WEBVTT
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.879
Welcome back to Day Day Up, the weekly podcast for Chinese professionals navigating the Western workplace.
00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:05.919
I'm Jonathan.
00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:07.440
Let's get into it.
00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:12.880
Newsletter title Everyone can tell you're using AI, except you.
00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:16.640
For three years, I've been saying something privately to my clients.
00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:22.079
But in 2026, I think every Chinese ESL professional needs to hear it.
00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:26.320
Everyone can tell you're using AI to write your messages, except you.
00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:31.519
And frankly, that's why your communication is getting worse the more you use AI.
00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:39.119
Yes, you planned every word so carefully, but after you read your script in that meeting, there was an awkward silence.
00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:40.560
Nobody responded.
00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:46.640
After reciting your memorized answers, your interviewer interrupted impatiently, repeating their question.
00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:52.799
After you polished your email with perfect grammar before sending, your boss left you unread.
00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:58.719
By the end of this letter, you'll know how to stop sabotaging your professional reputation with AI slop.
00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:04.879
And you'll learn how to use AI the right way to systematically improve your communication.
00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:06.480
Why you can't tell?
00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:09.200
Why is this trap so easy to fall into?
00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:12.239
Because using AI feels like the obvious smart move.
00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:14.319
I've heard it from dozens of clients.
00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:20.239
My English is too poor, AI writes better English than me, so AI covers my weakness.
00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:28.719
It's safe, professional, maybe even sounds impressive to you, but that logic has a hidden flaw that nobody tells you about.
00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:32.719
AI can fix your grammar, but it can't supply your message.
00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:40.319
Case in point, recently my wife has been planning a safari trip for us, messaging a few Chinese travel agencies for quotes.
00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:42.319
One representative sent her this.
00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:04.480
Sounds like a reasonable recommendation.
00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:10.560
As a CSL speaker, I had zero sense of how strange and stiff this message sounded.
00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:14.960
I lack the taste for what good Chinese communication sounds like.
00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:17.599
So the AI slop was invisible to me.
00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:21.759
And that's exactly what's happening to you in reverse.
00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:29.360
When you use AI to compose your English communication, you're using a tool to perform competence instead of building it.
00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:31.199
And you can't tell the difference.
00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:36.800
Because the skill you lack is the same skill needed to evaluate the output.
00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:41.039
That travel agency rep will never know why my wife ghosted her.
00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:43.439
Your coworkers won't tell you either.
00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:50.479
They just see your message that might as well be stamped in big, bright red letters made with AI.
00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:53.439
Because I outsourced my thinking to a language model.
00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:54.479
Here's the fix.
00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:58.159
And no, it doesn't involve just getting better at English.
00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:00.319
It's a different order of operations.
00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:06.719
You in the front, AI in the back, four steps to great AI-assisted communication.
00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:10.000
Before you type a single word, answer three questions.
00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:11.520
What am I trying to say?
00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:13.360
What do I want this person to do?
00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:15.759
What do I want them to feel or know?
00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:18.240
This only takes 30 seconds.
00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:21.680
And it's the 30 seconds that decides whether anyone responds.
00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:24.319
Say what you want to say in your own English.
00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:26.240
Grammar mistakes and all.
00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:28.240
I think we should delay the launch.
00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:29.680
The data is not ready.
00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.080
Can we discuss Thursday?
00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:35.039
You see your limited vocabulary as a limitation.
00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:42.080
As a communication coach, I see it as a superpower because you have the gift of saying complicated things simply.
00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.560
The mark of a great communicator is not whether they sound impressive.
00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:49.680
It's whether they can move others to act on their message.
00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:54.240
And simple language moves people best because it reaches people best.
00:03:54.719 --> 00:03:56.400
And there's a hidden benefit.
00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:59.199
Writing simply forces clear thinking.
00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:04.800
If you can't distill your main message into a single sentence, you don't have a main message.
00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:06.960
Go back to step one now.
00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:09.919
And only now does AI enter the room.
00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:13.280
Its job is simple grammar, word choice, and tone.
00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:18.240
Keep the ideas, structure, and voice where they should be, held tight to your chest.
00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:20.240
If you're stuck, use this prompt.
00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:22.319
I wrote the message below myself.
00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:23.600
Do not rewrite it.
00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:28.560
Only fix grammar mistakes, unnatural word choices, or imprecise word choices.
00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:34.079
Keep my sentence, structure, my tone, and my words wherever possible.
00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:35.759
Do not add sentences.
00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:37.439
Do not make it more formal.
00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:40.240
Do not use any word I wouldn't say out loud.
00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:43.839
If something is unclear, ask me instead of rewriting it.
00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:49.279
Context, this is for person, and I want them to action.
00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:54.079
You may notice that most of this prompt involves telling AI what not to do.
00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:55.439
And that's the point.
00:04:55.839 --> 00:05:00.079
Left alone, AI will always drift toward formal and generic writing.
00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:02.560
Your job is to fence it in.
00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:07.040
Finally, ask yourself one simple question about your message.
00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:11.759
Would I have naturally said this sentence out loud to this person's face?
00:05:12.319 --> 00:05:16.800
If any sentence fails the out loud test, rewrite it yourself.
00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:24.160
If you're looking for a quick and dirty upgrade to your English taste, here are the three most common pieces of AI slob to catch.
00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:27.040
Sign one, it's not X, it's Y.
00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:28.720
AI loves the pattern.
00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:30.959
This isn't just about X, it's about Y.
00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:38.639
I often find in my communication that removing the it's not X part doesn't really change the message at all.
00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:42.160
After all, nothing is more clear than a simple it's Y.
00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:48.160
Sign two, triplets AI can't resist a good group of three, X, Y, and Z.
00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:52.639
But one idea stated once is how confident people communicate.
00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:54.720
This will improve our onboarding.
00:05:54.879 --> 00:06:02.079
Beats, this will streamline our onboarding, empower our teams, and drive measurable long-term impact.
00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:05.600
After all, you're just a humble worker, not a politician.
00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:06.639
Sign three.
00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:09.360
Sentences that sound important, but say nothing.
00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:12.720
This week I coached a chief product officer at a scale-up.
00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:17.360
She's serious executive material with nearly 20 years of experience.
00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:27.120
So I was shocked when she dropped phrases like translate emerging technology into scalable commercial opportunity in our coaching session.
00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:29.600
You know how I could tell she used AI?
00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:35.360
Because most Chinese ESL professionals would never say something so senseless on their own.
00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:40.800
I imagine she would have simply said, bring tech to market in her own words.
00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:47.839
And those would have felt ten times more authentic and compelling to me than the buzzword salad she served me.
00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:52.560
So read each sentence and ask, what new information does this add?
00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:53.279
None?
00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:54.480
Then delete it.
00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:56.160
I've got this off my chest.
00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:58.319
The rest I leave to you.
00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.360
Every message you send from this day onward is a choice.
00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:04.800
Perform competence with AI or build it.
00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:11.759
The performers stay perfectly polished and perfectly invisible for years, maybe their entire careers.
00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:14.319
The builders sound ESL for a few months.
00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:15.759
Then they sound like leaders.
00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:16.959
See you in the boardroom.
00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:20.959
Alright, that's your growth tip for this week.
00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:22.800
Now let's take a melon break.
00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:27.920
Her name is Chanty Beluga.
00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:29.040
That's the whole joke.
00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:36.319
If a woman calmly getting into an Uber and announcing Chanty Beluga has invaded your feed this month, you are not alone.
00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:42.079
She is a character created by comedian Courtney O'Donnell, and every video follows the same bit.
00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:44.480
She does something completely ordinary.
00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:48.560
She makes sure everyone learns her full name, and then the video ends.
00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:51.279
No punchline, no twist, nothing.
00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:57.279
This is a style of trending Western humor called anti-comedy, where the joke is that there is no joke.
00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:04.399
Your brain keeps waiting for the funny part to arrive, and somewhere around the fifth video, the waiting itself becomes the funny part.
00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:06.879
It has worked spectacularly.
00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:09.040
Who is Chanti Beluga?
00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:12.000
Became one of the most Googled questions in America this week.
00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:19.600
And NBC and today both published serious explainer articles about a fictional woman whose only achievement is saying her own name.
00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:21.920
The internet has now adopted her completely.
00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:28.879
Creators are weaving full lore into this character, inventing an entire imaginary life for her, one Uber ride at a time.
00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:35.360
Personally, the humor is 100% lost on me at this point, but I fear this is actually because I haven't watched enough of her videos yet.
00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:37.840
Chanti Beluga signing off.
00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:41.519
Here is how you can use this topic in Smalltalk next week.
00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:42.799
With coworkers.
00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:45.279
Have you seen those Chanty Beluga videos?
00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:48.879
I've watched at least 10, and I honestly cannot explain why they're funny.
00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:50.879
I just know I keep watching.
00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:52.159
With your boss.
00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:56.720
That Chanti Beluga meme is strange, but it's secretly a branding masterclass.
00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:00.240
No punchline, no product, just one distinctive name.
00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:02.639
Repeated with total consistency.
00:09:03.039 --> 00:09:05.200
And now the entire internet knows it.
00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:08.480
Makes me think most of us overcomplicate our messaging.
00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:24.799
To learn more, check out my free weekly newsletter for communicating in the Western Workplace, read by over 2,000 Chinese professionals.
00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:28.159
Just search Daily Up Jonathan and you will find me.
00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:29.519
That's all for today.
00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:32.799
See you next Sunday with the Trisong Shao Hoban!
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.879
Welcome back to Day Day Up, the weekly podcast for Chinese professionals navigating the Western workplace.
00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:05.919
I'm Jonathan.
00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:07.440
Let's get into it.
00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:12.880
Newsletter title Everyone can tell you're using AI, except you.
00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:16.640
For three years, I've been saying something privately to my clients.
00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:22.079
But in 2026, I think every Chinese ESL professional needs to hear it.
00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:26.320
Everyone can tell you're using AI to write your messages, except you.
00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:31.519
And frankly, that's why your communication is getting worse the more you use AI.
00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:39.119
Yes, you planned every word so carefully, but after you read your script in that meeting, there was an awkward silence.
00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:40.560
Nobody responded.
00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:46.640
After reciting your memorized answers, your interviewer interrupted impatiently, repeating their question.
00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:52.799
After you polished your email with perfect grammar before sending, your boss left you unread.
00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:58.719
By the end of this letter, you'll know how to stop sabotaging your professional reputation with AI slop.
00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:04.879
And you'll learn how to use AI the right way to systematically improve your communication.
00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:06.480
Why you can't tell?
00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:09.200
Why is this trap so easy to fall into?
00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:12.239
Because using AI feels like the obvious smart move.
00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:14.319
I've heard it from dozens of clients.
00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:20.239
My English is too poor, AI writes better English than me, so AI covers my weakness.
00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:28.719
It's safe, professional, maybe even sounds impressive to you, but that logic has a hidden flaw that nobody tells you about.
00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:32.719
AI can fix your grammar, but it can't supply your message.
00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:40.319
Case in point, recently my wife has been planning a safari trip for us, messaging a few Chinese travel agencies for quotes.
00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:42.319
One representative sent her this.
00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:04.480
Sounds like a reasonable recommendation.
00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:10.560
As a CSL speaker, I had zero sense of how strange and stiff this message sounded.
00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:14.960
I lack the taste for what good Chinese communication sounds like.
00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:17.599
So the AI slop was invisible to me.
00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:21.759
And that's exactly what's happening to you in reverse.
00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:29.360
When you use AI to compose your English communication, you're using a tool to perform competence instead of building it.
00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:31.199
And you can't tell the difference.
00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:36.800
Because the skill you lack is the same skill needed to evaluate the output.
00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:41.039
That travel agency rep will never know why my wife ghosted her.
00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:43.439
Your coworkers won't tell you either.
00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:50.479
They just see your message that might as well be stamped in big, bright red letters made with AI.
00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:53.439
Because I outsourced my thinking to a language model.
00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:54.479
Here's the fix.
00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:58.159
And no, it doesn't involve just getting better at English.
00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:00.319
It's a different order of operations.
00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:06.719
You in the front, AI in the back, four steps to great AI-assisted communication.
00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:10.000
Before you type a single word, answer three questions.
00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:11.520
What am I trying to say?
00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:13.360
What do I want this person to do?
00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:15.759
What do I want them to feel or know?
00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:18.240
This only takes 30 seconds.
00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:21.680
And it's the 30 seconds that decides whether anyone responds.
00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:24.319
Say what you want to say in your own English.
00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:26.240
Grammar mistakes and all.
00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:28.240
I think we should delay the launch.
00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:29.680
The data is not ready.
00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.080
Can we discuss Thursday?
00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:35.039
You see your limited vocabulary as a limitation.
00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:42.080
As a communication coach, I see it as a superpower because you have the gift of saying complicated things simply.
00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.560
The mark of a great communicator is not whether they sound impressive.
00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:49.680
It's whether they can move others to act on their message.
00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:54.240
And simple language moves people best because it reaches people best.
00:03:54.719 --> 00:03:56.400
And there's a hidden benefit.
00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:59.199
Writing simply forces clear thinking.
00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:04.800
If you can't distill your main message into a single sentence, you don't have a main message.
00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:06.960
Go back to step one now.
00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:09.919
And only now does AI enter the room.
00:04:10.080 --> 00:04:13.280
Its job is simple grammar, word choice, and tone.
00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:18.240
Keep the ideas, structure, and voice where they should be, held tight to your chest.
00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:20.240
If you're stuck, use this prompt.
00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:22.319
I wrote the message below myself.
00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:23.600
Do not rewrite it.
00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:28.560
Only fix grammar mistakes, unnatural word choices, or imprecise word choices.
00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:34.079
Keep my sentence, structure, my tone, and my words wherever possible.
00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:35.759
Do not add sentences.
00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:37.439
Do not make it more formal.
00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:40.240
Do not use any word I wouldn't say out loud.
00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:43.839
If something is unclear, ask me instead of rewriting it.
00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:49.279
Context, this is for person, and I want them to action.
00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:54.079
You may notice that most of this prompt involves telling AI what not to do.
00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:55.439
And that's the point.
00:04:55.839 --> 00:05:00.079
Left alone, AI will always drift toward formal and generic writing.
00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:02.560
Your job is to fence it in.
00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:07.040
Finally, ask yourself one simple question about your message.
00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:11.759
Would I have naturally said this sentence out loud to this person's face?
00:05:12.319 --> 00:05:16.800
If any sentence fails the out loud test, rewrite it yourself.
00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:24.160
If you're looking for a quick and dirty upgrade to your English taste, here are the three most common pieces of AI slob to catch.
00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:27.040
Sign one, it's not X, it's Y.
00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:28.720
AI loves the pattern.
00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:30.959
This isn't just about X, it's about Y.
00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:38.639
I often find in my communication that removing the it's not X part doesn't really change the message at all.
00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:42.160
After all, nothing is more clear than a simple it's Y.
00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:48.160
Sign two, triplets AI can't resist a good group of three, X, Y, and Z.
00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:52.639
But one idea stated once is how confident people communicate.
00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:54.720
This will improve our onboarding.
00:05:54.879 --> 00:06:02.079
Beats, this will streamline our onboarding, empower our teams, and drive measurable long-term impact.
00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:05.600
After all, you're just a humble worker, not a politician.
00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:06.639
Sign three.
00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:09.360
Sentences that sound important, but say nothing.
00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:12.720
This week I coached a chief product officer at a scale-up.
00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:17.360
She's serious executive material with nearly 20 years of experience.
00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:27.120
So I was shocked when she dropped phrases like translate emerging technology into scalable commercial opportunity in our coaching session.
00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:29.600
You know how I could tell she used AI?
00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:35.360
Because most Chinese ESL professionals would never say something so senseless on their own.
00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:40.800
I imagine she would have simply said, bring tech to market in her own words.
00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:47.839
And those would have felt ten times more authentic and compelling to me than the buzzword salad she served me.
00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:52.560
So read each sentence and ask, what new information does this add?
00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:53.279
None?
00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:54.480
Then delete it.
00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:56.160
I've got this off my chest.
00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:58.319
The rest I leave to you.
00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:01.360
Every message you send from this day onward is a choice.
00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:04.800
Perform competence with AI or build it.
00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:11.759
The performers stay perfectly polished and perfectly invisible for years, maybe their entire careers.
00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:14.319
The builders sound ESL for a few months.
00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:15.759
Then they sound like leaders.
00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:16.959
See you in the boardroom.
00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:20.959
Alright, that's your growth tip for this week.
00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:22.800
Now let's take a melon break.
00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:27.920
Her name is Chanty Beluga.
00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:29.040
That's the whole joke.
00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:36.319
If a woman calmly getting into an Uber and announcing Chanty Beluga has invaded your feed this month, you are not alone.
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She is a character created by comedian Courtney O'Donnell, and every video follows the same bit.
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She does something completely ordinary.
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She makes sure everyone learns her full name, and then the video ends.
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No punchline, no twist, nothing.
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This is a style of trending Western humor called anti-comedy, where the joke is that there is no joke.
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Your brain keeps waiting for the funny part to arrive, and somewhere around the fifth video, the waiting itself becomes the funny part.
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It has worked spectacularly.
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Who is Chanti Beluga?
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Became one of the most Googled questions in America this week.
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And NBC and today both published serious explainer articles about a fictional woman whose only achievement is saying her own name.
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The internet has now adopted her completely.
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Creators are weaving full lore into this character, inventing an entire imaginary life for her, one Uber ride at a time.
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Personally, the humor is 100% lost on me at this point, but I fear this is actually because I haven't watched enough of her videos yet.
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Chanti Beluga signing off.
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Here is how you can use this topic in Smalltalk next week.
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With coworkers.
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Have you seen those Chanty Beluga videos?
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I've watched at least 10, and I honestly cannot explain why they're funny.
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I just know I keep watching.
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With your boss.
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That Chanti Beluga meme is strange, but it's secretly a branding masterclass.
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No punchline, no product, just one distinctive name.
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Repeated with total consistency.
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And now the entire internet knows it.
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Makes me think most of us overcomplicate our messaging.
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To learn more, check out my free weekly newsletter for communicating in the Western Workplace, read by over 2,000 Chinese professionals.
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Just search Daily Up Jonathan and you will find me.
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That's all for today.
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See you next Sunday with the Trisong Shao Hoban!