Building Confidence with AI

Helping Communications Leaders Move from Using AI to Owning It

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the Ragan AI Communications Conference, where I had the privilege of sharing ideas with communications leaders from organizations around the world. Most communicators are already using AI and almost all of us are still figuring out how to use it with confidence. That was the focus of my session.

As communications professionals, we don't need to become AI engineers, we need to become confident AI users. AI is becoming part of our everyday workflow, and the more comfortable we are using it, the more value we'll create for ourselves, our teams, and our organizations.

I started with AI literacy. I shared seven concepts I believe every communicator should understand: enterprise versus consumer AI assistants, AI models, prompts, copilots versus agents, hallucinations, and context windows. These terms create a foundation for understanding not just how AI works, but how to get the most value from it. Here are a few highlights:

One of the messages I was most passionate about sharing was why I'm such a strong advocate for using your company's enterprise AI assistant. My biggest reason is simple: security and data privacy matter. Enterprise AI platforms are built for business, meaning the information you share isn't used to train public AI models. That gives communications teams the confidence to work with executive messaging, internal announcements, sensitive business information, and confidential projects in a secure environment.

Beyond security, enterprise AI assistants are incredibly powerful because they're connected to the tools your organization already uses. Whether that's Jira, Google Workspace, Slack, SharePoint, or your internal knowledge base, your AI assistant can securely help you find information, summarize it, and turn it into meaningful communications.

As organizations begin to realize the cost of AI, effective use of the AI models is important. I shared that AI models are the "brains" behind your AI assistant. Not every task requires the most advanced (and most expensive) model. A quick summary or content cleanup can often be handled by a lighter-weight model, while strategic messaging or complex problem-solving may benefit from the more powerful one. As organizations continue investing in AI, understanding how to choose the right model for the right task will become an increasingly valuable skill.

I shared the difference between a copilot and an agent, at a very high-level. Specifically, your copilot works alongside you, helping you draft, research, and solve problems. An agent takes it a step further by completing an entire workflow on your behalf. Imagine asking AI to find hotels for a business trip (co-pilot) versus having it check your calendar, book your travel, update your itinerary, and notify your team automatically. That's not where AI is headed, this is available to us right now. It's exciting to think about what's possible.

Of course, even the smartest AI is only as effective as the instructions we give it. That's why prompts matter so much. I shared three techniques that have made the biggest difference in my own work. First, give AI a role, not just a task. Instead of asking it to "write a press release," tell it who it is and who it's writing for. Second, teach it your voice by sharing examples of your best communications so it learns your organization's tone and style. Finally, use AI as your editor, not just your writer. Ask it what could be stronger, what questions your audience might ask, or where your message could be misunderstood. Those follow-up conversations often produce the greatest value.

We also looked at what I call a communications AI stack, the specialized tools that complement your enterprise AI assistant. One of my favorites is AI-powered video editing, where you simply edit the transcript and the video updates automatically. What once required hours of editing can now take minutes. 

I closed with a reminder that I believe is more important than ever: AI isn't here to replace great communicators. It's here to amplify us. The leaders who will thrive won't necessarily be the ones using the newest tools. They'll be the ones who know their audience, understand their organization's voice, exercise sound judgment, and use AI intentionally to extend their expertise.

My hope is that communicators walk away feeling empowered, not overwhelmed. Building confidence with AI isn't about mastering every new technology. It's about staying curious, continuing to learn, and moving from simply using AI to truly owning how you use it. These tools aren't replacing communicators, they're removing repetitive work so we can spend more time thinking strategically, telling better stories, and connecting with our audiences.

Written by Jill Coffer, VP,  P&T Operations, People Management and Communications, EIS Ltd.