WORKSHOP & WORKSLOP
You know when you’re in an interview and they ask you what you could improve on? I hate this question, largely because my lack of filter means I answer honestly.
I take on too many projects at once.
Some recruiters love this response. Others think I’m full of sh*t. They’re not wrong.
I do have a tendency to take on too many projects. I have multiple ideas, business investments, and areas of interest. It’s the same with my hobbies. It’s how my brain works. I like variety. I like mixing it up.
But I do overload my plate at times. I faced this recently. I was behind on preparing a presentation for many reasons—some legit, others not. The clock was ticking, and I needed help. So I dove into an AI chatbot. I figured it would help me organize my thoughts and get things back on track.
I plugged in the information and asked for an outline. Voila! It churned one out. I gave it a few more directions and fine-tuned it. I thought, “I’m ready—wow!”
It came time to present, and you can probably guess what happened. The information provided was shallow at best, misleading at worst. It supposedly created a narrative for me to tell, but it had no flow or context. It didn’t have…me.
I was a victim of workslop.
“Victim” is a strong word. I chose to take the shortcut. I chose to rely on material it spewed out. I slapped myself in the face.
But like most learning moments, it was important for me to experience this. It showed me what was impactful and what wasn’t.
Workslop is a real issue. A recent study showed that while upper-level management thinks it increases productivity, mid-level management disagrees. Those mid-level managers spend excess time fixing AI’s errors:
Hancock’s study, which is not yet peer-reviewed, surveyed 1,150 U.S. desk workers, a subset within the total 5,000. The researchers found that 40% of workers had encountered workslop within a month and then spent an average of 3.4 hours a month dealing with it—which the study estimates adds up to $8.1 million in lost productivity for a 10,000-person organization.
Here is a good analogy. There was a great episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine where Boyle—played by the incredible Joe Lo Truglio—sets up a scavenger hunt for his bachelor party. Jake, Terry, and Capt. Holt decide to skip numerous steps and just solve the last clue. It turns out that the previous challenges were important to the final solution. They missed the whole point of the scavenger hunt.
Completion is not the point. It’s the journey.
When I give presentations and workshops, my goal is to provide a real experience—something valid and purposeful. Relying on a shortcut deprives not only my clients of what they were promised but also diminishes my work ethic and standards. And honestly, I'm better than that.
Workshops and presentations are meant to be experiences. Don’t let shortcuts devalue what you offer. You are good. You are talented.
Use the tools available to you—but remember: don’t let them replace you.
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