You know what to say
I've started skipping posts.
Well, not NASA and Artemis posts…
And not Heather Cox Richardson’s either.
But I am skipping many of my peer’s posts when they are pontificating and making points.
Maybe even yours.
Their ideas are interesting. The issue? More often than not I can tell — within the first three words — that the person who posted it didn't write it.
The giveaways are everywhere now. Everyone sounds the same.
Staccato, robotic sentences.
The dichotomous “it’s not this — insert dramatic em dash — it’s that” framework that AI bots have adopted as writing law.
The insertion of phrases like “quiet realizations” and “here’s what I’ve been sitting with,” to gain empathy with the reader.
The sweeping motivational declarations that sound like they belong on the wall at my dentist’s office. (No shade to my awesome dentist)
I'm not mad at the people posting them. Even if it’s you.
I love you and your ideas.
This is why I’m so bothered by the AI posts.
The gap between the person and the written post is apparent.
The real person is in there somewhere, behind the AI generated caption, and the world is missing out on knowing this lovely soul because of their soulless post.
While AI writing our posts is new, reaching for an external tool to say what we can't locate in ourselves isn't.
AI is just the latest, most convincing version of something humans have always done: We've read every book, taken every course, adopted every framework, and followed every guru who promised to hand us the words, the clarity, the certainty we were sure we were missing.
We’ve subbed out our self-trust.
We've consumed information until our heads buzzed with other people's voices, and still felt like we couldn’t quite articulate what we know we wanted to say.
And here’s where I use that dichotomous set up popularized by AI:
The problem wasn’t ever a shortage of information or the right tool.
The real problem is that we are trying to make meaning out of something without first spending time listening to ourselves and trusting our voice to say what we actually know deep down.
No one can outsource a voice they haven't found within.
No caption generator, rebrand questionnaire, or "foolproof content strategy" will tell you what you actually believe, what you've actually lived, or what only you can say about it. These things live inside of you — and the algorithm can't excavate that no matter how good your prompts are.
Finding and using your voice isn't a content problem. It's an identity problem.
Identity work requires you to slow down long enough to witness yourself.
Pause and ask:
What do I actually think about this right now?
What have I lived that informs it?
What would I say if I weren't performing for anyone?
Is this my voice? Or is it something that I’ve just heard over and over again and have now adopted?
These are the harder prompts, and they don't have an autocomplete.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use AI, by the way. I use it in my own work. If you’re curious about what I let it touch and what I don't, let me know. I'm thinking about writing a series on thoughtful use of AI.
In the interim, I’d love for you to consider these questions as a part of how you communicate and express yourself as you go through your days:
What have you been trying to find the words for?
What happens if you just trust yourself to say it imperfectly, out loud, right now?
Hit reply and let me know.
xox,
Michelle
P.S. If you want a space to figure out your voice — and what you want to do with it — I'd love to be your thought partner. Let’s chat.
P.P.S. I speak on how to move from noise to authentic voice, too. If you want this for your org or group, let’s connect.
P.P.S. I talk about authenticity and finding your voice on the podcast, In The Room on Purpose. Take a listen. Let me know what you think.
Last month, I hosted VOXRVA and told a story, too. This month, I’m hosting again, and you should come! Tell a story, or just come to listen!
My mouth (and ears) are always open.
Want to work together?
Visionaries hire me to help them navigate the liminal points and be a thought partner, coach, and strategist for their lives and businesses.
Leaders hire me to amplify their brand voice, align strategies to values and goals, and work with their teams to facilitate growth and connection through engaging training, workshops, and speaker-led sessions.
Seek yourself. Be more you.
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How we practice is how we change. And how we change is how the world changes. Practice being more you.
