Use Storytelling In Conversations to Convey the Essence of Who You Are

“One of the hardest questions for me to answer,” says Cyrus Webb, host of Conversations LIVE on Blog Talk Radio, “is ‘what do you do?’” He notes that the difficulty lies in telling just enough, but not too much. That balance is one that everyone who has ever attended a networking event has agonized over! Can this be overcome by thinking about how to use storytelling in conversations?

After reading Esther’s new book, Let the Story Do the Work, Cyrus wondered how to answer not just the question “what do you do” but also the question, “tell me about yourself,” in a way that is natural and yet invites people to include storytelling in conversations.

Esther recommends that when people ask us to “tell me about yourself,” we need to see through the question and into what they really want: a broad picture of who we are, plus one thing about our identity that’s deep enough to spark more conversation.

And so, she challenges her clients to think about: “What is the essence of who you are and what you’ve done?”

If you’re looking for strategies for answering the “what do you do” or “tell me about yourself” questions—and many more strategies for using storytelling in business contexts— be sure to check out Cyrus and Esther’s conversation here!

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Want to become a pro at using storytelling in conversations? We can help. Schedule a complimentary working session with us. For more examples of the right stories to tell at the right time, sign up for our monthly guide. My book, Let the Story Do the Work (published by HarperCollins Leadership), is now available and serves as your business storytelling toolkit.