Can AI really help you communicate more effectively in business?

When you lead a team or a business, how you communicate will determine how people respond. A clear message can steady nerves, build momentum and help people understand what you’re asking of them.

With AI tools like CoPilot, ChatGPT and Gemini now common in many workplaces, you may be wondering whether AI in business communication can genuinely help you or whether it risks making everything sound the same.

Meet the Author: Steve Jacobs
Steve is a partner at Benjamin Ball Associates, leads the writing team and is an outstanding coach and trainer. Steve has more than 25 years’ experience in corporate and financial public relations. He was a founding partner of the strategic comms division of FTI and more recently was head of comms and IR at Breedon Group plc.  Follow Steve on LinkedIn or visit the contact page. 

A Practical Guide to Using AI in Business Communications

The reality sits somewhere in the middle. AI in business communication can make your writing clearer and faster to produce, but your judgement and voice still decide how the message lands.

Here we’ll review how you can use AI effectively for business writing, and also explore some of the pitfalls of using AI in business communication. You can also read How to use AI for Business Presentations.

This advice is based on the experience of the team at Benjamin Ball Associates in coaching business executives and leaders to be better business communicators. We use AI ourselves to help our writing and our work with clients. But we treat it carefully, just like any other business tool. Here we’ll share some of the tips and tricks we have learned over the last few years.

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How AI supports better business communication

1. Create a helpful first draft

Shaping a message takes time, especially when the subject is sensitive. AI tools like ChatGPT give you a quick first draft so you’re not starting from scratch. You can ask it to summarise a long report, outline key points or suggest a structure. You’ll still rewrite it, but it helps you move more quickly.

This is one of the strongest uses of AI writing tools for leaders: clearing the early hurdles so you can spend your energy on the parts that matter.

2. Keep a consistent voice

As organisations grow, communication becomes uneven. AI can help you set simple templates for updates, newsletters and internal notes so your teams start from the same base. This keeps your tone steady and aligned with your company values.

This consistency matters when you want clarity across departments or regions.

3. Simplify complex ideas

You often need to make technical, strategic or financial information easy to understand. AI helps you break complex ideas into clearer language, especially for audiences who aren’t specialists.

For example, you might take a detailed strategy document and ask AI to turn it into a short briefing for your senior team. If you tell the tool what the audience needs, you’ll get a clearer, more focused draft to refine.

4. Check tone and empathy

Tone is one of the hardest parts of communication, especially during change. AI is useful for testing how your message comes across. It can highlight when a draft feels too sharp, too flat or too corporate.

This is not about letting AI choose your tone. It’s about using AI as a sounding board so you can judge your message more clearly.

5. Improve global communication

If you work across borders, AI can help you adapt messages for different cultures and languages. It suggests wording that reads more naturally and reduces the risk of misunderstandings.

For global teams or investor groups, this can save time and strengthen alignment.

The risks of using AI in business communications

1. Losing authenticity

AI can make your writing smooth, but sometimes a little too smooth. People want to hear you. Your stories, judgement and personality are what make a message believable. When the stakes are high, your voice matters more than the tool.

2. Missing the context

AI doesn’t understand your relationships, history or the subtleties within your team. It also can’t access the latest developments. A draft may sound plausible but still be wrong. Always review the output with your own knowledge of the situation.

Remember, AI is just a pattern recognition tool. It does not understand what you are asking or what it is writing.

3. Confidentiality concerns

Public AI tools are not the place for sensitive information. Keep personal or confidential details out of them. Use approved enterprise tools and check your privacy settings so you stay in control of how your prompts are handled.

4. Poor prompts lead to weak results

A vague prompt produces vague writing. Clear instructions work better. When using AI in business communication:

• say who you’re writing for
• explain what they need to understand
• outline what you want them to do or feel
• specify the format

If the task is large, break it into smaller steps. With a little practice, you’ll get stronger results.

Top Tips: How to use AI in business communication effectively

1. Start with a draft, then rewrite it so it sounds like you.
2. Be clear on tone and audience when you set the brief.
3. Add your insight and examples to keep your message human.
4. Keep sensitive information out of public tools.
5. Share good practice so your team uses AI confidently and responsibly.

The bottom line

Used well, AI in business communication can help you write faster, refine your message and explain complex ideas with more clarity. It reduces the mechanical effort so you have more time for the human part: judgement, empathy and leadership.

AI can support the work. The meaning still comes from you.

Start Better Writing in Business Communication Now

If you want to strengthen how you communicate as a leader — whether you’re using AI tools or not — we can help.
Get in touch to see how we can help you speak and write with greater clarity, confidence and impact. With expert coaching and report writing training courses, we have the solution you need.

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