top of page

All posts


AI transparency: a gold star for schools.
How schools are ahead on AI transparency There’s a framework being used in education that could help people in the corporate world. The Artificial Intelligence Transparency Scale (AITS), from Sheffield Hallam University. It’s a way of describing the role AI played in a piece of work. It’s a 1-5 scale that ranges from no AI involvement, through to using it for all elements of a task. Students say how they’ve used AI, and assessors use that knowledge when reviewing the work.
2 min read
Thou shalt not… likely read or remember this AI usage policy
There’s only one company policy that’s ever stuck in my head. It was from a tech company and it was to do with expenses. The policy was… “Use your common sense.” Brilliant. Brave. And turns out highly effective. After the introduction of the policy, the average expense claim came down in dollars spent. That kind of policy is obviously not for every, or even most organisations. Too much grey and not enough down in black and white. But there are a few things we can take from
4 min read


Self-preservation society: we can’t afford to outsource thinking to AI
A recent Financial Times article had an eye-catching headline: AI forecast to put 200,000 European banking jobs at risk by 2030. Another ‘AI is coming for our jobs’ story? Yes. But not just that. The loss of jobs means outsourcing tasks to AI. Outsourcing tasks to AI puts humans in the role of monitor and judge. To monitor and judge effectively requires critical thinking skills. But we know that using AI can cause those critical thinking skills to atrophy . So what must
2 min read


AI is changing how we write. Why critical thinking matters more than ever
When double denim and perms were a thing the first time round, cognitive psychologist Lisanne Bainbridge, coined a term that feels even more relevant today: the irony of automation. The more we automate a task, the worse we become at it. And the more we hand over to machines, the more critical those lost human skills become. Back then, Bainbridge was talking about aircraft pilots and factory engineers. Now, it’s writers who are feeling the irony. AI makes writing faster, but
3 min read


Snap, crackle and slop: why it’s your job to make Gen AI writing more moreish
It’s easy to get bad or mediocre writing out of AI. There’s even a word for it… slop.
Don’t get us wrong, we love AI. It’s smart, fast, and wildly useful.
But, it takes a good writer to get good writing out of it. Because, unless you know what good writing looks and sounds like, how can you critique what AI serves up?
2 min read


Are you trashing your training budget?
Why “one-and-done” training doesn’t work
The goal of training is behaviour change — but that won’t happen after just one workshop.
Even the most inspiring session loses impact if there’s no follow-up or practice. Without reinforcement, your team simply won’t retain what they’ve learned.
2 min read


Stop talking, start writing: how to solve problems with a pen (and a plan)
Most people know that writing through a problem helps. But in the push and pull of busy working lives, it’s easy to forget — and book another meeting instead.
Next time you reach for the “Invite” button, pause.
Open a blank doc.
Write down what you’re trying to solve.
Chances are, you’ll write your way to the answer.
2 min read


The multitrillion-dollar mistake you make every day: the cost of poor communication
What if I told you there’s a hidden tax on your business, and it’s costing trillions of dollars a year?
It’s not a government levy; it's the cost of poor communication.
Grammarly and The Harris Poll put the figure at $1.2 trillion annually. But that number doesn’t show up as a line item on a spreadsheet.
It’s the hours of wasted time, the stalled projects, and the lost customers that compound into a financial black hole.
Companies like FedEx saved $400,000 per
2 min read


Why I quit being CEO to open a make-believe store
CEO to shop owner. How founder Charli Nordone came to set-up The Better Writing Store.
2 min read
bottom of page