Old School – As AI takes over quicker drafting and routine admin, the edge shifts toward what machines struggle to replicate: authentic presence, human empathy, and influence built in real time. A classic 1992 presidential town hall comparison shows why authenticity can mo
For years, students and executives have asked the same question after learning about AI’s speed and scale: with so much of the work becoming automated, what will be left for them?
The concern shows up in classrooms and coaching sessions alike, and it lands with unusual urgency. When a system can produce a polished memo in seconds and crank out “cohesive” text on command, the fear isn’t just about jobs—it’s about identity.
My answer. drawn from nearly two decades teaching strategic communication at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (GSB) and coaching executives. is simple: what will set you apart is “Old School AI”—Authenticity and Influence. And the reason isn’t motivational. It’s practical. As technology moves into every corner of how people work and communicate, the characteristics that define humans become the differentiator.
Creating content is cheaper and easier than ever. Large language models can generate a novel after a dozen prompts and a quarterly report in a fraction of the time. But the nonstop stream of AI output comes with a familiar problem: the sheer volume of it often makes quality harder to find.
So the question becomes less “Can the words be produced?” and more “Who is behind them?” Are they real? Do they care? Are they trustworthy?
We’re already in the “uncanny valley. ” where agents and chatbots still haven’t caught up to what people recognize as human. The gap is where authenticity can matter most. AI can mimic caring. and it can produce a tidy set of talking points or a polished memo quickly—but it can’t show up in the room or on Zoom the way humans do. It can’t lean in when a colleague is uncertain, uncomfortable, or trying to find the right emotional footing. It can’t pivot instantly when the conversation takes an unexpected turn. And it can’t reliably sense the meaning underneath words—the confusion, doubt, excitement, or fear that live between sentences.
The pattern people remember isn’t technical. The leaders they trust. the colleagues they rely on. and the speakers they can’t forget tend to communicate in a way that feels improvised: tailoring connection and meaning to what the audience needs in the moment. Sometimes they’re imperfect. But the communication is unmistakably real, and that authenticity and influence build trust.
Now is the time to enhance and hone these skills, because rising above “technically accurate but emotionally distant” communication is becoming its own advantage. Like learning to play an instrument or swim the breaststroke, authenticity and influence can be practiced—and then improved.
A 1992 town hall debate captures why. One favorite example from the teaching materials and a MasterClass Certificates course comes from a 1992 presidential presidential town hall debate. where then-President George H.W. Bush responded to a question about how the current economic situation affected each candidate.
Bush came off as distant and robotic. Bill Clinton, in contrast, moved closer to the audience member and asked a clarifying question. Then he connected emotionally by sharing a personal anecdote, and he ended with a strong call to action. In that moment, Clinton’s authenticity won over the audience and, ultimately, the election.
What Clinton did wasn’t a new technique—it was fundamentally human. He spoke authentically, slowed down to connect with people in front of him, and sensed something crucial: in that setting, facts and figures weren’t the point by themselves. Vulnerability and shared emotion carried more weight.
Authenticity, as that example shows, isn’t fixed or binary. It’s fluid—something you do in the moment through the way you act, treat others, and connect. And after years of studying. teaching. and writing about authenticity. the core discovery is consistent: when you pair tailored information with an emotional hook and a clear call to action. people engage. pay attention. and respond.
In practical terms, the first move is to define a clear communication goal that aligns with your beliefs and values. Before you craft content or step into an interaction. ask yourself: “What do I want my audience to know-feel-do as a result of this exchange?” Then build a message that supports that goal and is centered on the audience.
Consider a high-stakes meeting with your manager about a project delayed due to supply chain issues. A straight explanation might focus on how a shipping issue in Malaysia cascaded into a three-month delay to the biggest client. But the alternative starts earlier: don’t rush into defense mode—ask what you want your supervisor to take away from the meeting.
In this example. the answer is different from “the problem.” The answer is that while the delay is unavoidable. your team has a workable back-up plan—and the needed outcome is for her to approve a transfer of equipment from another location. By focusing attention on the desired result, you keep the meeting from becoming a slow drift into the problem.
Before any high-stakes conversation—tough feedback, a pitch, a difficult one-on-one—the instruction is to pause for 30 seconds and ask: “What information do I want to convey? What emotion do I want to transmit? What specific action (physical, verbal, behavioral) can I request?”
Influence works in parallel with that authenticity, especially because people need ideas they can remember and act on. The most successful communicators don’t just stack facts. They put ideas inside a structure listeners can hold onto.
Brains don’t seem built for lists. There’s the grocery store moment—wandering through aisles and forgetting the fourth thing on a five-item list. But brains are wired for structure: sequences, stories, and messages with a beginning, middle, and end. When information is organized in a way people can process quickly. it increases what researchers call processing fluency—the ease with which an audience takes in. remembers. and acts on what they’ve heard.
Structures and frameworks, then, become tools for presentations, pitches, speeches, and even informal exchanges. The favorite is “What?. So what?. Now what?” It’s easy to remember and fits both spontaneous and planned interactions. It also aligns with the earlier question about knowing, feeling, and doing.
“What?” is the idea, recommendation, or headline. “So what?” is why it matters to the audience, not only to you. “Now what?” is the concrete next step.
That sequence can show up in introductions, including one example used in a meeting: “I’m Matt. I help people hone and develop their communication which allows them to further their ideas. passions and careers. and today. I want to share three ideas you can use this week.” The structure pushes you to lead with substance. anchor it in benefit to the audience. and create movement—because influence doesn’t exist without others shifting something internally or externally.
The final shift in this discussion is the one that challenges the usual AI anxiety. The first wave was about what AI would replace. The more interesting question, the one raised repeatedly with students and people coached, is what AI will reveal.
As AI becomes more prevalent, the advantage won’t come from trying to out-AI the new AI. It will come from being more of what only you can be: an authentic. influential self—built on empathy. credibility. and the ability to read the room. Skills like these are still out of reach for AI in the accuracy and facility that people expect when trust is on the line.
In a world where faster output is getting easier every day, the differentiator isn’t speed. It’s the human part—shown in how you connect, the way you shape emotion and action, and the presence you bring when the moment asks for more than words.
Old School AI authenticity influence strategic communication Stanford GSB AI anxiety leadership communication processing fluency What So What Now What