Kill the Corporate FAQ: Why Your Managers Deserve Better Than AI-Generated Drivel
It’s Monday in Midtown, and somewhere an HR manager is about to hit ‘send’ on another 30-question FAQ nobody asked for. Let’s call this what it is: a lazy relic that’s outlived its usefulness. Darcie Rosenthal at ADM—someone who actually did time in real newsrooms, not just ‘communications strategy’ Zoom calls—just torched the entire FAQ cargo cult, and she’s right.
Here’s the problem: these Frankenstein’d lists are rarely about what employees need. They’re about what execs wish everyone cared about, padded by AI output that reads like a chatbot held hostage. The classic move? Take last quarter’s FAQ, let ChatGPT rewrite it with extra corporate stuffing, and ship it to every manager from Kansas City to Kuala Lumpur. Guess what happens? Nobody reads it, nobody trusts it, and the real questions still get asked in Slack anyway.
Rosenthal’s take is refreshingly brutal: managers don’t need an FAQ, they need real answers tailored to what’s happening, right now, in their teams. She’s seen the difference—building comms around live feedback, not C-suite convenience. This isn’t some theoretical best practice. ADM’s global comms team has ditched the FAQ treadmill and, shocker, managers are actually engaging again.
If your idea of ‘AI-enhanced communication’ is pasting ChatGPT output into a doc and calling it a day, you’re part of the problem. Here’s a radical agenda for this autumn: trash your next planned FAQ, talk to three actual managers, and build your messaging from their pain points—no filler, no machine-generated slop. The result? Fewer emails, smarter answers, and the faint possibility your team might trust you again.
Uncomfortable truth: the only FAQ worth writing is the one nobody has to read. Scrap the crutches. Write for humans, not for compliance checklists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the article criticize AI-generated corporate FAQs?
The article argues that AI-generated corporate FAQs are ineffective because they are often padded with irrelevant content and do not address the real needs of managers.
What alternative to FAQs does Darcie Rosenthal at ADM recommend?
Darcie Rosenthal suggests replacing FAQs with real, tailored communication based on live feedback from managers.
What results did ADM see after stopping the use of FAQs?
ADM’s global communications team saw improved manager engagement after ditching FAQs.
How do managers typically respond to corporate FAQs?
Managers often ignore FAQs and instead ask their real questions via Slack or other direct channels.
What practical advice does the article give for better corporate communication?
The article recommends scrapping planned FAQs, talking to three actual managers, and building messaging around their real pain points.
