The Top 3 Communication Trends for 2025
One of my favorite activities as a CEO is to take time at the end of the year to think strategically about my leadership goals for the new year.
What skills will serve me well in the new year? Who do I want to be in the new year, what do I want to learn, and what does my team need?
As you take time to evaluate your leadership goals, here are three trends to keep in mind.
1. The Rise of AI-Augmented Communication
AI tools are reshaping how we work and communicate.
We can create custom GPTs in our own voice or use an AI tool to test whether a message will resonate with our target clients. AI can review a draft of a presentation and help us think through potential issues in advance.
Leaders can use AI as a strategic thought partner to brainstorm ideas or craft a message, especially during times of the day when their team members – or coach – aren’t available.
What are you doing to become comfortable with these tools, and how do you maintain your authenticity when using them?
For my latest keynote, AI, Authenticity, and the Future of Human Connection, I developed the AI Authenticity Loop to guide you in how to use AI in an ethical, authentic way.
Communication starts and ends with humans, but we can use AI as both a thought partner and practice partner. I believe we can use AI to bring out our best self, consistently, in a way that’s tailored towards each person with whom we interact.
2. Leading Through Uncertainty with Transparent Communication
We are entering an era where not only is change accelerating, but the acceleration itself is accelerating.
How do you communicate in a way that’s clear, concise, and transparent to reassure important stakeholders and inspire your team to navigate ambiguity with confidence?
Futurist Dr. Bob Johansen provides guidance when he says, “The future will reward clarity and punish certainty.”
Moving forward, complete knowledge will be impossible and the veracity of the information itself will be in question. If we don’t like the facts, we can simply disregard them as fake.
How do we address this uncertainty when we communicate?
Use phrases like, “Here’s what we know” or, “Here’s what we’re doing to get the information we need to make a decision.” Even when you don’t have the answers, you can confidently describe the process you’re using to learn more.
3. The Return of Human-Centered Leadership
The combination of remote and hybrid work plus artificial intelligence leads to a significant focus on technology-driven communication in our day-to-day lives. We use technology to craft the message and technology to deliver the message.
However, in 2025 I believe we will start to feel the pull of a back-to-basics return of human connection.
We’ll see more in-person conferences focusing on bonding and connection, with speakers who engage their audience, and activities that bring people together. Networking isn’t about just scanning each other’s LinkedIn QR codes, it’s about building trust so that when we go back to virtual communication, those relationships are in place. This is especially important when we work with people with different points of view; our in-person relationships pave the way for more productive virtual conversations so we can give each other the benefit of the doubt.
Leaders should think about how they can strategically create encounters where their teams can connect and bond.
Is your team ready?
I believe 2025 will be a year unlike any other in human development. We are racing towards the future, whether we realize it or not. Are your teams ready? What skills and motivation do they need in order to embrace new tools, and in what ways do you need to reign in your enthusiasm and listen to voices of caution?
I’m excited to be your guide through this process.
Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season filled with health, warmth, and rejuvenation.
