Crisis Storytelling That Works + The AI Career Prompt Every Graduate Needs

🧭 THIS WEEK AT AI SECOND ACT

Howdy, it’s a short holiday week here in the US, so it’s a short newsletter read! This week is CRAZY as we’re going to do 2 topics in the famous ‘featured insight’. Yes, it’s a 2for1.

• Storytelling with AI - aka - you’re project’s knackered, what can I say about it?

• Future careers and AI impact - aka - make sure you figure out AI impact on future career plans to be prepared.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, please share it! Forward this to a friend/colleague and have them subscribe at aisecondact.com/subscribe. Thanks!

👉 You can also just hit "Reply" and let me know what you want more (or less) of or use the poll to give feedback.

My goal is to make this as valuable and practical as possible as we navigate the new AI era. 🚀

🧰 AI NEWS + LEARNING

Here’s a few things I found recently:

• Microsoft AI Trends in 2025

• AI Eats the World Trends presentation

• Anthropic Claude integrations via MCP - JIRA, Confluence, etc., we’ll get into this in future editions

• Doctor visit documentation - including Microsoft Dragon Copilot - can’t wait to see AI disrupt health, but I’m very skeptical of it ending up in savings to the average consumer :(.

• Gemini CLI - A huge new ‘vibe coding’ tool from Google with really good free plan. Can’t wait to learn this and see it vs Anthropic Claude Code. Future editions will get into coding with AI.

🗺️ FEATURED INSIGHT

It’s nearly the 4th of July here, so I’ve got 12 hotdogs, 17 bratwurst, and 23 burgers on the grill right now! Attention divided. So today, just two high-value prompts you can steal and use.

Storytelling with AI

Let me guess, you’re project’s a disaster, deep red, months behind schedule and the customer is MAD. Been there, and done that multiple times [which may be a problem]. Here’s how AI can help you tell a compelling recovery story:

You're helping me present a troubled project to stakeholders. Create a compelling 3-part recovery narrative using this information:

PROJECT STATUS:
- Current situation: [Brief description]
- What went wrong: [Key issues]
- Impact so far: [Timeline, budget, scope effects]

RECOVERY PLAN:
- Immediate actions: [What we're doing this week]
- 30/60/90 day milestones: [Specific deliverables]
- New processes: [What we've changed]

STAKEHOLDER CONTEXT:
- Audience: [C-suite, customers, team]
- Their main concerns: [Time, budget, reputation]
- Decision needed: [What approval/support we need]

Format as: 
1) Transparent acknowledgment 
2) Clear recovery path
3) Proof of new controls. Make it confident but honest, data-driven but human. Use SCQA structure.

• Start with the answer first, then build supporting arguments. SCQA = Situation, Complication, Question, Answer

• At McKinsey, "lead with the answer" is drilled into every new hire

• Perfect for executive presentations where attention spans are < 10 seconds

Career Future Proofing: The Graduation Prompt

High school graduation season is pretty much over here in the US. AI is going to reshape nearly every career path. Here’s a prompt every graduate (and parent) should try:

I'm [graduating high school/starting college] and interested in [CAREER FIELD]. Research and analyze:

How will AI specifically impact [CAREER] in the next 5, 10, and 15 years?
Which tasks will be automated vs. enhanced vs. newly created?
What skills should I prioritize learning now to stay relevant?
Which adjacent careers might emerge that I should consider?
Create a practical 4-year learning roadmap with specific courses, certifications, and projects.

Be specific about tools, trends, and actionable steps. Include both optimistic and cautious scenarios. 

Ask for:
✅ Optimistic vs. cautious scenarios
✅ Specific tools, trends, and actions
✅ Recommended courses or certifications

AI isn’t just for tech pros. This prompt is a great starting point for anyone shaping a career path—or helping someone else do it.

Essential reading here.

Future-proof your career with AI
— Brett

👉 Hit “Reply” and share your experience — I read every one!

_{Picture by Caleb Holden on Unsplash.}