In an age where artificial intelligence is mastering content creation, the importance of content delivery—the human touch—has never been more critical. As AI continues to advance, offering us tools to generate content with impressive accuracy and creativity, it leaves us with a pivotal opportunity: to ensure that our delivery remains profoundly human. Here are some tips on how to communicate your content, on “stage” and off, in ways that truly connect and engage.
1. Embrace Authenticity
When sharing your message, let your true self shine through. Audiences crave genuine connections, and they can easily discern when someone is being rote or insincere. So, speak from the heart, share personal anecdotes, and don’t be afraid to show vulnerability. In my new AI keynote “The Golden Hour” I seized multiple opportunities to share personal experiences – from the jokes about Smart devices, to my challenges as a parent. When I share my true self in my content, the delivery comes off as natural and believable because it is my truth. So, the audience receives the message because they believe the messenger.
2. Utilize Emotional Resonance
Emotions are a powerful tool to bridge you to your audience. Want your audience to truly feel you? You gotta feel you first! This means understanding the emotional undertones of your content and conveying them with passion and sincerity. Think about the story behind your content. How did it make you feel when it was happening? What genuine emotions can you evoke? Whether it’s joy, sorrow, excitement, or concern, let those emotions guide your delivery. When I share personal stories of parenting in my AI speech, I don’t just remember those moments, I feel them and allow myself to show that emotion on stage. Those feelings are still our domain as humans, so lean into them to differentiate yourself from the delivery techniques of technology.
3. Foster Interactivity
Engagement is not a one-way street. The more you engage with your audience, the more they will engage with you. Encourage interaction with your audience to make your communication more dynamic and inclusive. On formal stages, you can ask questions, do call-and-response, or create moments for them to interact with each other. With small, informal groups, you can invite opinions and create opportunities for dialogue. This not only makes your audience feel valued but also enriches the conversation, making your message more impactful. During my talks, I always apply multiple ways of engaging with my audience, which creates a more immersive and participatory environment.
4. Leverage the Element of Surprise
Surprise can be a powerful tool to captivate your audience. It keeps them attentive and engaged, eager to see what comes next. As AI creates content that is more predictable, look for ways you can inject irregularity and wonder into your speaking. This doesn’t mean resorting to gimmicks but finding surprising, creative ways to present your content. Use unexpected analogies, reveal new insights suddenly, or incorporate unanticipated multimedia elements that enhance your message. I was very careful not to project the twist in my narrative about AI and parenting, so that the moment I revealed that comparison, it was unexpected and surprising – not where the audience thought I was going with it – which “hooked “them and made them eager to hear more. So don’t be afraid to take AI’s predictable content and turn it on its head, pivot unexpectedly, and leverage the element of surprise to keep your audience engaged.
Conclusion
As AI continues to excel in content creation, the human touch in delivery becomes even more crucial. It’s not just what you say, but how you say it that makes all the difference. By embracing authenticity, harnessing emotional resonance, fostering interactivity, and leveraging the element of surprise, you can ensure that your communication remains deeply human and profoundly impactful. Now, go show AI how WE do it!
