DRAMA dots . . .

Creating engaging, effective communications!

Check Out Past Newsletters

These are the subjects from a few unsolicited emails I’ve received lately. Can you spot the theme?

Is Your Brand Invisible to AI Search?

AI in Action: PR Leaders Reveal Their Frameworks, Tools & Tactics

Exciting Update – Salsify Now Connects Directly to AI (ummm….who is Salsify?!?)

If you guessed an AI theme, you are correct!

I’ve opted not to write too much about AI because the AI fatigue is REAL. But, this recent study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a cautionary tale for all of us!

MIT Labs conducted a study where they asked 54 people ages 18-39 to write several SAT-level essays. They were divided into three groups and instructed to use one of these methods to help write the essays: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s search engine, or nothing at all.

The researchers used an EEG to record the writers’ brain activity across 32 regions during the writing process. ChatGPT users had the lowest brain engagement of the three, and as time passed, they grew lazier. In the end, they were just copying and pasting the content. Additionally, the group that used ChatGPT produced essays that lacked originality and contained similar content.

The research paper suggests what many people are realizing – using large language models (LLMs) can actually harm learners, particularly younger users. This study was small and has not been peer reviewed, but the lead author thought it was imperative to share the findings as soon as possible.

“What really motivated me to put it out now before waiting for a full peer review is that I am afraid in 6-8 months, there will be some policymaker who decides, ‘let’s do GPT kindergarten.’ I think that would be absolutely bad and detrimental,” shared Nataliya Kosmyna, the paper’s primary author. “Developing brains are at the highest risk.” (Quote courtesy of Time Magazine)

While writing an email or a report can feel incredibly challenging, it’s still worth our time to draft the content. If we don’t use these skills, we lose them.

I don’t know about you, but communicating is hard enough as is; I don’t need my skills to deteriorate more! If you want to see the full study, you can find it here.

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Where did the phrase “pass with flying colors” come from?

Where did the phrase “pass with flying colors” come from?

He passed his test with flying colors!

In the 1600s, boats flew a variety of flags when sailing. The flags were referred to as “colors.” When a ship was defeated at sea, it would be forced to take down its colors. So, if a ship pulled into port with flying colors, it probably experienced a great success at sea!

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A MUCH-NEEDED LAUGH!

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INSPIRATION

Comedian Josh Johnson had a special guest in the audience for his stand-up debut on “The Tonight Show.” Years earlier, Josh had participated in his school’s talent show. One of his teachers, Mr. Ward, was so impressed with his performance that he predicted Josh would be on “The Tonight Show” someday.

Naturally, Josh flew him out for the show!

“So, my high school teacher is here,” Johnson said during his interview on The Tonight Show. “The first time I ever did stand-up comedy at the high school for the talent show, he was like, ‘I’m gonna see you on ‘The Tonight Show’ one day.’”

“And so, I flew him out to make sure he could see it,” Johnson said, which resulted in applause from the crowd. The camera focused in on his teacher, who was beaming!

💛 💛 💛

Our world is better because of the many teachers who believed in us and cheered us on. May we all follow their lead and support those around us!

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