# The #1 Skill for 2026? Communication. Here are 5 Tips to Master It

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeEp9T3BWdc

[00:00] Communication, my friends, is the art of influencing three realms.
[00:05] Yourself, because some of the most difficult conversations that you will ever have are the ones inside your head.
[00:11] With other people, how you connect, persuade, inspire, lead, guide, mentor, and coach.
[00:16] All of those things are in the second realm, is how you connect with other people.
[00:22] And thirdly, now machines also is how you communicate with AI chatbots, writing prompts with clarity that help you influence AI to give you something meaningful and powerful.
[00:34] And sadly, communication skills are not something that we are taught in school, but they matter now more than ever before.
[00:40] So, a hello to all my friends across the globe.
[00:43] It's 2025 or maybe already 2026 by the time you watch this video, and here I am.
[00:48] Here we are presenting a brand new series called Skills of the Future.
[00:52] This is segment one, how to get better at communication.
[00:57] We have five practical tips for you how to get better at.
[01:01] Communicating with other people and also even with AI.
[01:06] We will create a separate video on how to do better internal communication inside your head, and that'll be later on.
[01:11] We'll keep you posted.
[01:12] But who would have thought 5 years before that my communication skills video will now also include a few pointers on how to communicate with AI and chatbots.
[01:21] And who knows, my friends, what the next 5 years are going to bring.
[01:25] Maybe we'll be creating videos on how to get rid of your AI addiction, etc.
[01:30] But this is our world now.
[01:31] This is the world we live in.
[01:32] People aren't just asking AI to generate emails or to draw pretty pictures or videos.
[01:37] They're having deep late-night conversations, the kind you will have with your spouse or your partner.
[01:44] They're asking life advice, emotional support, even companionship.
[01:48] People are falling in love with these chatbots.
[01:50] In fact, one of the most eye-opening reports I came across from Mark Zau Sanders said that in 2025, the top use case for generative AI was not code or content or video or.
[02:03] Image creation.
[02:06] It is being used as therapy, as companionship.
[02:10] People are asking AI to help organize their lives, find a sense of meaning and purpose, and even someone they can talk to, you know, without being judged.
[02:17] It is fascinating, but this is completely real as per articles in the Forbes magazines and Psychology Today, etc.
[02:26] Who knows?
[02:26] Maybe AI will replace motivational speakers or life coaches.
[02:30] Type in a yes in the comments if you think that is likely to happen.
[02:34] You know, I've always been asking that I need a clone of myself, right?
[02:35] So, I can speed things up.
[02:37] And now, we have access to tools which can create a clone, but I'm not sure if the clone is going to think like me, or maybe it will, who knows?
[02:45] So, here we are, friends.
[02:45] This is what we're doing today.
[02:47] I've got five simple but powerful communication tips that will sharpen how you connect with other people and how you communicate with machines and AI.
[02:55] This is not an exhaustive list.
[02:57] It is not complete, but it is clear, it is practical, I promise you that, and it is ready to use today.
[03:04] I want you to watch all the way till the end, and let me know in the comments which one of the five points resonated with you the most.
[03:13] And also, here's a very important assignment before you begin.
[03:16] In your head, right now, I want you to rate yourself on your communication skills from zero to 10.
[03:23] Right?
[03:23] Rate yourself at your current level of how you communicate on a scale of zero to 10.
[03:27] Now, okay, let's say you um you scored yourself a six.
[03:32] The next thing I want you to think about is where would you like to be?
[03:34] Maybe that's a nine or a 9.5, okay?
[03:37] Or even a 10, that's okay.
[03:39] But now, I want you to think that gap from where you are to where you would like to go, what are the three things you can start doing today to close that gap?
[03:51] I want you to take a moment, think about it, write it down, have that note handy because and correlate it with the five tips for communication in the future that I'm presenting to you right now.
[04:02] So, tip.
[04:05] Number one, master your tone of voice.
[04:08] Master the tone of your voice because this is your real human superpower.
[04:14] Your tone carries a lot more meaning that words ever can, my friends.
[04:19] Your tone of your voice is invisible connection point.
[04:21] It shapes how somebody feels while they're receiving your message.
[04:28] How we say something has a tone of voice.
[04:29] Emails we write have a tone of voice, and they generate feelings that linger long after the words are forgotten.
[04:35] Psychologist Nalini Ambady did a very interesting experiment which is quoted in Malcolm Gladwell's book called Blink.
[04:43] She discovered something remarkable.
[04:44] In a field study, she took just 10-second clips of surgeons' conversations with patients.
[04:50] She removed all the words from the conversation, and now she used a software just to study the tone of voice from the voice recording, right?
[05:00] So, let me say right, let me try to say it more clearly.
[05:03] 10-second clip of a surgeon-patient.
[05:05] Conversation, words have been removed using a software.
[05:07] All that remains is the inflection, the tonality, the warmth, and other things.
[05:14] And now, these 10-second clips were enough to predict which surgeons would get sued for malpractice and which ones would not.
[05:22] The result was surgeons whose voices came across as too dominant or lacking warmth or lacking concern were significantly more likely to have malpractice suits filed against them, even though the words themselves were never heard.
[05:37] Just the tone of the voice was enough to determine which doctor is going to have a lawsuit against him because it lacked warmth or empathy or patience or whatever it is.
[05:49] See, the thing is, AI can now string together beautiful words and even understand the nuances and even add emotion.
[05:55] The voice assistants that AI has are increasingly becoming charming and witty and empathetic and natural, and that's why people are falling in love with AI bots, and AI psychosis is.
[06:06] Real.
[06:09] But the warmth of a genuine human concern, the playfulness, the human wit, the ingenuity, the situational humor, and so many other things, these are things AI cannot own.
[06:19] This is something that is still ours to own.
[06:21] And I don't know if AI cares about the tone of your voice.
[06:23] It doesn't at the moment, but who knows what happens in the future, but human beings do.
[06:27] My assistant wrote an email just today to somebody, and I was about to call him into my office and say, "This tone of voice is not sign, tone of the email is not sign sounding right to me."
[06:38] If you look at the words, there's nothing wrong with it.
[06:41] It is communicating what needs to be said, but even an email can sound off, you know?
[06:47] Type in a yes if you agree with that.
[06:48] Type in a yes if you've received a piece of communication where the words were okay, but it did not sort of, you know, have the feel, generate the sort of emotions that you wanted it to generate.
[06:59] There's been a famous study around Mehrabian's 7-38-55 model, uh in which he says 7% of what you.
[07:07] Convey is in the words, 38% comes from the voice tonality, the voice modulation, um you know, how how the it is sounding like, and a whopping 55% from body language expressions such as facial expressions or whether you were smiling or posture or other things.
[07:25] Of course, Mehrabian himself cautioned that this model applies only to certain situations, not to everything, but the bottom line is this, how you say something often matters more than what you say.
[07:37] Let me repeat this.
[07:39] How you say something or how it is sounding to the other person often matters more than what you had to say.
[07:44] I could compliment somebody saying, "That's a nice shirt."
[07:50] Or I could compliment somebody saying, "That is a nice shirt."
[07:53] And it the same words, and yet they sound so different, and they're going to have a different impact on the other person.
[08:01] I learned this in NLP, and I want to share this with you.
[08:03] The number one meaning of communication is the response you generate.
[08:05] So, if you
[08:08] Did not generate the desired response, your communication has failed.
[08:12] I want to give you some practical tips on how you can improve the tone of your voice.
[08:16] Number one, record yourself and listen back.
[08:19] I often do this.
[08:20] I do it when I record videos.
[08:22] I want to hear myself.
[08:23] Am I sounding too rushed?
[08:25] Am I sounding too excited?
[08:27] Am I sounding too slow and lazy?
[08:30] I just want to listen to it.
[08:31] Am I sounding too dominant, right?
[08:34] Um, the email that I'm talking about sounded like an order, even if it was just sharing information, but was sounding like an order.
[08:39] So, the best way is to evaluate it.
[08:42] Um, before you post that video or hit send on that email, frequently record yourself, play it back, and ask, you know, how do I sound?
[08:53] How can I sound more grounded, more calm, more approachable?
[08:56] Am I adding a little bit more energy on the main points?
[08:59] Um, am I using, you see the word monotonous, my friends.
[09:02] Do you know when music begins to sound monotonous?
[09:06] If it is playing in the same tone.
[09:08] So.
[09:09] Keep that in mind.
[09:11] It's the silence between the notes that makes the music.
[09:13] You need that silence in between.
[09:15] You need the variation of the tones in your tone of voice to make it sound warm and human-like, laying the proper emphases on the important things.
[09:24] So, play back and listen to yourself.
[09:26] How do I sound?
[09:28] Is there panic or rush or tension in my voice?
[09:31] If yes, can I sit down and breathe for a few seconds and bring more depth and gravity to my communication?
[09:36] Number two, observe real conversations, especially from experts, you know, speakers that you admire, or some even customer service agents handling difficult situations.
[09:45] That clerk behind the front office desk or behind the airline counter, if she was dealing with a tough situation, how did she deal with it?
[09:53] What tone of voice did she use if it worked positively?
[09:55] Or what made the situation even worse if somebody said something which was proper, which was a rule they had to follow, but it landed in a different way.
[10:06] Observe real-life conversations and notice how a caring tone or a warm tone.
[10:09] Can shift the entire meaning of something.
[10:10] Number three, pause and center before you speak.
[10:14] Friends, if you remove fear or anxiety or time pressure from when you speak saying something important, your tone doesn't get hijacked.
[10:24] I've spoken about it in this other videos.
[10:26] When you take a deep breath and you practice belly breathing and you speak when you exhale, you sound more powerful.
[10:32] So, take a deep breath in when it's an important conversation, ground yourself, center your thoughts, and then say it with clarity and warmth.
[10:42] So, that was tip number one.
[10:44] It's not just what you say, it's how it lands.
[10:46] You might perfectly get the words right, but if your tone is off, the impact will be lost or even worse, it could be misinterpreted.
[10:54] It could backfire.
[10:57] So, here's your little task.
[10:58] Can you record a few sentences and listen back and rate your tone on a scale of 0 to 10 in terms of warmth and authenticity?
[11:06] Ask yourself, does this sound like me at my best?
[11:09] If not, how?
[11:12] Can I improve my tone of voice?
[11:15] How can I be more mindful of my tone of voice?
[11:18] Tip two, my friends, strengthen your conversation initiation muscle.
[11:23] I hope this is not sounding complicated.
[11:25] Strengthen the muscle that you use that allows you to begin conversations.
[11:30] In this world full of screens and headphones, don't let the headphones and screens win.
[11:33] Think about it.
[11:35] Everywhere you go, people are wrapped in their screens, their headphones, or having conversations with AI, or scrolling on their phones, or just staying in their own bubble.
[11:43] Urban life, especially in the cities across the world, has quietly transformed us into islands.
[11:50] And therefore, our ability to initiate real-life meaningful conversations with other human beings is becoming rarer day by day, but it is more more essential than ever before.
[11:59] Because think about this, globally, the average person is spending more than 5 hours per day staring at their screen.
[12:10] Screen times across the world are 5 hours plus.
[12:13] Share your screen time in the comments, right?
[12:15] So, we can see where you are.
[12:17] A study also find 38% of users wear headphones specifically to avoid small talk.
[12:23] And many can go 5 weeks without talking to anyone new.
[12:26] In fact, in this new era of, you know, use your app to order your groceries, use your app to do this, you can go months and months without talking to a human being.
[12:34] And this has led to what the World Health Organization calls the loneliness epidemic, where social isolation and disconnection are affecting mental health worldwide and increasing social anxiety.
[12:47] So, you know, to just to understand that screen time, passive scrolling, gaming are all linked to higher feelings of loneliness and social anxiety.
[12:57] And all of this tech is decreasing our confidence, decreasing our sense of ease and comfort in starting simple conversations in the gym, in the club, in restaurants, in public places, the kind of conversations that spark human.
[13:15] Warmth and connection, even at the workplace, are missing.
[13:19] People are living in their bubbles.
[13:20] Listen, if your muscles don't stretch, if you do a lot of heavy weight training and you're not doing any stretching, your trainer is going to ask you.
[13:27] You will have stiff muscles, you must do stretching before you do a workout.
[13:31] Same way, your social muscles also should get a lot of stretching.
[13:37] The more you avoid small conversations, the more terrifying they become, the more you retreat back into your bubble.
[13:43] So, I'm going to share some tips with you on how to be more comfortable at starting conversations.
[13:48] Number one, accept the awkward.
[13:50] Accept the awkward moments where you're not sure if you waved hi at someone, is that person going to respond back with the same enthusiasm or going to respond back at all?
[14:00] It's okay.
[14:01] It's okay if they don't notice and walk away because you're doing it for yourself.
[14:05] Strengthen that muscle.
[14:09] Every initiation is a workout in social courage.
[14:12] You're not asking for validation from other people or approval, okay?
[14:14] It's about you.
[14:15] Number.
[14:16] Two, um, notice common ground.
[14:17] When you talk to someone that you just met, you know, look for what are the common things that you might have.
[14:24] What are the interests that you might have in common?
[14:25] Could it be coffee, perfumes?
[14:27] I've had so many conversations with folks in the gym, made so many new friends in, you know, just because I love fragrances and sometimes a lot of people that I meet also have a lot of interest in fragrances, too.
[14:38] That's a conversation starter.
[14:40] Or music, or travel, or books that you're reading, or compliment to someone, or things like that, you know.
[14:46] Build a mental bank, a topic bank, a repertoire, um, weather and is okay.
[14:53] Avoid religion, avoid politics.
[14:55] Go for richer meaning, um, deeper stuff, you know, local events, a feel-good story.
[15:00] These are friendly bridges that you can and you should build, uh, with other people using a repertoire, uh, of mental anecdotes or conversation starters.
[15:09] So, that was tip number two, my friends, short and sweet.
[15:13] Practice initiating conversations, even tiny ones.
[15:15] Every attempt is a rep.
[15:16] You.
[15:18] Know how you do reps in the gym to strengthen your muscles?
[15:22] Every attempt to talk to someone is a rep for you building your social confidence muscle.
[15:26] So, small talk can build big bridges.
[15:28] I some people who are one of some of my best friends, if that those that relationship started by just saying hello, right?
[15:38] Your assignment tomorrow, start one conversation with someone that you don't know.
[15:44] Could be a neighbor, a new neighbor, a barista at your favorite coffee shop, a fellow commuter.
[15:49] Pick up something small um and drop into the comments who did you talk to and how did it work out?
[15:55] All right, tip number three, my friends, is deep listening.
[15:57] This is your human edge in an AI world because people don't always need your solutions.
[16:02] Sometimes all they need is your ears and your undivided attention.
[16:06] So, put that phone away and listen to them.
[16:08] You know, one of the factors that's making people fall in love with AI chatbots is how AI chatbots listen.
[16:15] They listen unconditionally, without judgment.
[16:19] Without interrupting, without eyes wandering.
[16:21] So, just complete full undivided attention.
[16:24] And that is why uh these chatbots are so comforting.
[16:29] But guess what?
[16:29] It is also your secret weapon.
[16:31] This is a human skill and the irony is AI is now teaching us how to be better at human skills.
[16:38] So, listening is your human superpower.
[16:40] Active listening is more than just being polite.
[16:42] It's a powerful thing that can make effective communication uh even more better.
[16:47] It can reduce misunderstandings.
[16:48] It can boost information retention.
[16:51] If you're listening actively without distractions, you don't make mistakes and you can boost your information retention.
[16:57] And overall, it can improve workplace productivity and even your general productivity if you listen actively.
[17:06] Even in therapy settings, for people who go for real therapy, not the one with chatbots, uh real therapists are noted and rated for listening unconditionally, connecting the dots, and responding helpfully.
[17:17] These are things AI can mimic, but not truly feel or understand.
[17:22] Carl Rogers, he wrote something about him humanistic psychology and he said active listening builds trust and trust builds organizations and teams.
[17:32] Active listening builds trust and it moves conversations past being defensive into true connection.
[17:37] But the sad part is only about 2% of the population, that's according to another report that we researched while uh creating this video, less than 2% of the population are truly skilled at active listening.
[17:47] Most of them usually get distracted or have interruptions in between or are not making proper eye contact or not just practicing active listening.
[17:55] Think about it, my friends.
[17:57] Go back to the last time when somebody truly heard you.
[17:59] You felt safe.
[18:02] You felt valued.
[18:05] You felt a little lighter after you um finished that conversation.
[18:07] That's the transformative therapeutic power of active listening.
[18:14] From your presence, not just waiting for your turn to speak and answer back.
[18:18] Everything is not a problem to be solved.
[18:20] Sometimes people don't want.
[18:22] Solutions, they want your attention.
[18:25] They want your listening, right?
[18:27] Ironically, it's these AI chatbots with zero judgment, zero interruption, they're doing a great job at it.
[18:32] But understand that you as a human can out-listen an AI by bringing in genuine intention, presence, and warmth.
[18:38] So, here's are a few tips how to master deep listening.
[18:43] Number one, put the phone away.
[18:45] Make eye contact without making the other person uncomfortable, of course.
[18:49] Give them your undivided attention.
[18:51] Few nods, no mental multitasking, preferably if it's an important conversation, right?
[18:55] Remind yourself, this is not about what I have to say next, this is about what they're sharing right now.
[19:02] Probably they're being vulnerable.
[19:03] Probably they're they're sharing something that is that is very important to them, right?
[19:06] Value it.
[19:09] Number two, listen beyond the words.
[19:11] Notice the tone, the pauses.
[19:13] Notice what they're leaving unsaid.
[19:16] Sometimes there's deeper message under the surface, only if you listen beyond the surface.
[19:21] You can use phrases like, "I see where you're coming from."
[19:22] Or, you know, "I understand what."
[19:25] What's happening.
[19:26] These are tiny phrases where you can acknowledge without agreeing, right?
[19:30] You don't have to agree necessarily with what they're saying, but you can acknowledge.
[19:33] And sometimes that acknowledgement in itself is the balm, is the healing touch that they need.
[19:37] Number three, pause and rephrase for uh important conversations, right?
[19:42] Um at the end of important conversations at my workplace, I typically say, "So, if I understand you correctly, this is what you're trying to say."
[19:48] And sometimes they'll interrupt and say, "No, no, no, that's not what I meant."
[19:51] Um and they will correct it.
[19:53] And that has just reduced a lot of back and forth time.
[19:55] And it also shows respect for the other person and um ensures clarity and reduces the scope for misunderstandings.
[20:00] Number four, don't be afraid of silence, my friends, even in public speaking.
[20:06] Remember, something that is monotonous means it's...
[20:10] If music would go in the same tone, it'll become monotonous.
[20:13] It's the silence between the music notes on the piano that creates the music.
[20:19] So, don't be afraid of silence.
[20:22] It helps people process what is being said.
[20:25] It helps them
[20:26] uh absorb what you're saying.
[20:28] And I want you also in active listening
[20:31] to embrace silence.
[20:33] Because in that pause,
[20:35] you can offer respect. And sometimes
[20:37] that silence can be more powerful than
[20:39] your words. Can be more healing, right?
[20:41] So, it's very important to understand
[20:43] you don't always have to use words to
[20:46] acknowledge that you're listening to
[20:47] them. Silence is a powerful tool.
[20:49] So, my friends, in in a future where AI
[20:51] is always ready to listen, you pull out
[20:53] your phone and your best friend can
[20:55] listen to you. You don't want the phone
[20:56] to be their best friend. You want you to
[20:58] be their best friend. We got to own this
[21:00] human thing. We can't lose it to AI. And
[21:03] it is your gift. It is our gift to
[21:05] listen deeply. It's priceless. It's
[21:07] therapeutic. It's connection. It's
[21:10] humanity. Chatbots can only create an
[21:12] illusion of empathy.
[21:14] You might get ah this this chatbot, this
[21:16] thing really understands me. No, it will
[21:19] fade away when people realize it's just
[21:21] a software machine. But if a human being
[21:24] practices deep listening, it can build
[21:26] strong relationships. It can strengthen
[21:28] relationships. It can heal and it can
[21:31] build strong families and strong
[21:33] organizations. Tip number four, my
[21:35] friends, in communication skills for the
[21:37] future is clarity. Clarity is your
[21:40] superpower. Clarity of thought before
[21:43] clarity of speech. You see, my friends,
[21:45] we're drowning in a world of
[21:46] notifications, pings, emails, AI chats,
[21:49] meetings, multitasking. There's too much
[21:52] happening at once and that's why clear
[21:54] messages, clear communication saves
[21:57] hours of chaos. I remember this old joke
[21:59] about uh in an airline um the pilot left
[22:02] a note, "Something is broken in the
[22:03] cockpit." And the maintenance guy comes
[22:05] and fixes something and leaves a another
[22:07] note at the end of that which says,
[22:09] "Something was fixed in the cockpit."
[22:12] Now, this is a dangerous situation. We
[22:13] don't know what the pilot wanted
[22:15] repaired, what the maintenance team
[22:16] repaired, and there could be a whole lot
[22:18] of uh chaos in the situation. That's why
[22:20] clarity matters. With humans, clarity
[22:22] saves everybody from confusion, rework,
[22:25] and the dreaded back and forth that eats
[22:27] up so much time and energy. Lack of
[22:29] clarity among public speakers. If you go
[22:31] onto a stage in front of a thousand
[22:33] people and you are not clear about what
[22:35] you want to say, you're not just wasting
[22:37] your time. Multiply your time by the
[22:39] number of the people in the audience,
[22:41] you are wasting everybody's time. So,
[22:43] you got to be clear before you step onto
[22:45] that stage. With AI, clarity is
[22:48] literally the difference between a
[22:49] brilliant output and a nonsense output.
[22:51] Type in a yes in the comments if you
[22:53] agree
[22:54] that same people with two two people
[22:57] using the same chatbot, right, can have
[23:00] two different outputs just because they
[23:02] prompted differently, right? So, that
[23:04] clarity in speech, the context, what you
[23:06] want it to do for you, if you will feed
[23:09] that, you're going to get a very
[23:11] different response. And as this video
[23:13] started, I told you I will not just
[23:15] share tips on communicating with other
[23:17] people, but also with AI.
[23:19] And this is about AI that a vague prompt
[23:22] will bring you vague results. But when
[23:24] you are clear, descriptive, specific, as
[23:27] if you're talking to a real person, you
[23:29] will generate a lot of value and AI will
[23:32] function differently for you than it is
[23:34] for other people. Type in a yes if you
[23:35] agree with this.
[23:36] Therefore, outputs, my friends, vary on
[23:38] prompts. "Write me an email" prompt is
[23:40] so generic that its output is going to
[23:42] be very different from "Write me a warm,
[23:45] engaging email acting as a top customer
[23:47] service agent." There's going to be two
[23:50] completely different outputs. So, good
[23:51] news is you can use AI here as your
[23:54] companion to practice clarity. Every
[23:57] time you write a
[23:58] um sharp prompt, you're practicing the
[24:00] same clarity muscle which you will need
[24:02] with a colleague, a client, or even your
[24:05] own family at home.
[24:06] Just don't expect the same response from
[24:08] them as you do from AI. You know, one
[24:10] thing about love about AI is it's always
[24:12] positive, always switched on, has no
[24:14] mood swings. Uh human beings, we we work
[24:17] differently. So, let me share a few tips
[24:19] with you on how I personally build
[24:21] clarity in my thinking, in my writing,
[24:24] and in my speech. So, uh let's come back
[24:26] to writing. Writing is the way how I
[24:28] sharpen my uh clarity about something.
[24:31] If I'm writing for a keynote or a video
[24:32] like this, I don't write word to word,
[24:35] but I jot down the flow. What will come
[24:37] first, what will come second, what
[24:38] examples I'm using, what are the I
[24:40] What's the main idea, what are the key
[24:42] takeaways, why it should matter to you,
[24:44] etc., etc. All of these things, if I
[24:46] have a few notes, it helps me to be more
[24:48] clear and I improvise when when I speak.
[24:51] So,
[24:52] uh even when writing for prompts, I
[24:54] practice writing down the main points.
[24:56] What is the context here, the task, what
[24:58] output I want from the AI uh bot. So, I
[25:02] want you to write it down until you're
[25:03] so good that you can speak naturally.
[25:06] And that's when you won't need to write
[25:07] it down. But if you're a beginner,
[25:09] writing definitely helps. Just the
[25:11] points and have them handy. And that's
[25:13] like um learning how to ride a bike.
[25:15] You'll have the supports first and then
[25:16] the supports will go away and now you
[25:18] can balance on your own. So, any time
[25:20] it's an important conversation with a
[25:21] team member, client, even family, make a
[25:23] quick uh few notes. Uh the points you
[25:25] must cover, uh the stories you can use,
[25:27] the call to action, what what result do
[25:29] you want with them. That way you're
[25:30] building that muscle of clarity in your
[25:32] heads, uh my friends. Because if you're
[25:34] clear in your head about the end
[25:36] outcome, this is very important. Ask
[25:38] yourself, what do I truly want from this
[25:41] conversation? What do I truly want from
[25:43] my colleague? What do I truly want from
[25:45] my team member here? What do I truly
[25:47] want from the AI bot here, right?
[25:49] ChatGPT or Perplexity or whatever it is.
[25:51] If I have that clarity,
[25:54] my chances of hitting the mark
[25:56] skyrocket. Imagine meetings where people
[25:59] speak uh where people talk vague, where
[26:02] where they say, "We should Somebody
[26:04] should do something about this report."
[26:06] That is too vague and nobody is going to
[26:08] do anything about that report. And this
[26:10] is how so many meetings go. Instead of
[26:13] saying, "We need the draft. We need the
[26:16] videos, new videos by Tuesday end of day
[26:19] Tuesday because there is a client call
[26:21] or because of this reason." And um
[26:24] this person is going to be responsible
[26:26] for this. This is the level of uh
[26:28] expectation of the quality. Boom! That
[26:30] is efficient. It is respectful of time
[26:33] and there's zero confusion and you will
[26:34] all love working in an environment like
[26:36] that. So,
[26:37] that's how productivity multiplies
[26:39] across a workplace. That's how you have
[26:40] stronger cultures, smoother workflows,
[26:42] and happier people if there is clarity.
[26:44] So, here are a few practical steps to
[26:47] speak with clarity. Number one, think
[26:49] before you speak.
[26:51] It's the hardest thing to do.
[26:53] Is to think before you speak. Ask
[26:56] yourself, "What's my real point here?
[26:58] What am I trying to convey? What is the
[27:00] fluff? Can I remove the fluff?" Now,
[27:03] don't remove all the fluff. Some of it
[27:05] is important to build human connection.
[27:07] But how quickly can I come to the main
[27:09] point in a warm, empathetic way? What do
[27:11] I want out of this conversation? Number
[27:13] two, use writing as a tool. Jot down the
[27:16] quick quick bullet points before an
[27:17] important call or a Zoom meeting. Draft
[27:19] the structure of your speech or your
[27:21] keynote or your argument. Even
[27:23] scribbling a few words will help you
[27:25] have better clarity. Number three, test
[27:27] clarity with AI. Practice prompting like
[27:30] you would speak to a normal human being.
[27:32] Speak into the voice function of the
[27:35] ChatGPT or Perplexity. Give it the
[27:37] context. Give it the task, the purpose,
[27:40] what you want from it, and also what you
[27:43] want to act it like. "I want you to act
[27:45] like a top copywriter for the Forbes
[27:48] magazine and give me a paragraph on
[27:50] this, right?" Is going to have a
[27:52] different outcome than you just say,
[27:54] "Give me a comment I can post on
[27:55] LinkedIn, right?" So, and now bring the
[27:57] same clarity to your communication with
[27:59] human beings, right? Be clear, be
[28:01] structured and vivid in those um
[28:04] conversations. So, that, my friends, is
[28:06] tip number four in a world that is
[28:08] multitasking all the time and is
[28:10] overloaded with information, you can be
[28:12] the voice that cuts through all the
[28:14] chaos with precision,
[28:16] structure, and warmth.
[28:18] For your next important conversation,
[28:20] don't just go with the flow. Never a
[28:22] good idea. Write down or have that
[28:24] clarity in your head. What's the core
[28:26] message that I want to convey here? Why
[28:28] does it matter? What is the result I
[28:30] want from them? And then notice how
[28:32] confident and composed and clear you
[28:35] will feel when you finally speak.
[28:37] Clarity is not just a communication
[28:39] tool. It's leadership in action. And
[28:42] don't forget to watch our top five tips
[28:44] on leadership also in this series which
[28:46] we will publish shortly. And you can
[28:48] probably correlate this back here. The
[28:50] clarity is not just a communication
[28:52] tool. It's a leadership tool.
[28:55] Thank you for staying with us. We now
[28:57] move on to tip number five on
[28:58] communication skills for the future,
[29:00] which is embrace AI, but keep the human
[29:04] soul alive. Because in a world of
[29:06] copy-paste, my friends, your story is
[29:09] the only original that cannot be copied.
[29:11] And that's our fifth and final
[29:13] communication skill. Learn to use AI in
[29:15] communication without losing your soul.
[29:18] We have to acknowledge the elephant in
[29:19] the room. Generative AI is everywhere.
[29:22] Emails, text messages, school
[29:24] assignments, even LinkedIn comments. So
[29:26] much of what we read and write has been
[29:29] touched or edited by AI. And yes, it can
[29:31] be fast and elegant and beautiful and
[29:34] efficient. Teachers use it. Kids use it.
[29:37] Professionals use it. We use it all the
[29:39] time here at Cutting Edge. There's no
[29:41] going back. We It's here to stay, right?
[29:43] So, but the question is, if everybody is
[29:45] pressing copy-paste from AI, what will
[29:47] make you stand out in this era? The
[29:49] answer is your human touch, human
[29:52] stories, lived experiences, stories of
[29:55] struggles and triumphs and visions and
[29:57] dreams and setbacks. You see, AI can
[29:59] write beautifully structured sentences,
[30:02] but only you can add the warmth of a
[30:04] personal story, personal observation, a
[30:07] spark of your lived experience, a
[30:09] chapter of your travels, your failures,
[30:11] your scars.
[30:13] So, in fact, in this sea of
[30:15] machine-generated content, originality
[30:18] is becoming a rarer day by day. And
[30:21] that's why tip number five makes all the
[30:25] more sense. If you incorporate human
[30:27] stories, your communication will stand
[30:29] out. Your margin of excellence is not in
[30:32] just using AI better, which is what tip
[30:34] number four, which was clarity, taught
[30:36] you, but it's also blending AI with your
[30:39] humanity.
[30:41] Skills of the future. You will not just
[30:43] have to learn how to collaborate with
[30:45] other people. You will also have to
[30:47] master how you collaborate with AI
[30:49] programs, so you can generate better
[30:52] output, which keeps your voice alive.
[30:55] And here are a few tips on keeping your
[30:57] voice alive. Number one, add personal
[31:00] references and insert your own
[31:01] experiences. The first day at your job,
[31:04] the foreign trip where you learn
[31:05] something, the lesson from your mentor.
[31:08] You see, AI can polish your grammar, but
[31:10] it cannot live your life for you.
[31:13] And that's what you need to understand.
[31:15] Your gold mine is your personal stories,
[31:17] personal reflection, observations,
[31:19] anecdotes,
[31:21] or even a memory from childhood. They
[31:23] instantly convert a generic text into
[31:26] something that is uniquely yours. I
[31:28] suggest all of you people who are
[31:30] serious about personal branding and
[31:32] improving their communication skills,
[31:34] keep a journal of your life lessons.
[31:36] Keep a journal of the main things you've
[31:39] learned, of the main memories, your own
[31:41] personal stories. Use them, refine them
[31:43] wherever you can. And before you hit
[31:46] publish on that LinkedIn post, or before
[31:49] you read a script for a video which has
[31:51] been partly edited by AI,
[31:54] read it out aloud.
[31:55] And check, is this sounding like me?
[31:59] Is it landing loud like I how I normally
[32:01] communicate?
[32:03] I hope it's not too robotic or
[32:04] repetitive.
[32:06] And
[32:07] if it is, I want you to trim the fluff.
[32:11] Cut the redundancies.
[32:13] Perhaps change the vocabulary. Keep it
[32:15] real. And before you hit publish, think,
[32:17] where can I add something that brings
[32:21] warmth to it? Right? So, use AI to move
[32:25] faster. Use AI as your assistant, but
[32:28] not your identity. I repeat, AI can be a
[32:32] great assistant, but it should not
[32:34] replace your unique human identity.
[32:36] Embrace AI by all means. Welcome it into
[32:39] all aspects of your life, even if you
[32:40] don't like it. AI is going to penetrate
[32:43] every aspect of your life 5 years from
[32:45] now. So, there you have it, my friends.
[32:47] Five communication superpowers for the
[32:49] future. We've explored how to use your
[32:51] tone of voice, how to actually say,
[32:53] "That's a nice shirt."
[32:55] How to strike conversations in an
[32:56] increasingly distracted world where
[32:58] people wear headphones and avoid
[33:00] conversations, how to listen deeply, and
[33:02] how to use listening as therapy, how to
[33:04] communicate with clarity, and finally,
[33:07] how to embrace AI without losing your
[33:09] originality. The art of communication,
[33:11] my friends, it's a gift worth
[33:14] protecting, especially in an era of
[33:16] AI-generated content. Let's not lose it
[33:19] to the screens or the headphones or the
[33:21] algorithms. Think about it. A video like
[33:23] this,
[33:24] a beautifully written poem,
[33:26] a journal entry, a personal reflection,
[33:28] etc.,
[33:30] they can outlive us. They can inspire
[33:32] generations to come. And that's the
[33:35] power of human communication when it
[33:37] comes straight from the heart. Sadly,
[33:40] schools don't teach this the way it
[33:42] should be taught. You know, I know many
[33:43] schools teach communication skills, but
[33:45] it's more about kids memorizing how to
[33:47] speak clearly, etc. They don't help them
[33:48] practice all this. They're definitely
[33:50] not teaching how to communicate with AI
[33:53] at the moment, which is, I feel,
[33:54] something is very important right now.
[33:56] It should be taught in every school.
[33:58] Every young student should know how to
[34:00] communicate clearly to an AI program,
[34:03] because that's what the future will
[34:04] need. Which is why I hope this video
[34:06] will give you a glimpse, a reminder of
[34:08] how important all of these skills are,
[34:10] and not just for your careers, but also
[34:12] for your life. So, tell me in the
[34:14] comments
[34:15] which tip resonated the most with you,
[34:17] and don't forget your assignment. Write
[34:19] a short summary of this entire long
[34:21] video. Thank you for staying with us
[34:22] right the way to the end. Write a short
[34:24] summary, and we'll pin the most
[34:26] beautiful one, the most thoughtful one.
[34:28] And until next time, stay mindful of
[34:30] your words, of the tone of your voice,
[34:33] of your listening, your clarity, and
[34:35] above all, stay true to your human
[34:38] voice.
[34:39] Because communication is not just about
[34:41] expressing ideas and feelings, it's also
[34:43] about connecting,
[34:45] and healing, and mentoring,
[34:48] and leading, and leaving behind
[34:50] something timeless that will outlive
[34:53] you. I'll see you in the next episode of
[34:55] the skills of the future series.