by Caroline Leach | Mar 31, 2024 | Learning
How can you use AI more often in your daily work? 🤖
I’ve been contemplating how to best use AI in my communication, consulting, and coaching business.
And it feels a bit overwhelming at times.
When that happens, I break things down into simple steps.
What’s the easiest way to start?
For me it’s been using the existing AI features in my business and personal tech stack – all the digital tools I use frequently.
Most everything has AI features, so increasingly I’m using them. Just a few:
1. LinkedIn: rewrite with AI
2. iStockPhoto: AI generator
3. MS Teams: speaker coach
In the last example, I’m now using the Speaker Coach feature of Microsoft Teams in meetings where I’m presenting.
Speaker Coach analyzes your speaking along six dimensions:
1. Filler words
2. Pace
3. Inclusiveness
4. Intonation
5. Monologue
6. Repetitive language
It sends a private report just to you as the user right after the meeting.
A sample report from a client meeting is below.
During the meeting, I got a private notification that I was speaking too fast.
Although it was momentarily jarring, it helped me slow down in the moment.
Filler words are also a challenge for me. Too often I say “like” and “you know” that can detract from my message.
In this client meeting, I used filler words 6 times.
In a bigger presentation later the same day? Only 1 time.
So AI is helping me be a better speaker. And a better communication coach for other leaders.
How is AI helping you do better work? Drop a comment 👇
by Caroline Leach | Jan 28, 2024 | Change, Learning
How do you learn to do something new?
Not by thinking, planning, or strategizing.
Instead, we learn simply by doing the new thing.
We learn by being okay feeling uncomfortable and awkward.
We learn by experimenting and having a beginner’s mindset.
Over the weekend, I was reminded of this.
One of my new endeavors for the year is taking adult ballet classes.
It’s been decades since I studied dance almost daily as a teen.
My mind remembers, but my body needs to re-learn how to do the steps.
Our instructor told the packed classroom at the outset, “the way to learn to dance … is to dance.”
So simple. Yet maybe it’s not the first thought when we start something new.
It could be anything new, whether it’s leading, marketing, designing, or something else.
For those who follow me, you know I’m learning to speak Spanish.
This year I’m also learning more about AI. I’m curious about how to better apply it to my work communicating, coaching, and leading.
One of the cool new LinkedIn tools is “rewrite with AI.” So this post appears in two versions, A and B. What resonates with you in each post and why? Drop a comment and let me know. 👇
This is Version A, written by me.
_____________________________
This is Version B, rewritten with AI.
How do you learn to do something new? Not by overthinking, but by simply doing. We learn by embracing the discomfort of being a beginner and experimenting with a beginner’s mindset. This weekend, I was reminded of this while taking adult ballet classes. Though it’s been decades since I last danced daily, my instructor reminded us that “the way to learn to dance…is to dance.” It’s a simple concept, yet one we often overlook when starting something new. Whether it’s learning a new language like Spanish or exploring the possibilities of AI, the key is to take action and learn by doing. So what new skill are you looking to tackle this year? Share in the comments below.
__________
P.S. One of the most fascinating learnings from this “rewrite with AI” experiment? I did it 3 times as I made slight edits to my post, and each time the rewrite was fairly different. Trying to decide what to make of that.
by Caroline Leach | Aug 1, 2023 | Careers, Social Media
In July I did an experiment.
I posted daily on LinkedIn to see what would happen.
My mission? To answer questions about content creation:
- What content is most engaging, or valuable, for serving my network?
- How can I increase the quality of my network through content creation?
- How will content creation enhance my personal brand?
On Saturdays, I posted weekly interim reports. Questions people asked as a result:
- What content works best?
- What’s the optimal posting cadence?
- What’s the impact of the LinkedIn algorithm change?
WHAT THE DATA SAYS
Key Metrics for July
- Content impressions (onscreen displays) up 371%
- Content engagement (reactions, comments, reposts) up 229%
- Followers increased by 118
- Profile views up 102%
Top Performing Posts
- Don’t Apply for Stuff: 22,030 impressions, 133 engagements
- LinkedIn Experiment Weekly Update #1: 2,574 impressions, 61 engagements
- Is the American July the New European August? 2,335 impressions, 48 engagements
Why did “Don’t Apply for Stuff” do so well? It was a contrarian view on the job search. The statement was an attention grabber. It offered knowledge and advice. People engaged with the post by commenting and reposting right away. LinkedIn seems to reward early engagement, in the first hour, with more impressions.
And along those lines, it’s okay and even advisable to like your own posts and comment on them. You can add more info in a comment. It’s also good to reply to as many comments on your post as possible, to foster dialogue. Include a question to keep the conversation going.
WHAT THE DATA MEANS
During the first half of the year, I posted monthly or less. Impressions were higher, in the range of 3,500 to 10,000.
The LinkedIn algorithm did change in mid 2023, to reward posts that share knowledge and advice.
But because my posts have always shared knowledge and advice, that may not be the reason impressions are lower in July, generally in the range of 250 to 2,500. Perhaps my content quality isn’t high enough. Or maybe posting daily has resulted in fewer impressions per post.
Logically, that means I should post less frequently.
BUT, this data suggests otherwise:
- More comments on my posts from people I haven’t heard from in a while
- More DMs from people in my network who are reaching out to reconnect
- More connection requests from interesting people I want to know better
The quality of my relationships and conversations on LinkedIn have dramatically improved in July. And that speaks to my goals of serving people through my content, improving the quality of my network, and enhancing my personal brand.
ADVICE FOR YOUR CONTENT
- Pick a posting frequency to fit your life and goals. It may be monthly, weekly, daily, or somewhere in between. You get to choose.
- Share knowledge and advice. This makes your content unique. It’s what only you can share. It’s also what the current algorithm rewards.
- Don’t repost content. It won’t achieve a high level of impressions. Instead, start a new post and tag the person whose idea you want to credit.
Lastly, don’t give up. It takes time to build a professional reputation through content creation.
Briana Sharp expressed it beautifully in a comment on one of my posts. She wrote: James Clear in his book Atomic Habits references the period when nothing seems to happen but is, citing the example of “Bamboo can barely be seen for the first five years as it builds extensive root systems underground before exploding ninety feet into the air within six weeks.”
What root systems are you building with YOUR content?
by Caroline Leach | Jul 23, 2023 | Social Media
As a leader, do you email or text employees on the weekend? 📩
Here’s why you shouldn’t.
When people think a work email could arrive during their time off, it’s hard to fully relax. People remain in an alert state of “ambient anxiety,” wondering and worrying what might come next. It’s hard to enjoy the time away from work and the refreshment and enjoyment that a weekend can provide.
Even if your email isn’t urgent and doesn’t need an immediate response, the damage is still done. The message interrupts the recipient’s day, wherever they are and whatever they are doing.
They see the message, wonder (or panic over) what it’s about, and read it. Then they may feel compelled to consider right away what action needs to be done, information needs to be digested or provided, or perspective needs to be shared in a timely response.
That process takes both physical time out of the day and exacts an emotional toll on the employee.
In my experience, here’s what works better.
1️⃣ It’s okay if you choose to process email on the weekend. Just don’t apply your choice to employees’ personal time.
2️⃣ Set your email to send later. Think about the ideal time for the employee to receive it. Perhaps it will be an hour to two into the workday on Monday. Balance being timely with your message with consideration about when it will be received.
3️⃣ Have a conversation with employees about weekend emails. Share your philosophy and expectations. Ask for their feedback. Find a protocol that works for everyone.
One exception is a true emergency that happens on the weekend. As a leader in the corporate world, I generally did not email or text employees on the weekend for routine matters. Because of that, if an emergency arose on a weekend where I needed my team’s involvement, they were responsive and helpful.
A level of trust and respect built up between us. They didn’t need to wonder if my message was urgent and needed immediate attention. Because an emergency would be the only reason I’d email them on the weekend. And other than that, they knew they weren’t going to hear from me. Hopefully that created more space for enjoyable time off.
What’s YOUR weekend email protocol?
P.S. This also applies to late-night and middle-of-the-night emails. If it’s not an urgent message, set the email to send later, during the workday in the recipient’s time zone.
by Caroline Leach | Jul 10, 2023 | Careers, Corporate Communications
Compete only with yourself. 🚴
That’s where the true contest is.
✅ How can you stretch and grow?
✅ What can you do better today than yesterday?
✅ How can you beat your personal best?
Much of what we read, see, and experience is about a competition for what we perceive are limited resources. College admissions. Professional jobs. Pay raises.
Comparing ourselves to others on social media makes this even worse. It looks like everyone is doing better than us. No one has problems. Life is easy.
Except this isn’t true. Deep down, we know it intellectually. But feeling it emotionally is another story.
What if we reframed our perspective? What if we approached our lives and careers as if there were more than enough go around? As if there were plenty of opportunities?
Because there are. We live in an era of multiple global problems that need to be addressed. Pick a way to make a difference, and go do that.
And if you’re competing only against yourself, it’s much easier.
People often ask how I navigated a 30-year career in the Fortune 100. How did I get jobs and promotions?
What I realized is I was usually competing only with myself for jobs. Often I was the only candidate being considered. And that makes it easier to be selected!
After my first career change into corporate communications, I was eager for more responsibility. But it wasn’t happening where I was. The company wasn’t growing. People stayed in the same roles for years. To grow, I needed to change companies.
Professional associations are a source of connection and learning for me, especially IABC and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). This is how I met Wendy Greene and Jeff Torkelson. Jeff and I are also alums of the same MA program at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, a strong connection.
One day I called Jeff by way of Wendy, who gave me his contact info (pre social media!). There was a business reason I wanted to reconnect, unrelated to a job search.
Jeff and I chatted. He mentioned some challenges in hiring a communications manager. The former manager left the job. Interviews were conducted. No one was hired. Would I be interested in talking with his team at DIRECTV about the role? Um, yes!
A series of conversations ensued, including hiring manager Rosemary Heath. I was thrilled to receive an offer and move to a growing company, 5 years into its run as a pay-TV provider.
Unless I missed something, I suspect I was the only candidate. The question may have been, “should we hire Caroline, yes or no?” rather than “which candidate should we choose?”
And it turned out pretty well. I grew from a manager, to senior manager, to director, to senior director, to vice president in 6 years. I went from an individual contributor to the leader of a team of 45 communicators in 9 different states.
How have YOU landed great new jobs?
P.S. Thank you, Wendy, Jeff, and Rosemary!
Recent Comments