Communication and creation as a managed process

You use AI for faster creative and editorial work without losing brand voice, evidence, rights, or human choices.

After this chapterYou can develop a communication product in phases, edit it systematically, and show which source and brand rules have been applied.

Your progress0 of 40 lessons

6.1

Define a brand voice people can apply

Translate abstract style words into observable writing choices and forbidden patterns.

'Professional and human' is too vague to apply consistently. Describe word choice, sentence length, form of address, information density, attitude towards claims, and typical structure. Add short good and bad examples and explain which feature counts.

Distinguish between brand voice and situational tone. The brand voice remains recognizable; a complaint requires more empathy than a promotion. Check output not only for style, but also for factual accuracy and suitability for the channel.

Concrete language rules
Good and bad examples
Voice versus tone
Prohibited claims
Channel context

Terms in plain language

Brand voice: Recurring features of the way an organisation writes.
Tone: How a text sounds in a particular situation, for example calm or enthusiastic.

How you can use this

A brand remains expert and direct, but responds to a complaint more calmly and with a clear corrective action.

Try this prompt

Create a style guide from [sample texts] with ten observable rules, five patterns to avoid, and three short examples. Separate fixed brand voice from tone per situation. Do not invent brand claims.

Knowledge check

The consistent writing voice is direct, clear and free of exaggeration. A reply to a complaint now reads as curt. Which revision adapts the situational tone while preserving that voice?

Make the text warmer by promising that the problem will be solved, even though the investigation is ongoing.Keep the standard promotional opening and end with thanks so the wording remains recognisable.Acknowledge the inconvenience, calmly describe the confirmed next step and avoid commitments that are not settled.

Your practical exercise

Build a compact style guide and test it on an email, web text, and complaint response.

You receive a polished report with source codes. Which three checks from chapter 5 do you perform before reusing it?

Use the coverage list to check which parts were read and which were not.
Open the supporting source passages and recalculate important figures with the appropriate formula and units.
Preserve uncertainties and separate source facts from interpretation; source codes alone are insufficient.

6.2

Designing an editorial workflow

Separate briefing, source collection, structure, first draft, review, and publication.

Content production becomes more reliable when strategy and writing are not collapsed into a single step. Establish the goal, audience, key message, evidence, channel and desired action. Then create an outline and a claim list before writing.

Check the first draft for source usage, generic language, brand fit, and rights. Only publish after human editing. Save reusable components such as briefings, style guides, and checklists, but have time-sensitive facts re-verified.

Briefing
Source and claim list
Structure
Editing
Publication approval

How you can use this

A blog from customer questions uses real, anonymized patterns and verifiable product information, not made-up search volumes.

Try this prompt

Design an editorial workflow for [channel]. For each phase, provide input, output, check, owner, and stop condition. Then create only briefing, claims list, and structure; do not write yet.

Knowledge check

An AI draft for an association activity includes a date, price and programme. The brief specifies only the audience and purpose. Which next step restores the editorial sequence?

Check facts against confirmed activity details and fix the claim list before developing the text further.Have the board choose the style and structure first, then incorporate the stated facts into the final brief.Find suitable sources for the stated date, price and programme and keep claims for which an example exists.

Your practical exercise

Carry out a communication message through at least four separate phases.

6.3

Business communication with decision information

A message is useful when the recipient knows what is decided, expected, or still pending.

Business communication needs more than polished wording. Determine which decision, action or response is needed. Arrange the context, key message and next steps in an order the recipient can use quickly.

Protect approved facts such as amount, date, and condition against unintended rewriting. Let missing owner or deadline be marked. In case of sensitive or external communication, sending remains a separate approval moment; a generated draft is not a mandate.

Decision or action first
Retain critical facts
Mark missing owner
Drafting is not sending

How you can use this

A project update first shows decisions and blockages, then background, and finally actions with owner and date.

Try this prompt

Turn [notes] into a message for [audience]. Put the decision or desired response first. Preserve [critical facts] exactly. Create an action table with owner and date; use ONBEKEND where information is missing. Provide only a draft.

Knowledge check

The notes say: “€300 in costs approved; schedule still to be discussed.” A draft email turns this into: “Sam will confirm the schedule on Friday.” Which correction preserves both facts and the open action?

Keep €300 and replace the scheduling item with a general follow-up sentence; reinstate the action once a name and date are known.Keep €300, Sam and Friday in the action table and ask recipients to flag departures from these proposed agreements.Keep €300 and the scheduling item; mark the owner and deadline as unknown until agreements are confirmed.

Your practical exercise

Turn a single set of notes into a leadership update and a team message and explain the differences.

6.4

Making reports and presentations decision-oriented

Start with the desired decision or learning outcome and build evidence and narrative around it.

A report or presentation is not a collection of generated pages. First, formulate what the audience should understand, choose, or do afterwards. Design a storyline with situation, evidence, meaning, options, and next step.

Use tables and visualisations only when they answer a question. State the source, period, unit and relevant comparison. Let ChatGPT create an initial file when that is available, but check the layout, figures, images, speaker notes and accessibility in the actual final format.

Decision or learning outcome
Storyline
Evidence per claim
Functional visual
Check final format

How you can use this

An investment presentation leads to an explicit pilot decision and shows assumptions, scenarios, and risks.

Try this prompt

Design for [audience] a report or presentation structure around [decision]. Provide for each section key message, evidence, visualization, source, and desired response. Mark missing data before elaboration.

Knowledge check

A presentation must support a choice between two locations. A slide about local history has no established link to the selection criteria. What determines whether it stays in the decision presentation?

Whether it provides an atmospheric break and enough variety between the numerical location comparisons.Whether it demonstrably helps explain a relevant difference between the locations; otherwise remove or shorten it.Whether both locations receive equal historical attention, keeping the number of slides per option balanced.

Your practical exercise

Build a structure of eight components and remove any slide or section without a clear function.

6.5

Expanding and limiting creativity

Generate different directions, select them using criteria, and make your own choices explicit.

Creative collaboration has two phases. In divergence, you ask for diverse concepts, not twenty variants of the same idea. In convergence, you choose based on target audience fit, differentiation, feasibility, rights, and evidence.

Check rights to recognisable reused texts, images, brands and other protected elements. An abstract stylistic feature is not the same as a specific protected work, so do not present every stylistic resemblance as proven infringement. In this exercise, work with general features such as colour, rhythm or composition. Document your own substantive selection and creative edits.

Clearly different directions
Selection criteria
Rights to input
Own creative choices
Publication control

Terms in plain language

Divergence: Developing a range of different ideas.
Convergence: Comparing ideas and making a focused choice.

How you can use this

A campaign explores five messages and three visual directions, but only chooses after testing against brand, target audience, and channel.

Try this prompt

Develop eight clearly different concepts for [goal]. Group them, explain the differences and assess them for suitability for the audience, distinctiveness, evidence, feasibility and rights. Then combine the best elements into two directions of your own.

Knowledge check

Eight proposals for a school exhibition differ only in colour. You wanted to explore different concepts first. Which adjustment produces substantively different directions?

Develop the two strongest colour palettes further with a matching typeface and a coherent poster.Create more colour palettes for different ages and rank them by recognisability for visitors.Vary what visitors do, the story you tell and how you arrange the space, within the same constraints.

Your practical exercise

Create eight concepts, document your selection, and rewrite one direction demonstrably in your own form.

Worked example

From rough notes to a useful association message

Fictional practice material; incorrect answers have been created deliberately for this exercise.

An entirely fictional communication case. An association is running a repair workshop on 12 October at 14:00 in room C. There are at most 16 places. Materials will be provided during the workshop. The registration deadline has not yet been decided. Consistent voice: clear, friendly, no exaggeration; situational tone: inviting.

Input

First prepare a brief and claim list, then a short draft. Goal: inform members and gauge interest. Preserve the date, time, room and maximum number. Flag missing agreements. Do not guarantee what participants will be able to do afterwards.

First practice answer

Become a real repair expert! On 12 October, you will learn to repair every appliance. Register before 5 October and get free materials to take home. This deliberately flawed answer adds skill guarantees, a deadline and a promise of materials.

Check

Claim list: the date, time, room, 16 places and materials during the workshop are confirmed. Not confirmed: repairing every appliance, 5 October, taking materials home. Revision: remove those claims. Your own edit: replace the exaggerated opening with a simple invitation. The call to action must fit the goal of gauging interest; a final registration procedure has not yet been established.

Improved version

Would you like to learn repair skills together? On 12 October at 14:00, we are running a repair workshop in room C for up to 16 participants. Materials are available during the workshop. Let us know if you are interested; registration arrangements will follow once confirmed. This remains a draft until a responsible person has also approved that next step.

Try it yourself

The fictional association later confirms: register by 7 October through the administrative office. Update only the final call to action.

View the model answer

Replace the sentence gauging interest with: “Register by 7 October through the administrative office.” Check the confirmed date and route. Keep the other facts and have the responsible person review the final version before sending.

Chapter assignment

Bring everything together

Create one publishable communication product through briefing, sources, structure, two iterations, brand check, rights check, and explicit human approval.

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