Too Polished?
Can we become too polished? Technology can help us become clearer, more accurate, and more effective communicators. AI can help us organize ideas, edit our writing, clean up recordings, and eliminate mistakes. Those are good things. But somewhere between careless communication and manufactured perfection, we need to preserve something essential: Our voice. Years ago, a recording-studio owner told me they were looking for “voices that have scars on them”—voices recognizable as human. That phrase has stayed with me. Authenticity requires vulnerability. Real people stumble over words, pause, laugh at themselves, tell stories in which they aren't the hero, and occasionally have a hair out of place. The goal isn't mediocrity. The goal is excellence that remains recognizably human. In the expanded Substack version, I also offer practical suggestions for writers, speakers, podcasters, YouTubers, and other creators who want to use AI and new technologies without surrendering their ow...
