ChatGPT: A facilitator that will work for business communication

ChatGPT, as a facilitator, can work wonders for business communication. Image: Shutterstock

"What came first?" The chicken or the egg. This question has eternally bothered humankind. The discussion about ChatGPT is no different. While one faction finds it a threat to its existence, the other faction seeks refuge in it. This second faction also provides tips and tricks on using this AI tool to your benefit. Nonetheless, one should always remember that, just like other marvels of science, this is the brainchild of humankind. ChatGPT, as a facilitator, can work wonders for business communication.

Its round-the-clock availability and multilingual support make it ideal for businesses with customers and clients globally in various time zones. ChatGPT has effectively reduced the costs associated with hiring, training, and retaining customer support staff with its ability to handle multiple dialogues simultaneously. ChatGPT provides consistent responses to customers, ensuring that all inquiries are handled in the same manner, which helps to build trust and maintain brand reputation. Its non-judgmental approach and objectivity in sentiment analysis make it desirable.

Conversely, ChatGPT may not fully understand the context of the conversation or the customer's specific needs, which can lead to inaccurate or incomplete responses. ChatGPT may not be able to detect emotional cues or provide empathy in the same way a human customer support representative can. ChatGPT may be unable to personalise customer responses like a human representative can, leading to a lack of connection and satisfaction. ChatGPT may collect sensitive data, raising concerns about security and privacy. ChatGPT relies on data inputs, which may have errors or biases, leading to incorrect responses.

Let us look at how ChatGPT can bridge the scepticism and hope associated with its usage. I specifically find ChatGPT's positive impact on business in the following areas:

1. Cross-cultural communication

One can learn about different cultures by asking them to provide you with information about their customs, values, and communication styles. This can help you understand and appreciate cultural differences without bias, avoiding misunderstandings and miscommunications. You can use ChatGPT to practise cross-cultural communication by role-playing different scenarios with individuals from different cultures. This can help you become more comfortable and effective when communicating with people from different backgrounds. You can learn strategies for communicating with individuals from different cultures, ways to adapt your communication style, or how to avoid common communication pitfalls. ChatGPT can provide key phrases in different languages to help you communicate more effectively with people from different cultures. This can help you show respect for different cultures and build stronger relationships. ChatGPT can facilitate your understanding of cultural norms in different countries or regions, such as acceptable forms of address or gestures. This can help you avoid cultural faux pas and show respect for different cultures.

2. Employment-related communication for job seekers

Writing an impactful CV and facing interviews are vital facets of employment-related communication. As an AI language model, ChatGPT is trained on a vast corpus of text data, including examples of well-written CVs. When generating a CV, ChatGPT uses this training data to generate natural language text that follows the conventions of a high-quality CV. When you provide it with your personal information and work experience, it uses natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to understand and interpret the information. It can generate a well-structured and well-written CV tailored to your specific needs and the job requirements you are applying for. ChatGPT can also provide suggestions for improving your CV based on best practices and feedback from recruiters and hiring managers. By leveraging language generation capabilities and understanding what makes an effective CV, ChatGPT can help you create a document that highlights your strengths and experiences in the best possible way.

Also read: Don't fear bots, just don't write like them

3. Interview skills

As an AI language model, ChatGPT can help you with some aspects of conducting interviews but cannot replace a human interviewer. However, you can use it to support your interview process. Before the interview, list the questions you want to ask the candidate. Then ask ChatGPT to help you generate questions based on the job description and qualifications you're looking for. During the interview, you can use ChatGPT to transcribe the conversation, take notes, or even provide follow-up questions based on the candidate's responses. After the interview, ChatGPT can analyse the responses and generate insights about the candidate's qualifications and fit for the job. Remember that AI models are imperfect and may produce biased or inaccurate results. Therefore, it's important to use ChatGPT as a tool to support your interview process only and to assist with various tasks to make your interview process more efficient and effective.

4. Meeting management

ChatGPT can provide you with advice on how to conduct meetings. It can help if you need assistance with a particular aspect of running a meeting, such as generating an agenda or taking notes during the session. To use ChatGPT to create an agenda, for example, you can provide the topics that you'd like to cover, and it can suggest the structure for you. During the meeting, you can use it to take notes or transcribe the discussion for future reference. Alternatively, you can use ChatGPT to help with scheduling the meeting. For instance, you can ask it to find a suitable time for everyone to meet, considering everyone's availability. ChatGPT can assist with various other tasks, like time management, to make your meeting more efficient and productive.

5. Confidence in communication

ChatGPT can be used in several ways to build confidence in communication. ChatGPT can facilitate practising communication skills by having conversations with it. This can help you gain confidence in expressing your thoughts and ideas in a non-judgmental environment. You can ask ChatGPT to provide feedback on your communication skills, such as tone, grammar, and sentence structure. This feedback can help you improve your communication skills and build confidence. ChatGPT can suggest new vocabulary words and phrases to help you communicate more effectively. Learning new vocabulary can help you express yourself more precisely and confidently. You can ask it to suggest conversation topics that you can use to practise your communication skills. This can help you become more comfortable engaging in conversations and expressing yourself. You can use ChatGPT to role-play different scenarios, such as job interviews or public speaking events. This can help you prepare for real-life situations and build confidence in your communication skills.

6. Public speaking skills

Public speaking can be a challenging skill to master, but there are several ways in which you can use ChatGPT to enhance your public speaking skills. You can practise your speeches by typing them out and having them read back to you. This can help you get a feel for the pacing and flow of your address, and you can make adjustments as necessary. You can get feedback on your speeches, such as tone, pacing, and body language. ChatGPT can also suggest ways to improve your delivery and help you become a more engaging speaker. ChatGPT can suggest new vocabulary words and phrases to help you communicate more effectively during your speeches. Using strong and precise language can help you connect with your audience and make your message more memorable. ChatGPT can research speech topics and provide you with information and statistics to support your speeches. This can help you make your speeches more compelling and informative. You can deploy ChatGPT to role-play speeches and practise delivering them in a virtual environment. This can help you become more comfortable with the material and build confidence in your public speaking skills.

Who is in control?

Effective use of ChatGPT or, to a large extent, artificial intelligence depends on who is in control. As long as its maker (a human being) is in control, there is no threat to any existence. When the control goes into the hands of the made (here, ChatGPT), there ought to be issues. Despite the fear of potential errors, lack of empathy and personalisation, absence of emotional intelligence, and security and privacy concerns associated with ChatGPT, you should remember that you (a human being) modelled it for your convenience, and therefore, it is up to you to control it and not get controlled by it!

Prof. Deepa Sethi, Professor of Communication and Dean, Programmes & International Relations Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode