Overcoming AI Hesitations – Where to Start

This is Part 1 of a two-part series on overcoming the biggest challenges teams face when adopting AI. In this post, we’ll cover the first major concern: getting started with AI. Part 2 will continue next week, where we’ll address originality and quality concerns.

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Picture this: AI has become your ultimate resource – your newest and best teammate – unlocking new levels of creativity and efficiency to your work. It’s the Robin to your Batman, the Watson to your Sherlock, or the Lennon to your McCartney – always there to elevate your game.

It’s not just about crunching data or automating tasks; it’s about transforming the way marketing, sales, and communications teams connect with customers, drive results, and make smarter decisions. But here’s the catch, despite the AI revolution, there’s still hesitation. With 82% of global companies either using or exploring the use of AI in their organization, why are so many people still hesitant to use Generative AI?

If you are in marketing, communications, or sales and struggling to get started, this article is for you. We’ll tackle the three main reasons why AI still feels like a leap of faith for many and provide actionable strategies to help you confidently step into the age of AI in 2025.

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Concern #1: "I don’t know where to start"
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37% of individuals face significant knowledge gaps in understanding when, where or how to use Generative AI tools. This “cold start” problem often stems from a lack of experimentation, education and awareness of AI’s functionalities and applications.
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Here’s how to get started:
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1. Experiment with AI Tools
   
   If you’re hesitant to use AI in a professional setting, start by practicing with it in your personal life. Once you're comfortable, take it a step further by testing AI with your work. This will help you build confidence in AI’s capabilities, making it easier to transition to more complex, professional tasks.
   
   Try this:
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   • Personal Example: Using ChatGPT is as simple as having a conversation with a helpful sidekick—like Batman scheming with Robin! And the best part? You can start experimenting with it for free. Download the app on your phone via the app store and ask ChatGPT to create an ingredient list for a meal you're cooking, or have it plan a week of meals based on what’s already in your fridge. Whether it’s brainstorming or organizing, ChatGPT is a great creative partner always ready to assist, and the free tier of the product lets you explore all these possibilities. If you are feeling adventurous, try voice mode too!
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   • Work Example: At work, ChatGPT is always ready to help you think through ideas and take action. Use ChatGPT to help solve the blank page challenge and get started with a report, proposal, or piece of content. Need to draft an email, blog post, or social media caption? Just ask ChatGPT using plain language to generate multiple versions of a LinkedIn post for an upcoming product launch. It’s a fast, creative way to get your ideas flowing, and with the free tier, you can start using all these features without worrying about costs.
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2. Become Proficient with Prompt Engineering
   
   Prompt engineering is a critical skill for extracting value from Generative AI tools.  It will enabling you to deliver precise, relevant, and actionable outputs tailored to your goals. Two foundational structures, RTF (Role, Task, Format) and CTF (Context, Task, Format), offer simple yet effective frameworks for crafting impactful prompts. By leveraging RTF and CTF, your prompts can be more effective with clear context and structure, well-defined tasks, and properly formatted outputs for more accurate and relevant AI responses.
   
   Here's how they work: 

• RTF: Role, Task, Format
  
  The RTF approach defines the AI’s role, specifies the task, and sets the desired response format, ensuring clear and actionable outputs. As such, it provides structure and clarity ideal for targeted prompts and assigns a specific persona to the AI, focusing its output on precise objectives.
  
  Here are a few applicable examples using the RTF concept for AI prompts:
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  • Marketing Prompt: "You are a digital marketing strategist (Role). Develop a comprehensive content plan for a new eco-friendly clothing brand launching this spring (Task). Format the response as a 4-week content calendar with suggested topics, key platforms (e.g., Instagram, TikTok), and engagement goals (Format)."
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  • Communications Prompt: "You are a public relations expert (Role). Write a press release announcing the launch of a new sustainable tech product aimed at reducing energy consumption (Task). Format the press release with a headline, subheading, body (including product features and benefits), and a call-to-action (Format)."
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  • Sales Prompt: "You are a sales manager (Role). Create a compelling pitch for a new subscription-based meal delivery service targeting health-conscious professionals (Task). Format the pitch with a brief introduction, key selling points, and a strong closing statement (Format)."

• CTF: Context, Task, Format
  
  The CTF approach adds external context to the task and format, ensuring AI incorporates relevant background details for more tailored responses. By incorporating trends, constraints, and background information, it transforms generic responses into tailored output – perfect for crafting campaigns that resonate with precision and purpose.
  
  Here are a few applicable examples using the CTF concept for AI prompts:
  
  
  • Marketing Prompt: "Given the increasing demand for plant-based products and the growing concern about health and wellness (Context), create a 6-month content strategy for a new plant-based protein powder brand (Task). Include blog post ideas, suggested social media platforms, and engagement goals (Format)."
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  • Communications Prompt: "Considering the rise in virtual events and the shift towards hybrid models post-pandemic (Context), develop a communication plan for a corporate tech company launching a new hybrid event platform (Task). Format the response as a timeline, including key messaging, press outreach, and social media strategies (Format)."
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  • Sales Prompt: “With the growing interest in sustainable home renovations and eco-friendly materials (Context), generate a list of 10 email subject lines for an e-commerce platform selling green building materials (Task). Format the output with catchy subject lines and a brief description of the target audience (Format)."
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  By leveraging RTF and CTF, your marketing, communications, and sales teams can craft effective prompts that align AI outputs with their goals, ensuring campaigns are impactful, creative, and audience-specific. For more information on RTF, CTF or other prompt engineering techniques, contact us.
  
  Once you're comfortable, explore how AI can enhance all of your work tasks:
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• Creative brainstorming: Use AI tools like ChatGPT to help generate ideas and overcome creative blocks.
• AI for Visuals and Video: Experiment with AI-driven design platforms like Canva (for social media visuals, graphics presentations), Runway (for video editing and creative projects), or DALL·E (for generating images from text prompts). These help marketing and comms folks quickly produce visually compelling content that aligns with campaign goals.
• AI Native Marketing and Comms Tools: Marketing and communication teams can experiment with AI-powered platforms like Mavic or Gimmefy to enhance media outreach, press distribution, and audience engagement.
  
  By starting small and gradually incorporating AI into your workflow, you will gain a deeper understanding of its potential and how it can support your goals. Choose one personal or work-related task, and see how AI can make it easier, faster, or more creative!
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                3. Invest in AI Education
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                In one of our previous articles, Essential Skills for 2025: Staying Ahead in the Generative AI-Driven Communication Era, we                 mentioned how AI technologies work will improve your ability to understand and use them. This can be done by:

• Partnering with us for custom AI workshops to receive training on Generative AI for your comms, marketing, or sales team. Reach out to us to understand how we can improve your utilization of AI and for a sample curriculum.
• Building your AI literacy and integration skills:
  • Microsoft Learn’s AI Hub offers a collection of resources, tutorials, and tools to help you manage AI solutions using Microsoft technologies.
  • Google Cloud's Machine Learning and AI Courses provide hands-on courses for both everyday AI users and machine learning engineers.
• Following industry leaders, such as the MIT Technology Review, or sign up to newsletters with the latest trends like our very own Sequencr newsletter!
• Joining AI-augmented learning communities, such as Reddit’s AI and Machine Learning subreddits for curated learning resources.

‍Stay Tuned for Part 2 Next Week!
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This wraps up part 1 of our two-part series on overcoming AI challenges. We’ve tackled the biggest hurdle: getting started. In Part 2, we’ll address two more key concerns: ensuring originality and maintaining quality in AI-generated content.

In the meantime, if you have your own doubts about getting started with AI, schedule a call with us to learn more about how you can leverage AI in your own workplace!