Esther Choy, Author at Leadership Story Lab

6 Mistakes Leaders Make When Using AI for Storytelling

Have you ever been disappointed by the response AI gave you? Maybe the writing sounded polished but generic. Perhaps it missed the context entirely. Or maybe it was technically good, but sounded so robotic. There’s a reason this happens. When we use AI for storytelling, it’s tempting to hand over the hardest part: Here is…

Storytelling Is A Critical Communication Skill For Business Leaders

Open communication is a trending topic on LinkedIn right now. Leaders want to have the communication skills that cut through the noise and move past the surface to understand what is being left unsaid. They want to know how to build trust that allows everyone on the team to express ideas that are important, even…

Energize Your Networking Skills With 3 Proven Storytelling Tips

Networking doesn’t have to be a transaction. It can be a conversation worth having. That’s what my client Susan discovered at an ERG networking event, where story-prompting questions moved her and her partner past small talk and into real stories about their careers, upbringings, and experiences of imposter syndrome at work. Many people dread networking,…

How To Improve Team Communication By Learning To Speak Up

Jeannie walked out of Monday’s meeting feeling energized. Her team had just landed a promising new project, and everyone seemed locked in on the vision they’d pitch to the client on Friday. So when they reconvened Thursday to review the slides, she expected their team to prepare slides that reflected their shared vision, sharpened and…

Why You Need To Prepare For A Fantastic Performance Review Now

Summer is the smartest time to prep for your year-end performance review. Here’s why: even the best managers forget. Writing performance evaluations is hard, and buried under a busy year, the moments that made you shine may have long faded in your manager’s memory. Recency bias — giving more value to recent events, over events…

How To Ensure Professional Development Actually Empowers Your Team

“I’m not here to sell you anything.” That’s what Amy — Sawyer Products’s lead salesperson — said when she walked into her first in-person meeting at a major retailer’s headquarters. Amy exemplified a communication tool she had learned in her company’s professional development courses. The buyers looked confused. True to her words, Amy didn’t have…

4 Summer Books That Will Make You A Better Leader

Summer is a great time to catch up on your “to be read” shelf AND to brush up on your leadership communication skills. But this doesn’t mean you must read management and leadership books. Reading fiction is a proven way to build your empathy muscle — a key ingredient to being a better leader and…

Make Your LinkedIn Profile Better With A Simple Shift In Your Mindset

Let me give you an example: Because May is my birthday month, I was recalling my most recent birthday parties. Two years ago, when I was celebrating a milestone birthday, my husband and I planned a big party — with friends flying in from out of town and a delicious dinner. We played music, sang,…

3 Ways Authentic Storytelling Helps You Land A New Job

Imagine this scenario for a job interview: You fly nine hours to an in-person interview. You are jetlagged, but even worse, you’ve come down with chicken pox. No amount of makeup will cover the marks on your face and you feel lousy. This happened to me in 1998 and despite all the setbacks, I was…

Want To Ace A Job Interview? A Simple Story Will Make You Shine

One of the most common job interview questions is, “So, tell me about yourself.” It’s often used as an ice breaker early in the interview to give the candidate time to warm up and settle in before the harder-hitting questions come. But the truth is, during a job interview, there is no “warm up.” First…