Esther Choy, Author at Leadership Story Lab

Introducing Esther’s New Podcast: Family IN Business!

John Nelson, the CEO of Seed Beauty, stressed that a family in business together makes “a conscious decision to come together…[understanding that] the business that we’re in today is not necessarily going to be the same business in the future.” This is a distinction that goes beyond defining an organization as a “family owned business.”…

Collecting Stories Will Make You Happier

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com. A few years ago, a colleague of mine told me she and her husband needed to move to another apartment. “Okay,” I thought, “such is life.” I had no idea the ordeal that she actually went through until recently when we were chatting about non-work-related topics. “Esther, remember a…

Be Less Awkward About Sharing Stories

You know leadership storytelling is powerful. You’ve figured out how to choose the right stories to tell. Just one small problem. For many leaders, sharing stories in everyday conversation feels awkward. As a participant in one recent Leadership Story Lab workshop put it, “How do we incorporate stories professionally so it doesn’t seem so ‘off’…

Tell Your Career Change Story In 5 Minutes

If anyone has a career change story, Taylor Miller does. Taylor spent a decade starring as the graceful Nina Cortlandt on the famous soap opera All My Children. Her acting career spans 30 years. And now, as a holistic health coach, she works to personalize nutrition and empower women to live healthy, strong lives. But,…

Sail Through Performance Reviews With Storytelling Coaching

At work, most of us tend to be too busy “doing,” which gets in the way of thinking and reflecting. Coaching gives you permission to find mental space and fully take the time to take stock.When I reflect on the value of storytelling coaching, I think of a story the late novelist and philosopher David…

Body Language: Let Your Body Tell the Story, Too

Many years ago, I was having a weekly meeting with my boss. What I thought was a routine conversation quickly changed when he suddenly slapped his pen down on the conference table and yelled, “Esther, what the —- is wrong?!” Stunned, I hesitated for a few seconds and returned the question back to him.…

How to Tell a Three-Act Story: An Annotated Example

Structure is critical to stories, just as it is to buildings. When the structure of a building is solid, we don’t give it a second thought! Same goes for story structure, which holds all the elements together, usually without your realizing it. In fact, all strong stories share the same basic three-act story structure. The…

Tired of Small Talk? Start Story Collecting

This article originally appeared on Forbes. Of all the best kept secrets in storytelling, this is my favorite: To become a great storyteller, one must first become a great story collector. And the first step to story collecting is to listen aggressively. How do you listen aggressively so you can begin story collecting? Four ways.…

This Is How Leaders Can Identify Good Stories

In 2015, Neha Agrawal, a marketing executive at a global medical company, was selected as one of the opening speakers at her company’s multi-day leadership off-site. She needed to set the tone for the day as she spoke with peer senior executives on the topic of leadership. She had about 45 minutes to speak, with…

Storytelling Can Persuade People To Take COVID-19 Precautions

The story of Patient 31 in South Korea has become a cautionary tale about why social distancing is a crucial precaution. But will it persuade skeptics? On February 15, 2020, while hospitalized after a car accident, doctors advised Patient 31 to get tested for coronavirus because she had developed a high fever. “Instead,” according to…