Tag Archives: writing

What’s Your Policy on Using Artificial Intelligence?

Share it with readers to build trust.

You’ve probably read articles and attended programs discussing the merits, limitations and ethics of using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

How are YOU using AI?

  • Research topics for articles
  • Draft outlines for writing documents
  • Generate content for blog posts
  • Analyze mountains of data
  • Summarize lengthy reports
  • Create images

Whatever your answer, have you disclosed that you are using AI?

Do your employees know how they may (or may not) use AI?

Why You Need an AI Policy

People who read what you write or hear you speak may wonder about your use of AI.

These days, they may assume, correctly or incorrectly, that you are using it.

They may be surprised (or pleased) that you are not tapping AI in your operations and marketing.

It’s time for you to draft a policy that aligns with your values.

As a Public Relations and Marketing Communications professional, I focus on content creation. I evaluated the risks of using AI in my ideation and drafts. I addressed my values of Creativity, Authority and Authenticity. Finally, I developed my AI policy below.

Before I share that, let’s take a step back to consider what your usage of AI may be and how it will be reflected in a policy statement.

Maybe you will state that your ideas for content were inspired by AI.

You might indicate that a first draft was created by AI, which you edited substantively.

You may limit your use of AI and indicate accordingly.

Perhaps you will provide a disclaimer that you do not use AI at all.

In each case, the transparency of your AI usage generates trust with the reader.

Falk Communications and Research Policy on Use of Artificial Intelligence
All content produced by Janet Falk is original content. The exception is occasional use of Artificial Intelligence to generate titles for articles and headlines for press releases, which are substantially edited.

Now that you are considering an AI policy, how will you disclose it?

I’ve posted mine on my website’s home page.

This Month’s Tip

At a minimum, your AI policy should follow these guidelines, adapted from Skillsoft and Tronvig Group:

  • Comply with applicable laws
  • Ensure privacy and security of proprietary data
  • Eliminate bias and promote fairness
  • Set standards to confirm the accuracy of external references and citations
  • Monitor internal consistency, so content sounds like it was written by a person

Contact

Review your use of AI and take a public stand, so contacts will be informed and confirm their trust in you. Advise your employees accordingly, to ensure their use of AI adheres to your standards for the quality of their work product and processes.

Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, book an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770 to review your use of AI and your declaration of your policy. Let’s proceed intelligently about your use of Artificial Intelligence.

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Note: After I composed this newsletter in April 2024, I learned that a new Utah law mandates that when a business regulated by Utah’s Division of Consumer Protection uses generative AI to interact with consumers, and a consumer asks if the interaction is with AI, the business must “clearly and conspicuously” disclose the use of generative AI. The disclosure obligation is even more restrictive for those in regulated professions, such as health care. The law does not address the creative process.
Image credit: CX Today

NEW E-book: Create and Monitor Your Marketing RBI

Play a winning game with these five ways to grow your business.

You may recall I wrote about the five ways to attract business in June 2017. Your Marketing RBI (Runs Batted In) has these components:

  1. Networking
  2. Speaking
  3. Writing
  4. Participating in the trade association of your target market
  5. Extending your digital presence

I’ve spoken on this aspect of Marketing in presentations to groups of accountants and attorneys, as well as on podcasts.

More recently, I wrote a series of six articles for the PLI Chronicle Insights and Perspectives for the Legal Community, a monthly publication produced by the Practising Law Institute.

Naturally, these ideas have evolved over time.

I have now revised those articles and presentations, assembling them in an e-book of more than 50 pages.

It’s chock-full of detailed instructions, examples and best practices that apply to professionals who are accountants, business owners and consultants, not only attorneys.

Now, this guidance is offered to you and others in a general audience who might benefit from these strategies. The e-book is available for purchase for $9.99 via Venmo.

Here’s the Table of Contents so you’ll see what you’ll learn.

This Month’s Tip

Try ALL FIVE strategies and then focus on the ones where you feel most comfortable. Networking may be your favorite and speaking may give your stomach butterflies. Or vice versa. The e-book gives examples of how you can take some practice swings and become more comfortable with the approaches you don’t ordinarily use.

Contact

It’s time you stepped up to the plate and took a swing for the fences. After you place your order and purchase the e-book on Venmo, contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Together we’ll explore which of the five ways to grow your business will most improve your Marketing RBI. 

Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

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Lose Excess Fat (Verbiage) in 2022

 Put your website on a customer-focused and active verb diet.

Here’s a new way to look at the perennial new year’s resolution to lose weight and get more exercise.

Energize your website.

Trim the word count and make it easier for the reader to:

  • see you understand their problem or situation
  • scan your offerings
  • be directed to contact you.

    Follow these steps:

    1. Cut flowery adjectives and overly self-promotional adverbs.
    2. Use bullet points and numbered lists to make the content more scannable.
    3. Generate interest with active verbs.
    4. Divide sections with subheads in bold font.

    Take out your red pencil and start editing.

    This Month’s Tip

    Focus on the reader. Shift the focus of your content from I and WE to YOU. That helps the reader connect with you and hear you talking directly to them.

    Promote the benefit of working with you in the first half of the sentence and then explain how you will get the job done in the second part or the following sentence.

    Consider this customer-focused discussion:

    As a client, you will minimize operational costs by tapping our industry expertise and proprietary software. (16 words)

    Instead of self-promotion:

    We combine our expertise in the industry with a proprietary software system, in order to offer highly useful services for your company to effectively minimize operational costs. (27 words) 

    Contact

    Too many words can weigh your website down. Ask me to perform an edit in a Complimentary Strategic Communications Consultation. Let’s use a red pencil to cut away the fluffy adjectives. Then, enliven the content with active verbs, bullet points and numbered lists. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com, set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Together we’ll shed that fatty verbiage and kick off 2022 with your re-energized website.

    See also: Your Less Than Perfect Website Costs You Business

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Work Up Your Workshop in a New Format

 Use video and writing to re-distribute your ideas.

Congratulations on a terrific workshop presentation.

Celebrate today. Get back to refining your content tomorrow.

It’s not one and done.

Here’s how you can re-purpose it in a new format; click on the blue text for more details:

Capture highlights of the recorded session in segments of up to three minutes. Write a two-sentence overview for each clip. Post the text with the video clip on your website, LinkedIn, Facebook and X (Twitter).

Record a voiceover of a few slides and post the mini discussion.

Create a tip sheet of best practices, a quiz or a checklist with your contact information and branding. Save it as a PDF and offer it as a downloadable file on your website. Share it on social media platforms as well.

Include the links to the video clips and tip sheet in your email signature . It’s your free space to promote yourself, so use it.

Introduce yourself to the media as a source for comment on the hot topic or industry trend you discussed. Tell reporters at industry publications the best practices that will help others in that sector save time, save money or make more money.

Partner with a client, referral source or a colleague in  a related field to broaden the perspective when pitching the media.

Does the content lend itself to a case study? Use the P A R I approach to recount the issue. Describe the Problem or Present situation, Action that you took, Result in the short term and Impact over the long term.

Contact podcast hosts , who are always looking for authoritative sources to comment on timely subjects.

Exercise your creative spirit with an infographic.

Write an article for your newsletter — and propose an article for the newsletter of an organization where you are a member.

Do you have a blog? You know what to do.

Here’s how I followed my own advice, after leading a workshop on best practices for LinkedIn. I wrote the e-book pictured above.

This Month’s Tip

Turn your presentation into an e-book. I had wanted to write an e-book about using LinkedIn for a while. When I prepared a workshop on the subject, I finally pulled my ideas together. Now you see the result. Here’s the link to get your copy. And yes, I would love to give the presentation to your group.

Contact

Look through your recent presentations for sleeping golden insights. Let’s consider which format is most appropriate to spread the word more widely. Contact me at Janet@JanetLFalk.com , set an appointment here or call me at 212.677.5770. Together we’ll give your workshop a workout and get it into shape for a new audience.

See also: C O P E: How Writing Can Re-Broadcast Audio

Click here to read prior issues of this newsletter.

Click here to subscribe to this monthly newsletter and make sure you don’t miss the next issue.