Bringing AI Into the Early Stages of Executive Comms

The part of executive communications I love most is connecting the big picture with an executive’s voice and turning it into a narrative that creates clarity, builds trust, and drives momentum. Getting there starts with a deep understanding of the leader: how they think, how they communicate, and what they want to be known for.

Before any narrative takes shape, I need a clear picture of the leader and the environment they’re communicating into. That discovery process is where AI has become a powerful accelerator, helping me move quickly without losing depth or nuance.

1.      Understanding the Leader

When I start working with a new executive, I go deep on research such as past keynotes, media interviews, LinkedIn posts, internal messages, and anything that reveals their tone, priorities, and passions. It can feel a little bit like being a stalker, but immersing myself in their world helps me set them up for success and match their style (or help them evolve it). The challenge is that this level of analysis takes time, and I’m often brought in when there’s already pent-up demand for content.

This is where I bring AI into the earliest stages of the process. I give AI a framework to evaluate tone, themes, clarity, and consistency, and ask it to summarize patterns and flag contradictions. I still review the materials myself and pressure-test the AI’s conclusions, but AI handles the heavy lift so I can spend my time on interpretation. It lets me move quickly without sacrificing depth.

2.      Understanding the Company

Before shaping any narrative, I need to understand the broader company context: strategic priorities, cultural signals, brand voice, emerging initiatives, and where leadership wants employees and customers to focus. AI helps me quickly digest company messaging, internal announcements, earnings materials, and leadership communications so I can see how the executive’s voice should align or intentionally differentiate.

3. Understanding the Audience

A leader’s narrative only works if it resonates with the people it is meant for. I use AI to surface sentiment and themes across employee feedback, customer conversations, industry discussions, and partner viewpoints. This gives me a clearer picture of what people need to hear, what they are uncertain about, and where communication can build confidence and clarity.

4. Understanding the Market

Once I have a strong sense of the leader, the company, and the audience, I look outward. AI helps me scan competitor messaging, industry thought leadership, and trends to identify overlap, gaps, and whitespace. This helps determine where the executive can add something new, credible, and differentiated to the conversation.

5. Shaping the Voice and Narrative

With all of that insight in place, I bring the pieces together into a clear voice profile and messaging framework: tone, key themes, point of view, proof points, and the narrative the executive can consistently reinforce. AI supports rapid comparison across drafts and ensures alignment without losing personality or nuance.

Work that once took days of manual review now takes hours, allowing me to move quickly into strategy and writing. AI does not replace the judgment, nuance, or creativity required in executive communications, but it significantly accelerates the path to impact starting from day one.