How to Improve Your Team’s AI-Generated Communications

Published: 5/18/2026

We’ve all seen it by now. Smart, capable professionals on your team present their work – but when they speak, it just doesn’t sound right. We can’t quite trust them. Whose voice is this?

Am I watching a real-life deep fake?

I’ve been through this countless times with clients, and even colleagues I’ve shared the stage with. The pain is real. It makes you want to stand up in front of someone you otherwise respect and value and shout:

Throw out that ChatGPT script!

Ok, maybe we shouldn’t go that far.

But we can guide our colleagues and team members to rise above the wave of AI-generated mediocrity.

All it takes is a few key questions and a line in the sand that separates what AI can and can’t do for you.

Does It Sound Like This Person’s Voice?

This might sound subjective, but it’s rooted in two observable differences: phrasing and presence.

You know how your team members tend to talk. They have their own turn of phrase and signature style that you can catch instantly. So when you hear something that sounds off, as if someone else wrote lines for them, trust your ear. You’re probably right.

Presence is the other giveaway. When we try to speak from a script, especially one that we didn’t write, it shows in our voice and body language.

Listen for hesitation, flat tone, or that teleprompter effect that sounds like the words didn’t originate with the speaker. Pay attention to eye contact – are they reading directly from their notes? Looking up, down, to the side to remember that next line? Their facial expressions might also be more flat and less enthusiastic.

You might intellectually believe what they’re saying, but emotionally, you’ll have a much harder time buying into their idea. It just won’t excite and convince you.

All of this kills speaker conviction and audience engagement. That’s where a trusted mentor needs to step in and get this AI-generated snooze back on track.

Give Me Your Takeaway in One Sentence

Without looking at your notes.

If you’re helping your employee prepare for a presentation or any talk, this is the most effective exercise you can do with them.

Have them tell you a single sentence that captures their key point. Make sure it’s short, memorable, and above all, actionable. We should know exactly what the recommendation, proposal, or request is from this one sentence.

Many people struggle to come up with a takeaway like this. They might not have thought about it in those terms. They will likely use AI to spit out a phrase that sounds snappy but doesn’t fulfill all the requirements.

Be relentless. It takes time and iteration to weed out the weak ideas and come up with a truly solid key message. Don’t settle for less just because it’s challenging, but don’t rush the process. They might go away empty handed today and wake up with the perfect idea tomorrow. It’s better to sleep on it than to force it.

Don’t Let AI Speak for You

The key message is the core of the speaker’s job: analysis. AI can give a summary. The professional gives the importance – what should we do in light of this information?

When someone nails the key message and supporting details in their own words, they can deliver with conviction and presence. This is what sways stakeholders and wins rooms. It also prepares them to defend their point and handle objections.

Help your team anticipate tough questions following the presentation. They should address challenges in their own words with reference to their key message – not just repeat talking points without a new angle or response. When they originally composed and synthesized the key points themselves, the on-the-spot analysis becomes far easier.

Meanwhile, a speaker leaning on an AI script will likely fall back on that. They’ll rehash a few lines and fail to address concerns. Even if the prepared talk went ok, they will lose it in the presentation after the presentation if they don’t know how to speak for themselves.

High Level Communication is Low-Tech

AI is great for summaries, synthesizing data, and structuring ideas. But the ideas must come from the professional. The art of developing a key message – reworking it, challenging it, receiving and applying feedback – can only be done with a human brain.

If your team lets AI speak for them, speak up. Demand the one sentence takeaway. Help them speak with conviction. Challenge them and make sure they can defend their points.

This is how I help corporate teams do what AI can’t do for them.