If you read nothing else - make sure you are editing everything! To Copy/Paste straight from an AI platform into yours makes you look like a bot!
Let me begin by stating that I am not here to get in the way of progress, make anyone's life unnecessarily harder or Skiiiiiiiiinnnnnner the situation. The rise of AI as an accessible, everyday tool has made it easier for coaches and business owners to format ideas, create content and brainstorm.
But will it render you redundant?
As a coach, you are a person of influence whether you like it or not. You are paid for your expertise, your knowledge and your lived experience. While you may pour your heart into planning and running every client session and workshop - if you are using AI to create ALL the other content you are putting into the world (Social Media Posts, Blogs, Articles, eBooks, One-pagers, Guides, Courses etc), your clients will start heading to AI for instead of coming to you!
If you are using AI to create ALL the content you are putting into the world, your clients will start using AI instead of coming to you!
Here is a little something I popped into Chat GPT this morning as an experiment.....
Prompt: I am struggling financially and I know that issues around my money beliefs are holding me back. How do I overcome my roadblocks around money beliefs? What are some practical steps I can take?
The response begins, "It's great that you're acknowledging the connection between your beliefs about money and your financial situation. Our beliefs can have a profound impact on our actions and decisions, especially around money." before going on to offer a 12-step plan to help identify and overcome these roadblocks.
Are these practical steps you believe in? Probably!
Could you be telling your client similar things? Sure!
Does this begin to scratch the surface of the how, the why and the ongoing? Abso-fucking-lutely not!
AI is ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. It is computer learning. It does not come equipped with ethics, emotions and understanding.
When I realised that I could halve my output time by having AI "help with" (read: DO) my copywriting, content and client requests - I was initially ecstatic! Life was going to be a breeze. All I needed was the right prompt combinations and I'd never have to work a full day again in my life 😉
Quickly though, I became very aware of the influx of content to market that was pulled straight from AI...
Grammatical and phrasing patterns.
Word choices.
Americanised spelling...so many Z's in place of S's.
Then there was the "Side Hustle" & "Girl Bossification" of these tools...
"Create an online course in 2 hours and make $10k next month"
"Write an eBook a day and start selling on Amazon now!"
It hit me - I'd never need to work a day in my life! Was I out of a job?
AI does not know your story.
It cannot weave the narrative of your business.
No matter how good the prompt. It cannot connect with your audience on a personal level.
A current and poignant example of this is the recent US Writers' Strike. Amongst many conversations regarding pay, working conditions and streaming royalties (that I will not pretend to be knowledgeable enough to talk about), were serious demands around AI in place of human writers.
A great article in The Guardian (linked below) states that the petitioned for contracts do "not outlaw the use of AI tools in the writing process, but it sets up guardrails to make sure the new technology stays in the control of workers, rather than being used by their bosses to replace them". A clause and mindset that they are hoping becomes standard, no matter the industry.
How does this apply to you as a coach or business owner?
Use the technology! It is a super valuable tool. However, you should set up your own guardrails to make sure you are always staying consistent with the authenticity of your business.
Strategies for incorporating AI into your business model without losing yourself and watering down your influence.
If you read nothing else - make sure you are re-reading and editing everything! To copy and paste straight from AI platforms into yours makes you look like a bot!
YOU are the most interesting thing about your business to the people following you. Make sure you give them a small taste in everything you are asking them to consume!
Be Crystal Clear On Your Brand!
If I have said it once, I've said it a million times - your brand is not your logos, fonts and colours - they are PART of your brand. Your brand is the story you are putting out into the world. It's the way to elicit an emotional response, a connection with your business. People should be able to recognise something as "yours" without knowing it was created by you.
Being absolutely sure of who you are, what you stand for and how you want your clients and collaborators to feel when they interact with you, means that your messaging will always sound like you, even when you've had help.
Who The Hell Are Ya Talkin' To?
Never Have I Ever..
Writing Does Not Come Easy To Me - What Then?
Incorporating AI as a tool in creating your content plans, eBooks, courses etc. is a great way to kick procrastination in the ass and help you format your ideas but it can not, and will not replace you.
Anyone interested in what you are saying is doing so because they are interested in YOUR view!
Your insights, Your experiences and your expertise are invaluable - treat them as such!
Just for fun, after writing this I did a little experiment and wanted to see what chat GPT thought I wanted to say....
Prompt:
Can you please write me a short article titled "Will AI Render Coaching Redundant? - How You Can Make The Artificial Authentic..."
Short Introduction - about this article not out to yuck anyone's yum and AI being accessible
Heading 1 - "but will it make you redundant" - this paragraph is about context. if someone's output is all AI generated, people will go to ai for answers rather than to the coach.
Heading 2 - "AI is ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. It is computer learning. It does not come equipped with ethics, emotions and understanding. " - this paragraph is about the pitfalls of relying only on AI (context errors, grammatical misunderstands, Americanised spelling, things feeling soulless). Also please reference the 20232 writers strike demands as an example of AI needing to be a tool for human writers, not a replacement and how this correlates to business owners.
Heading 3 - "Strategies for incorporating AI into your business model without losing yourself and watering down your influence.: this will have the following subheadings. can you please come up with a short strategy for each?
- Be crystal clear on your brand
- who the hell are ya talkin to
- never have i ever (words and phrases you do no use)
- writing does not come easy to me - what then?
- AI as part of your content plan, not in place of it
short conclusion
The audience for this post is coaches and small business owners. please make it informative, and entertaining. I would like to come across knowledgable but fun.
Output:
When you are next having a scroll, keep your eye out and very quickly you will notice content that does not seem totally in line with the vibe and vision of some businesses and coaches you follow.
Sources:
The Catalyst 6: The 6 pillars of a successful and sustainable coaching business - Created by Cat Valentine & Jess Simpson 2023
Comments