritise content over confidence
Whether you are lacking in confidence or brimming with it, public speaking can
feel like it’s all about you. When I speak to clients, concerns usually revolve
around performance: will I look good in front of superiors? What if I say
something stupid? What if nobody laughs at my joke? What if I don’t know the
answer? What if I dry up? For non-native speaking clients, the list of concerns
gets longer: how do I sound natural? What if I can’t pronounce the key word?
What if I trip up in the Q and A?
Of course, the concerns are understandable, but as a speaker, your main
obligation is to your audience. For making that all-important connection,
clarity should be your top priority: be clear about what you want to say and be
clear in the way that you say it. If you are a non-native English speaker and
your audience is also non-native, that is even more important.
Without the right prompting, AI-generated texts can be filled with jargon terms
and corporate language. This can give the less confident speaker the
reassurance of authority but, in fact, it can get in the way. Whichever AI you
are using – ChatGPT or professionally-focused AIs like Jasper, get in the
habit of asking your AI to rephrase and experiment with different tones of
voice until you find one which sounds more natural. The AI Wordtune is built
to specifically help with this.
Do confidence-boosting exercises if you want to but first, take time to craft
what you are going to say for the people you want to reach. - Soft skills are now your core skills
In communications training, so-called ‘soft skills’ have traditionally often
seemed like a ‘nice to have.’ Now, with AI absorbing mechanical tasks and
frequently outperforming us in areas such as data analysis, summary and
content generation, human skills are becoming more valuable.
80% of respondents to a recent study carried out by American publisher Wiley
felt that soft skills were more important in the technological age, ranking
communication and leadership as the skills that will be most needed in the
workplace, while a survey in Business and Professional Communication
Quarterly found that 72% of frequent AI users reported that oral
communication will become more important.
As a speaker, whether you are leading a small group or addressing a large
audience, investing in your communication skills is vital. And practice is
essential. VirtualSpeech, Speeko, Poised and Yoodli are just some of the
platforms which analyse performance and offer role plays, simulations and
feedback which you can use to improve in your own time. - Find your public-speaking personality
Having a clear sense of your voice (what you want to say) and communicating
focussed content clearly with your audience are two of the baseline
requirements for public speaking which makes an impact. You also need to
feel comfortable doing it.
Your public speaking personality may differ from your private demeanour.
Nerves can make a warm personality seem distant on stage. Non-native
English speakers often find their personality shifts when working in English.
I’ve worked with many senior professionals who are vivid and authoritative in
their native language but become flat when speaking English.
AI has any number of apps to help with presentation skills: Virtual orator
simulates being in front of an audience and Orai uses your own speech
recordings to work with you to build your speaker profile. Language platforms
including Elsa, Smalltalk2me and Talkpal Ai all improve fluency for non-
native speakers.
Develop your public speaking personality:
- Self-awareness: Record yourself or use AI feedback tools to
understand how you come across. Are you projecting the persona you intend? - Nonverbal communication: Develop body language that reinforces
your message. Open gestures, facial expressions, and confident posture all
play a vital role in signalling who you are. - Embrace your accent: Don’t let concerns about accent hold you back.
Own it and address it upfront if necessary. - Recognise cultural differences: Not everything translates
perfectly—humour is a good example. For complex technical topics or
subjects close to your heart, supplement with visuals which can be universally
understood.
Annabel Cole is based in Vienna and London. Find out more about her
work at www.annabelcole.com
