AI Writing, Business Writing
What is AI Writing and Why Should You Care?
Sep
This week, we’re starting a series of articles aimed to take the mystery out of AI, in particular how to get started to use it for daily writing tasks.
We’ll start with the basics, then work our way up to writing, editing and reviewing documents and reports.
If you’re interested in learning how to blend AI into your daily work activities, I’d recommend that you read other related articles here on Klariti and also visit our YouTube channel, which has newbie to more advanced tutorials. Ok, let’s get into it.
What’s the one daily task that eats up most of your time?
For many office workers, it’s the constant stream of emails, reports, and other documents that demand attention. You might find yourself staring at a blank screen, wrestling with words, or spending hours refining a single paragraph. What if there was a way to reclaim that lost time and produce clearer, more effective communication?
As Albert Einstein said, “The only source of knowledge is experience.”
While experience is invaluable, the way we acquire and process that knowledge is rapidly evolving. In today’s fast-paced professional world, leveraging new tools is not just an advantage; it’s becoming a necessity.
The Rise of the AI Writing Assistant
You’ve likely heard the buzz around Artificial Intelligence (AI).
But what does it mean for your daily work, especially when it comes to writing?
At its core, AI writing refers to the use of ‘artificial intelligence’ to assist in the creation, editing, and refinement of written content.
Think of it not as a replacement for your own intellect, but as a powerful, intelligent assistant that can augment your capabilities.
For office workers, this translates into a tangible opportunity to overcome common writing challenges.
Consider these scenarios:
- Writer’s Block: Staring at a blinking cursor with no idea where to start? AI can help brainstorm ideas, generate outlines, and even draft initial content to get you moving.
- Time Constraints: Drowning in deadlines? AI can significantly speed up the writing process by generating drafts, summarizing lengthy documents, and rephrasing content for clarity.
- Language Barriers or Polish: If English isn’t your first language, or if you simply want to ensure your writing is professional and jargon-free, AI can help craft polished, clear, and impactful messages.
- Repetitive Tasks: Need to write similar emails or reports regularly? AI can automate the creation of these documents, freeing you up for more strategic work.
The Practical Benefits: More Than Just Words
The benefits of integrating AI into your writing workflow extend far beyond simply generating text. They impact your productivity, the quality of your output, and even your job satisfaction.
- Increased Efficiency: Imagine cutting the time you spend on drafting emails by half, or generating a comprehensive report outline in minutes instead of hours. This is the promise of AI writing.
- Enhanced Quality: AI can help identify grammatical errors, suggest better word choices, and ensure a consistent tone, leading to more professional and persuasive documents.
- Boosted Creativity: By handling the initial heavy lifting of drafting or brainstorming, AI allows you to focus on the higher-level aspects of your work, such as strategy, critical thinking, and adding your unique insights.
- Improved Accessibility: For individuals who struggle with writing due to language barriers or learning differences, AI can be a powerful equalizer, enabling them to communicate their ideas effectively.
A Real-World Example: Conquering the Post-Meeting Email
Let’s tackle a common pain point: writing effective follow-up emails after a meeting.
You’ve just spent an hour in a productive discussion, but now you need to send an email to summarize key decisions, assign action items, and ensure everyone is on the same page. This can be time-consuming, especially if you’re trying to recall every detail accurately.
Here’s how an AI tool like ChatGPT can help you craft a clear and concise follow-up email in minutes:
Scenario:
You just finished a project status meeting with your team. Key decisions were made, and action items were assigned.
Your Struggle:
You need to send an email summarizing these points to ensure everyone remembers their responsibilities and the agreed-upon next steps.
How AI Can Help (Step-by-Step):
- Gather Your Notes: Before the meeting ends, jot down the main discussion points, decisions made, and action items assigned. Don’t worry about perfect formatting; bullet points are fine.
- Example Notes:
- Project Alpha: Decision to proceed with Phase 2.
- Action Item: Sarah to finalize budget for Phase 2 by EOD Friday.
- Action Item: Mark to research new vendor options by next Wednesday.
- Discussion: Potential risks for Phase 2 identified (e.g., resource allocation).
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for Tuesday, 10 AM.
- Open Your AI Tool (e.g., ChatGPT): Go to your AI assistant’s interface.
- Craft Your Prompt: Be specific about what you want the AI to do. Include your notes and specify the desired output.
- Your Prompt:
- “Please draft a professional follow-up email summarizing the key points from our Project Alpha status meeting today. The email should be addressed to the team. Include the following decisions and action items:
- Decision: Proceed with Phase 2.
- Action Item: Sarah to finalize budget for Phase 2 by EOD Friday.
- Action Item: Mark to research new vendor options by next Wednesday.
- Key Discussion Point: Potential risks for Phase 2 (resource allocation).
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for Tuesday, 10 AM.
Please ensure the tone is clear, concise, and action-oriented. Include a subject line that clearly indicates the email’s purpose.”
- Review and Refine the AI’s Output: The AI will generate a draft. Read it carefully.
- Example AI-Generated Draft (may vary slightly):
- Subject: Project Alpha Status Meeting Summary & Action Items
- Hi Team,
- This email summarizes the key outcomes from our Project Alpha status meeting held today.
- Key Decisions:
- We have decided to proceed with Phase 2 of Project Alpha.
- Action Items:
- Sarah: Please finalize the budget for Phase 2 by the end of day on Friday.
- Mark: Please research new vendor options and present your findings by next Wednesday.
- Discussion Points:
- We discussed potential risks for Phase 2, including resource allocation challenges.
- Next Steps:
- Our next Project Alpha status meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 10 AM.
- Please let me know if I’ve missed anything or if you have any questions.
- Best regards,
- [Your Name]
- Make Minor Edits: You might want to add a personal touch, clarify a specific detail, or adjust the wording slightly. For instance, you could add a sentence like, “Great discussion today, everyone!” or specify the exact date for the next meeting.
By using AI, you’ve converted your raw notes into a polished, actionable email in a fraction of the time it would have taken to draft it from scratch.
What Got You Here Wont Get You There
According to a report by Oracle, “For employees, AI can provide personalized recommendations for what training would be most valuable in their current role or desired career path”.
Ignoring the potential of AI in your daily tasks is akin to refusing to use a calculator when complex math is required. It’s not about replacing human intelligence, but about augmenting it to achieve better results, faster.
Your Challenge: Take the First Step
The best way to understand the power of AI writing is to experience it.
For the next 30 days, dedicate just one hour per day to exploring an AI writing tool like ChatGPT.
- Week 1: Focus on simple tasks like drafting emails, summarizing articles, and brainstorming ideas for your current projects. Try using AI to draft your next post-meeting follow-up email.
- Week 2: Experiment with generating outlines for reports or presentations.
- Week 3: Try using AI to rephrase existing content for better clarity or a different tone.
- Week 4: Begin exploring more complex tasks, such as drafting sections of proposals or user stories.
Keep a simple log of what you tried, what worked well, and what surprised you.
Klariti Checklist for Crafting Post-Meeting Emails with AI
- [ ] Gather meeting notes: Record key decisions, action items, and discussion points.
- [ ] Open your AI writing tool.
- [ ] Craft a specific prompt: Include your notes, desired tone, and recipient.
- [ ] Request a clear subject line.
- [ ] Review the AI-generated draft: Check for accuracy, clarity, and completeness.
- [ ] Make minor edits: Add personal touches or clarify any points.
- [ ] Send the polished email.
Step Up
I hope you found this tutorial useful. In the coming days, I’m going to walk you through more complex examples of how you can weave AI into your daily workflow and start to use it more effectively at work.
As always, drop me a line if you have any questions either on the socials or via our newsletter.
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