Welcome to this Issue of the ElevateX Newsletter. Each week, one practical AI skill to help you get ahead. Takes about 4 minutes to read.
Here is something I have noticed over the last year. The people who are getting the most out of AI at work are not the most technical ones. They are the best communicators.
That sounds counterintuitive. AI is a technology tool. Surely the people with the strongest tech skills should be getting the most value from it?
Not really. And once you understand why, it changes how you think about your own career.
AI is only as good as your ability to explain what you want
Prompt engineering is fundamentally a communication skill. You are taking a vague idea in your head and turning it into a clear, specific instruction that another entity (in this case, an AI) can act on. That is exactly what good communication is.
People who write unclear emails also write unclear prompts. People who cannot explain a problem to their team also cannot explain it to ChatGPT. The output is only as good as the input, and the input is your ability to communicate clearly.
I see this in my own team. The people who get the best results from AI are not the ones who know the most about technology. They are the ones who can articulate exactly what they need, provide the right context, and specify what good output looks like.
Communication turns AI output into real-world impact
Let us say you use AI to generate a market analysis. The raw output is decent. But to actually make it useful, you need to present it to your team, explain why it matters, highlight what to focus on, and answer questions about it.
AI did the heavy lifting. Communication turned it into something that influenced a decision. Without that second step, the analysis just sits in a document nobody reads.
This is true for almost everything AI produces. Reports, emails, proposals, presentations, code documentation. The AI generates it. A good communicator makes it land.
Most people are investing in the wrong skill
Right now, everyone is racing to learn the latest AI tools. New models, new features, new platforms every week. That knowledge becomes outdated in months.
Communication skills do not become outdated. The ability to write a clear email, explain a complex idea simply, present confidently, and listen properly has been valuable for decades and will be valuable for decades more.
If you invest 10 hours in learning a new AI tool, that tool might be irrelevant in 6 months. If you invest 10 hours in becoming a better writer or presenter, that pays off for the rest of your career.
The smart move is to invest in both. But if you have to pick one, pick communication.
What this looks like in practice
Write a prompt that is clear and specific. Then take the AI output and rewrite the first paragraph in your own voice.
Use AI to draft a presentation. Then rehearse presenting it out loud. Twice.
Ask AI to summarise a report. Then write a 3-line email to your manager explaining why the summary matters and what decision needs to be made.
Use AI to prepare for an interview. Then practice answering the questions in front of a mirror or a friend, out loud, not in text.
In every case, AI does the preparation. Communication does the delivery. Both are necessary. But delivery is what people remember.
One thing to try this week
Take any AI output you generated this week. An email, a summary, a report. Before you send it, rewrite the opening in your own words. Not better words. Your words. Then read it out loud once. If it sounds like something you would actually say, send it. If it sounds like a robot wrote it, rewrite it until it sounds like you.
That small habit, practised every week, will improve both your AI skills and your communication skills at the same time.
If you have seen someone combine AI and communication skills in a way that impressed you, reply and tell me. Real examples are always more powerful than theory.
Got feedback? Questions? Just reply to this email or write to [email protected]
Until next week,
Vicky