If You Want Better Results from AI, Become a Better Communicator

When people ask me how to get better results from AI, they usually expect a technical answer. A better tool. A more advanced model. A secret prompting framework.

But the truth is much simpler.

If you want better results from AI, become a better communicator.

The same principles that make you effective with customers, executives, peers, and employees are the principles that make you effective with generative AI. In fact, AI is a mirror; it reflects your clarity, your intentionality, and your discipline as a communicator.

Here are seven elements of professional communication, and how each one applies to both humans and AI.

1. Use a Shared Language

In professional settings, strong communicators don’t hide behind acronyms or technical jargon. They adjust their language so the receiver can understand the message.

The goal isn’t to sound smart. The goal is to be understood.

With Humans:

• Avoid unnecessary jargon.

• Translate technical concepts into accessible language.

• Adjust vocabulary to your audience.

With AI:

• Be explicit about context.

• Define terms if precision matters.

• Don’t assume shared understanding.

AI responds to patterns in language. If your prompt is vague, overloaded with assumptions, or context-light, the output will reflect that.

Clarity drives quality.

2. Know Your Audience

Professional communicators understand that the same message delivered the same way does not work for everyone.

You don’t speak to a customer the same way you speak to your boss. You don’t brief an executive the same way you coach an employee.

You adapt the message, tone, and format based on who needs to hear it.

With Humans:

• Choose the right medium (email, presentation, 1:1 conversation).

• Adjust tone for executive, peer, or team-level communication.

• Frame information around what matters most to that audience.

With AI:

• Define the role you want the AI to take.

• Specify the intended recipient.

• Provide perspective.

For example:

“Act as a CFO reviewing this proposal.” “Write this for frontline supervisors.” “Explain this to a non-technical small business owner.”

AI produces dramatically different results based on perspective. When you clarify the role and the audience, you sharpen the output.

Knowing your audience isn’t just a human skill; it’s a prompting skill.

3. Be an Active Listener

Great communicators don’t just speak. They listen.

They observe reactions. They adjust in real time. They refine based on feedback.

With Humans:

• Watch for confusion.

• Ask clarifying questions.

• Reflect back what you heard.

With AI:

• Read the output carefully.

• Identify what works and what doesn’t.

• Give structured feedback in the next prompt.

Iteration is not failure. It’s refinement.

“Make this more concise.” “Shift the tone to executive-level.” “Add practical examples.” “Reduce theory.”

Active listening with AI means treating the interaction as dialogue, not a one-shot transaction.

4. Own the Responsibility to Be Understood

In professional communication, the burden sits with the communicator.

If the message doesn’t land, the answer isn’t: “They just didn’t get it.”

It’s: “I need to explain this differently.”

With Humans:

• Reframe when needed.

• Adjust based on misunderstanding.

• Take ownership of clarity.

With AI:

• If the output misses the mark, refine your input.

• Add constraints.

• Provide examples.

• Clarify format.

Blaming AI for weak results without refining your prompt is like blaming your team for not reading your mind.

Precision is leadership.

5. Focus on the Outcome

Strong communicators speak with intent.

Before you open your mouth, you should know: What outcome am I trying to achieve?

With Humans:

• Are you persuading?

• Informing?

• Aligning?

• Driving action?

Intent shapes structure, tone, and detail.

With AI:

• Are you brainstorming?

• Drafting?

• Analyzing?

• Stress-testing an idea?

• Creating executive-ready output?

If you don’t define the objective, AI will fill in the blanks for you, probabilistically.

Clear outcomes create usable results.

6. Be Direct

Professional communication respects time.

Directness is not harsh. It’s efficient.

With Humans:

• State what you need.

• Clarify expectations.

• Eliminate unnecessary filler.

With AI:

• Specify length.

• Specify tone.

• Specify structure.

• Specify constraints.

Instead of:

“Can you help me think about this?”

Try:

"Write a 700-word blog post for SMB owners about AI governance. Use a professional but conversational tone. Include three practical examples and end with a clear call to action."

Specificity produces strength.

7. Respond with Curiosity (Iterate, Don’t Accept the First Draft)

Strong communicators are curious.

They explore. They test assumptions. They refine ideas through dialogue.

With Humans:

• Ask follow-up questions.

• Seek alternate viewpoints.

• Probe deeper.

With AI:

• Ask for alternative versions.

• Request counterarguments.

• Ask it to critique its own output.

• Explore different framing angles.

The first output is rarely the best output.

Iteration is where insight lives.

Curiosity turns AI from a novelty into a thinking amplifier.

AI Is a Communication Mirror

Here’s what most people miss:

AI doesn’t just generate content. It exposes communication gaps.

If you’re unclear about your objective, it shows. If you don’t understand your audience, it shows. If you don’t iterate, it shows.

But that’s the opportunity.

Working effectively with AI forces you to:

• Clarify your intent

• Define your audience

• Take responsibility for outcomes

• Communicate with discipline

And those are leadership skills.

If you want better AI results, don’t just upgrade your tools.

Upgrade the communicator.