Imagine this scene
You’re staring at a blinking cursor. You know what needs to be said, who the audience is, and what outcome you want. But translating all of that into a clean first draft feels heavier than it should. This is the moment where AI earns its keep — not as a writer that replaces you, but as a drafting engine that gets you moving.
For most communications professionals, writing isn’t hard — starting is. AI is exceptionally good at the early mechanical stage: finding a structure, setting a direction, getting words on the page. It doesn’t hesitate or overthink. It will happily produce something imperfect — which is exactly what a first draft should be.
Your value doesn’t come from typing the first sentence. It comes from knowing whether the message is right.
Use AI to create momentum: ask for an outline, a rough version, multiple openings, or several ways to frame the same idea. Once there’s something on the page, your communicator instincts kick in. AI didn’t finish the work — it removed friction.
Instead of asking for one draft, ask for three or five. Different tones, structures, angles. Seeing multiple options side by side sharpens your judgment. You’re no longer asking “Is this good?” You’re asking “Which direction works best?” That’s a much stronger position.
When AI handles rough drafting, you become the editor-in-chief: cutting what’s unnecessary, elevating what matters, ensuring accuracy and nuance. This is higher-value work.
The Drafting Rule
Never ask AI for a final draft. Ask it to get you 60–70% of the way there.
Use AI to draft something real — then edit it into something finished.
Identify one communication you need to write this week — an email, briefing note, announcement, or set of talking points.
Don't start writing. Instead, describe the task to AI in plain language: who it's for, what it needs to say, and what outcome you want.
Ask AI for three different versions — varying in tone, length, or angle. Read all three before deciding anything.
Pick the version closest to what you need. Paste it into a document and edit it — cutting what's wrong, fixing what's off, adding what only you know.
Note roughly how much time you saved compared to writing from scratch. This is the return on investment of the drafting habit.
