Turn AI into your second brain: you’re not briefing, you’re designing for impact!
As an academic who has long studied human-computer interaction and digital communication, I have always been interested in communication and communication technology. Tonight, I am very happy to participate in the live broadcast of “AI Presentation Technique” lectured by the well-known presentation consultant [Sun Zhihua] (https://www.facebook.com/ZHSun6/).
The content of this event revolves around the collaborative relationship between humans and AI, with a special focus on applications in business briefing scenarios. Teacher Sun Zhihua shared with you a wealth of practical strategies and thinking frameworks. He not only focused on the technical aspects, but also discussed the work philosophy in the AI era.
Below, I briefly summarize the core ideas and practical strategies of this sharing.
The arrival of the AI era and our positioning
Today, we are standing at a historic watershed. In 2024, the development of AI has reached a critical turning point. Teacher Sun Zhihua quoted Elon Musk as saying: “AI model training has exhausted all accumulated knowledge of mankind.” This means that AI not only masters the knowledge we know, but also contains more information that we have never been exposed to. Faced with such a situation, how should we understand the relationship between ourselves and AI?
Teacher Sun Zhihua used an iceberg metaphor to vividly illustrate the relationship between humans and the AI knowledge system: the professional knowledge we have accumulated is like the top part of the iceberg, while the AI training materials are like the bottom of the iceberg—huge and unfathomable. This metaphor is extremely vivid, and it also makes us clearly realize that this era has completely changed, and we must follow the trend, accept and make good use of the capabilities of AI.
However, the most critical point is that the relationship between us and AI is “collaboration” rather than “one-step generation.” This provides us with a basic cognitive framework to help us find our place in the AI era.
Rethink business presentation process and strategy
How has the process of producing business briefings changed in the AI era? Teacher Sun Zhihua pointed out that the traditional presentation production process may include the following steps:
- Understand the needs of decision makers
- Think about persuasion strategies
- Find supporting data
- Design illustration
- Set the tone for the report
- Answer questions accurately
Shift in time allocation
- The time for collecting information is greatly shortened: AI can quickly provide a large amount of data, eliminating the need to spend a lot of time searching in different websites and data sources.
- Significant increase in time spent reading data: Due to the large amount of data generated by AI, we need to spend more time reading, digesting and understanding this information.
- Increased importance of questioning and verification: We need to constantly ask questions to AI and verify the information it provides, which has become a very important link in the collaboration process.
- Design time reduction: AI can assist in providing design suggestions and frameworks, reducing the time required in this regard.
- Building trust becomes the core: In the process of reading and questioning, we gradually build trust in the information, which is a key outcome of collaboration.
Collaboration rather than one-click generation
Teacher Sun Zhihua particularly emphasized that the process of collaboration with AI is to create trust, rather than simply accepting the content generated by AI. “You can only report what you believe in” – if we don’t trust the content generated by AI, we cannot effectively express and defend these opinions. Only through in-depth reading, questioning, and verification can we truly build trust in the information.
AI tool selection and application strategies
In the many aspects of contemporary briefing production, different AI tools have their own advantages. Teacher Sun Zhihua provided a practical AI tool selection framework:
1. Understand the needs of decision makers
Tools used:
- ChatGPT: general-purpose conversational AI, suitable for a variety of scenarios
- Claude: Have good understanding of complex problems
Key strategy: To gain a deeper understanding of decision-makers’ thinking, you can use AI tools to convert meeting recordings into text, and then let AI analyze the decision-makers’ thinking styles, concerns, and potential needs.
2. Think about persuasion strategies
Tools used:
- ChatGPT: can help conceive persuasion strategies from multiple perspectives
Key strategy: Ask the AI, “If I were a veteran in the workplace, what questions would I ask about this situation?” to gain the perspective of an experienced person.
3. Find argument data
Tools used:
- Internal information: NotebookLM (can upload 50 files at a time, can understand the content very effectively)
- External data: Perplexity (excellent in news events and data search)
Key strategy: Adding keywords such as “according to financial reports” can greatly improve the professionalism and credibility of the AI response. For example: “According to the financial report, how AI helps ZARA improve its performance.”
4. Design illustration
Tools used:
- Claude: Good performance in business illustrations
Key strategies: Business visual modules such as pyramid structure diagrams make the briefing look more strategic and planned. AI can suggest visual mods suitable for specific content.
5. Answer the question
Tools used:
- Combination of multiple AI tools: select tools based on problem characteristics
Key strategy: Be prepared beforehand by using AI to simulate possible questions. Real persuasion often occurs in the answering of questions, not in the report itself.
Deep Strategies for Working with AI: Ask About It
Teacher Sun Zhihua proposed a simple but profound core strategy for AI collaboration: “Ask it and blast it.” This is not just a skill, but a mindset.
Strategies for in-depth questioning
- Don’t ask for too much content at once: Aim for about 1,500 words of content each time and conduct in-depth and step-by-step exploration instead of asking for a long article at once.
- Frame request: Ask “Can you provide me with some framework to ask this question?” and let AI provide the structure for thinking.
- Role-playing questions: For example, “report this issue from the perspective of a technology media reporter” to obtain more structured, understandable and professional content.
- Deepening of case analysis: Add “Please analyze this problem from the perspective of case analysis” to make the response more in-depth and practical.
- Continuous verification and rhetorical questions: For example, you can ask questions about the data source: “A certain data belongs to xx people. How was this estimated? What is the basis?”
Why is it so important to “ask about it”?
Teacher Sun Zhihua made a profound observation: the reason why many people are not good at using AI is that they are “too polite.” When the AI asks, “If you can provide three pieces of information A, B, and C, I can answer more accurately.” Many people will shrink back and think that they cannot continue without this information.
However, the correct approach is to continue asking: “What do you think about A? Do you have any information to provide?”. Through continuous interaction, we can obtain more valuable information from AI and build trust in the content in the process.
As teacher Sun Zhihua said: “If you don’t ask about it, the boss will ask about it.” This sentence highlights the importance of adequate preparation, especially when facing doubts from decision-makers.
Reshaping the briefing collaboration process: establishing a framework and in-depth exploration
In the process of collaborating with AI, teacher Sun Zhihua proposed a structured process to help us obtain high-quality content while building trust in the content.
1. Establish the framework
The first step is to establish the overall framework through initial questions. At this stage, adding keywords such as “case analysis” can significantly improve the quality of the AI response. If you ask “How does AI help ZARA improve performance (case analysis)”, AI will respond in a more structured way, usually including:
- Current situation analysis *Problem definition *Solution
- Expected benefits
- Implementation steps
This framework lays the foundation for subsequent in-depth discussions.
2. Dig deeper into key points
After AI provides framework content, identify the most critical or potential points for in-depth discussion. For example, in the case of [ZARA](https://www.gq.com.tw/fashion/article/zara-New Concept Store-Taipei 101), “[Smart Fitting Mirror](https://fortuneinsight.com/web/business/15494/[Full Automation] Zara Automated Shopping Experience: Smart Fitting Mirror, Machine/)” technology may be an innovation worth exploring in depth.
Through role-playing questions such as “Reporting smart fitting mirror technology from the perspective of a technology media reporter”, you can get more vivid, professional and easy-to-understand content. The reason is simple, because technology media reporters are inherently good at converting complex technologies into language that ordinary people can understand, while maintaining a clear structure.
3. Operating data and forecasts
If you want to design a compelling business briefing, you often need the support of specific data. Through questions like “Please provide relevant operating data and estimated benefits”, AI will provide more specific data, such as:
*Percentage increase in passenger traffic
- Conversion rate improvement
- Change in average order amount *Estimated return on investment
At the same time, we can ask AI to perform predictive analysis, such as “Can you help me estimate how much revenue can be increased in an average day/month?“
4. Verification and rhetorical questions
This is a critical step in building trust. Question and validate data and opinions provided by AI:
- “What is the source of this data?”
- “What assumptions is this estimate based on?”
- “Are there any other cases to support this conclusion?”
This stage simulates the questions that the decision-maker may ask. If you cannot answer these questions, the decision-maker will also question your proposal.
5. Integration and internalization
The ultimate goal is to internalize the acquired knowledge into your own insights through step-by-step exploration. Teacher Sun Zhihua emphasized that each time the goal is about 1,500 words for in-depth exploration, rather than asking for too much content at once. This method makes it easier for us to digest and understand information and form our own judgments.
The key point is this: the collaborative process creates trust. Only when we truly believe in these contents can we be expressive enough to convince others.
Persuasion Strategies: The Art of Perspective Empathy
When it comes to business presentations, persuasion strategies are naturally the main focus. Teacher Sun Zhihua pointed out that real persuasion often occurs in answering questions rather than in the report itself. Therefore, preparing a persuasive brief requires deep empathy.
The core of persuasion: thinking about the other party’s efforts and rewards
Teacher Sun Zhihua took “persuading the boss to add two employees” as an example, explaining that the key to efficient persuasion lies in thinking about the other party’s perspective. When we ask the boss to approve the hiring of two new employees, from the boss’s perspective, this means that about 2 million will be spent in personnel expenses a year.
Inefficient persuasive reasons:
- Because working overtime will lead to resignation
- It’s hard to find employees
- There will be a lot of overtime pay
These reasons are all from the perspective of employees or executives and do not respond to the boss’s biggest concern: return on investment.
Efficient persuasion strategies:
- Think from an operational perspective: “After adding these two manpower, it is expected to increase XX revenue/efficiency every month and create XXX revenue in one year.”
- Stuck point analysis: “Currently our bottleneck lies in XX link, which requires talents with specific skills to break through.”
- Reduce risk perception: “There are already some candidates in the community who have the required professional background.”
This strategy directly responds to the core concerns of decision makers: return on investment and risk control.
Use the system to appease people’s hearts
During the persuasion process, teacher Sun Zhihua put forward an important principle: “Use principles and systems to appease people’s hearts, not words.”
For example, when it comes to persuading senior employees to embrace corporate change, it’s not enough to simply promise “it’ll be good for you.” In contrast, it would be more convincing to set out clear KPIs and evaluation criteria, clearly stating how they will be evaluated and how they will be rewarded under the new system.
This principle also applies to the process of collaborating with AI: Don’t settle for vague responses, but demand concrete frameworks, standards, and data.
Conclusion
As a teacher who is teaching AI applications at a university, the content of tonight’s live broadcast coincides with some of my practices. I observed that teacher Sun Zhihua not only provided practical tips in this live broadcast, but also deeply discussed the collaborative relationship between humans and technology in the AI era. This relationship is not a simple substitution or dependence, but one of complementarity and co-progress. (As an aside, this is also the subject of my doctoral thesis.)
Combining AI’s powerful knowledge base and processing capabilities with humans’ strategic thinking and judgment can create unprecedented value. As he repeatedly emphasized in tonight’s live broadcast sharing: In the era of AI, we need to learn to “ask about it” and transform AI knowledge into our own insights and judgments through continuous questioning and in-depth exploration.
This collaborative model is not only suitable for briefing production, but also applies to a wider range of work and study scenarios. It represents a new way of producing and applying knowledge that will reshape the way we work, learn, and even think.
The AI era has arrived, the key is how we dance with it. Teacher Sun Zhihua’s sharing provides us with an important perspective: AI is a tool and humans are strategists; AI provides knowledge and humans make judgments. Within such a framework, we can truly unleash the value of AI while maintaining and enhancing the unique value of humans.
The collaboration between AI and humans is not a one-click process, but a deep interaction and co-creation. The core of this collaboration is “Ask It” - creating trust in the content through continuous questioning and in-depth exploration. Only when we truly believe in these contents can we be expressive enough to convince others.
Finally, I sincerely recommend Mr. Sun Zhihua’s online course “Presentation Strategy” to everyone.
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