We’re told that AI will change everything. In some areas, it already has.

What strikes me most though is not the rise of AI, but the quiet rise in value of something far older – human presence. Specifically, how a person shows up, communicates, and holds attention in a room.

As someone who began life as a speech pathologist and who has spent over 20 plus years helping leaders speak with more clarity, certainty, and presence – I believe the leaders who will remain irreplaceable are those who communicate in ways no machine ever could.

Let me explain.

The illusion of “communication”

We live in a time of over-communication but under-connection. Messages fly faster than ever yet understanding often lags behind. The bar for superior communication feels higher, not lower.

This is where many leaders struggle.

They confuse saying a lot with saying something of value. They rely on slick slides or overworked scripts, but real influence – especially under pressure – requires more than that. It requires you.

Not just your words but your presence. Your ability to pause. To own silence. To know when to lean in and when to stop speaking. These micro-skills – often honed, not born – are what land a message. They are also what AI can never replicate.

What AI is doing to communication

AI is unmatched at speed, structure, and iteration. It can clean up a messy message or generate five new ways to say the same thing. But here’s what it can’t do. It can’t feel a room; it can’t make eye contact; it doesn’t breathe. It can’t walk into a hostile boardroom and control its nerves, and it doesn’t know how to win people over when the stakes are high and the clock is ticking.

In this new environment executives who can do those things – who can read nuance, respond to live resistance, and influence without hiding behind a deck – are more valuable than ever.

What senior leaders forget

Often when I coach senior leaders, I remind them of a simple principle – the longer you speak, the less your words are worth. Not because your ideas aren’t valuable, but because attention is a finite resource. The best communicators respect that.

One CEO I coached had a habit of “rambling toward the point”. After a few sessions, we tightened his openers, worked on eye contact, and trained him to lead with what mattered most. The result? Meetings got shorter. Decisions got clearer. His influence grew.

The irony? He’d tried to improve this for years but only when we focused on how he showed up, not just what he said, did things change.

Presence is the differentiator

In the age of AI presence becomes the differentiator. You may not be the smartest person in the room, but if you can bring calm under pressure, speak with conviction, and make people feel seen and understood – you’ll stand out.

I’ve seen this shift in what boards and executive teams value. Technical expertise is now a baseline. It’s presence, clarity, and command of time that signal seniority.

And presence doesn’t mean performance. It’s not about being charismatic or extroverted, it’s about congruence – when your voice, gestures, and message are aligned, people feel it, and they trust it.

A skill, not a gift

Here’s the good news – presence is a skill. You can train it, like a muscle.

I borrow techniques from my early career as a speech pathologist treating head-injured patients – methods designed to reconnect thought and speech under pressure. I’ve adapted those same tools for executives who must think and speak in real time, in rooms where every word counts.

It’s not glamorous work, but it’s powerful, because when you speak with clarity and presence, people put down their phones and pay attention.

In an AI-saturated world, listening is becoming rare and that’s what makes it valuable.

The quiet opportunity

So, as AI continues to expand, I believe a quiet opportunity is emerging.

It’s not about resisting technology, it’s about mastering what technology cannot do, and that starts with how you speak, how you show up, and how you connect – in person, in pressure moments, and in real time.

That’s where real influence lives, and it’s where the future, ironically, remains very human.

Own the Conversation

In the age of AI, your presence is your power. Algorithms can outpace you on information, but they can’t replace the way you show up, hold attention, and make people feel seen.

Implementation Step:

At your next meeting, pick a moment to stop speaking once you’ve made your key point. Hold eye contact, breathe, and let the silence do the work. Notice how the room shifts when you own that pause.