AI has been an incredible tool for my writing. I’m creative and love putting pen to paper, but grammar and spelling aren’t my strong suit.
Over time, I’ve learned how to use AI without losing my voice. The key is to make sure your content reads like you — not a robot.
In my day job as a communications executive, I coach CEOs and founders before media interviews. I always tell them: use short stories or anecdotes to make your points stick. Reporters already have the facts from your publicist. What they need from you are quotes that show how you think — not just what you know.
That same principle applies to writing. Stories and examples turn abstract ideas into something readers can feel and remember.
Take Dan Schulman, the former CEO of PayPal and now CEO of Verizon. He’s one of the best at bringing leadership ideas to life through personal stories.
When he talks about the values his parents taught him, he doesn’t just say, “They instilled great values.” He says, “My earliest memories are my mother taking me to human rights marches.” In college, he once ran into her at a civil rights march. Her response? “Of course I’m here. Where else would I be?” That line tells you everything about the kind of home he grew up in — and the kind of leader he became. Doing what’s right when no one is watching. (The New York Times)
In another story, Schulman described how his father stood up for a Black employee who was fired for drinking from the wrong water fountain in a segregated facility. His father drove to company headquarters and fought to get the man reinstated. (Fast Company)
He also talked about pushing PayPal to reach equal pay faster. When HR proposed a multi-year plan, he said no — and insisted they make the change immediately. (CNBC)
Even his views on innovation come through stories. Over dinner with the president of Tencent, he saw firsthand how “super apps” in Asia were used dozens of times a day. That moment inspired him to reshape PayPal’s app to be something people opened daily — with new features like a crypto wallet and high-yield savings. (Bloomberg)
Hearing a leader describe what they did or saw is far more memorable than hearing them summarize their philosophy. It’s human.
So how do you bring that same energy into your own writing — especially with AI in the mix?
Start by writing a short story or example from your own life. It doesn’t have to be long. A few sentences about a moment that shaped how you think is enough. Then, when you feed your draft into your favorite AI writing tool, include that story in your prompt. Tell the AI to keep it intact — to polish your words, not replace them.
Once you get the draft back, read it aloud. Does it sound like something you would say? Does it have your phrasing, your rhythm, your perspective? If it feels too distant or generic, add back the details only you could know — the setting, the dialogue, the small quirks that make it yours. ne of my favorite details from the Fast Company feature above was reporter Ainsley Harris’s mention of “leek-wrapped string beans” at the awards gala. It’s those small details—like what’s on your dinner plate—that make you feel like you’re right there in the story.
That’s how you get polished, professional writing that still sounds unmistakably like you. And for the record, I love em dashes—I’ve been using them since my high school journalism days—so I don’t get too caught up when people say they’re a punctuation favorite of AI. I like them too.