Readworthy Communications in the Era of AI Summaries

“I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” —Mark Twain

Writers know how much words matter. We’re taught to “mean what we say” and “say what we mean” throughout our lives. And in today’s digital age, getting to the point counts more than ever.

We’re soaked in an information deluge as the number of things to process increases exponentially — from posts to push notifications, alerts and algorithmic ads, email and text messages, and more. Globally, the average person spends close to three hours a day on their phone. It’s easy to imagine the flow of terabytes crossing their optical radar during those hours.

At its best, this stream of information can feel like too much information. At its worst, it can feel like an on-screen onslaught — even a moral maelstrom. Making sense of it all means readers are selective about where they spend their time. Communicators are keenly aware that our message can be blown into oblivion with the swipe of a finger. We must meet modern readers where they are if we want to engage them meaningfully.

Fighting To Become Readworthy

In 2023, Axios reported on the state of internal communications. According to that report, employees often feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive each day.  Messaging often misses the mark or the audience. Readers are frustrated, overwhelmed and, regrettably, remain underinformed.

In a world where the average adult attention span is just eight seconds, and their reading commitment is a mere 26 seconds (when we’ve grabbed their attention), how do we craft compelling messages that make the cut?

The solution lies not only in what we’re saying, but how we’re saying it.

Communicators know the power of well-chosen words. Paired with our understanding of modern reader tendencies, we can deliver messaging that breaks through the fray and becomes “readworthy.”

A Modern Solution for a Modern Problem

Today’s readers call for modern writers — those who continuously learn and adapt to new trends, audience preferences and feedback — to keep written communications relevant and delightful. We write for our audiences, and not for ourselves.

Well-known industry doctrine and widely adopted practices prescribe how to craft clear, concise communications. This is writing with meaning — saying what needs to be said in a simplified way.

But that’s only half the equation.

The other part of our calculus is writing with meaningfulness. We’re familiar with writing compelling storylines that engage the reader, show relevance and value, and give intrigue and intent to our communications. We design messages around important questions: Are we asking our readers to learn something? Are we asking them to act? We must say what we mean and mean what we say in a way that readers can digest it with delight so they will read  our messages again in the future.

When we recognize that readers have chosen our communication in a sea of swirling information, we advocate for them. We double-down on the rule of thumb to keep our messages short and sweet. But the stakes are higher now with the evolution of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot and Google Gemini.

For writers and communications professionals to stay modern, we must keep up with these trending technologies and work them to our advantage. We know generative AI can write and revise in record time, and we should adopt it into our processes, making it our companion.

This is further underscored by generative AI’s ability to summarize. This is the writer’s version of Innovator’s Dilemma. AI can quickly generate summaries of complex text. But generative AI is only as good as the prompt it is delivered — a new writing skill we all must hone — and only as good as the information it is given. (Are you saying what you mean?)

The modern reader will use AI to summarize your message. You must ask yourself: Will your messaging hold up in shortened form, keeping its ethos or main points? Its voice and style?

It’s a classic case of “garbage in, garbage out.” AI can only summarize what you’ve put forth. If we’re not careful about our writing, our readers may not get the right message. It may miss its target or fall flat, costing us credibility and that hard-earned readworthy status.

Testing the Waters — Will Your Message Hold Up?

Modern writers and communications professionals must rise to the occasion. Choose your words and your tone wisely. Embrace innovative technology to work for you and alongside you as a partner — not against you.

In fact, before sending your next communication, run it through a summarization prompt. How did it hold up? Did your message stay central and leave you feeling the way you’d hope it would for your readers?

Keep communications short, clear and simple so AI can summarize it without sacrificing the integrity of your message. Keep it human — empathetic, intentional, and delightful — so the ethos of your message is not lost in the AI output.

Most importantly, keep it uniquely in your voice, so the summary still has brilliant nuance and your thumbprint. All this and your writing will remain readworthy in the modern age.

Did this author’s message hold up against an AI summary? Find out in this article here.