Did We Accidentally Train Ourselves Out of Sounding Like Ourselves?

Leadership communication has never been more polished. And yet I’m not convinced it’s ever felt less human.

Over the past decade we’ve invested heavily in becoming better communicators.

We’ve learnt executive presence and presentation skills, town hall structures, briefings and scripts. Tools, techniques, personal branding and strategy.

And now AI can help us write almost anything we want to say.

None of that is inherently bad. In fact, much of it has helped people become clearer, more confident and more influential.

But there’s something that’s becoming glaringly obvious as we enter a new time in history. 

Did we accidentally train ourselves out of sounding like ourselves?

I think we’ve lived through three eras of digital communication.

Era One: The Human Internet

People shared before they polished and ideas mattered more than production. Everything had a slightly haphazard edge to it. The only thing was to be human.

You saw children wander into videos, dogs barking. People thought out loud and were more unedited. It was great, and it worked for me over ten years ago when I was launching this business.

Era Two: The Optimised Internet

Then we collectively learnt how to communicate professionally and refine everything.

Every sentence had a purpose, every post had a hook, every presentation or talk became a professional performance.

The standard improved dramatically, but perhaps authenticity became another thing to optimise and in doing so, something was lost. 

Era Three: The Human Renaissance

Now we find ourselves in a fascinating place. AI can produce polished communication almost instantly and when everyone has access to competence, that stops being the differentiator.

Being unmistakably human does.

The little pauses, unfinished thoughts, stories that weren’t rehearsed. The perspective that comes from lived experience rather than generated knowledge.

I think human leadership is becoming more valuable than ever.

That’s why I’ve started recording a daily video series called Thinking Out Loud.

It’s my own experiment in rediscovering what communication feels like without so much armour. To merge who I am with my friends and who I am online. 

I’m going to be sharing my learnings and reflections and passing on what’s working and what’s not. 

Come join me over on Instagram @helenpackham and I may start sharing on Linkedin too!