When responding to a complex chat question regarding non-native speakers during my event, I simply paused and said, “Give me a moment to reflect on this important point.”
Utilize tailored, local evidence
While AI offers generic backing for its conclusions, you can offer the delightfully quirky. Use stories, data, or testimonials that speak exclusively to your unique background to support your logic. If you are pitching a new product, explain how the street signs in your rural Nebraska hometown inspired its visual design.
To illustrate the challenges of speaking a non-native language, I shared an embarrassing personal story about my own struggles teaching in Beijing.
Show your unique speaking style
For decades, communication coaches counseled clients to ruthlessly eliminate verbal tics and awkward pauses. In the age of AI, those exact imperfections add something vital: a sense of your humanness. You shouldn’t go overboard with “uhs” and “ums,” but you also shouldn’t strive to expunge them completely. My own tendency is to repeat phrases I have recently heard.