Posts by Esther Choy
Give a Storytelling Presentation That Connects
It was the day before their big presentation and the R&D managers had a problem. Their team had compiled a 62-page study on the company’s new product (not counting the appendices!). From this study, they had built a PowerPoint deck with 41 slides and teeny-tiny text. Would the managers be able to cover everything they…
Read MoreEmpathy Is A Skill. Here’s How to Apply It.
An interview with Michael Ventura, author of Applied Empathy. After enduring an unpleasant experience, figuring out how to improve upon it comes naturally. However, improving upon something you’ve never actually experienced is much harder, as Michael Ventura of the strategy and design practice Sub Rosa learned. Several years ago, General Electric asked Ventura and his…
Read MoreHigh-Achieving Leaders, The World Cup Offers Crucial Lessons
Flowing beer. Check. Die Mannschaft jersey. Check. Saving our voices to root our hearts out for Germany’s national soccer team. Check. Earlier in June this year, my family and I were sitting in a suburb outside Stuttgart hoping and expecting Germany to make history during this year’s World Cup. Germany did make history at…
Read MoreHow Neuromarketing And Leadership Storytelling Captivate Audiences
In early Greek theatre, disapproving audiences sometimes threw stones at the performers. In those days, “knowing your audience” could mean saving your skin! No wonder the Greeks are famous for the art of rhetoric, making use of every tool at their disposal for understanding their listeners. Today, as leaders seek to engage audiences, they must…
Read MoreBecome a Better Leader with 3 Summer Reads
Summer offers a chance to catch up on much-needed reading to refresh and recharge your leadership. Unfortunately, summer is also short and reading lists are long. That’s why I scoured lists of books and then my team and I selected three summer reads that helped us look at life and work in a whole…
Read MoreGet a Crash Course in Leadership Storytelling With These 5 Quotes
Leadership storytelling is the intentional assertion of your point of view. How do you master this leadership skill effectively and efficiently? In my book Let the Story Do the Work, I provide tools, templates and examples to help leaders sharpen their business storytelling skills quickly. The leadership storytelling quotes below all played a role in…
Read MoreStorytelling Lessons From An Obama Advisor
Valerie Jarrett is a storytelling superhero. Just two days after Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet about her, the senior Obama advisor kept a commitment to give a keynote address at the American Bar Association’s Law School Development Conference. I was the keynote speaker the day before her at the same conference. While my topic was Leadership…
Read MoreLiving Your Vision Through Leadership Storytelling
On May 29th 2018, millions of coffee drinkers were not able to get their daily java at Starbucks. Eight thousand stores were closed for training, the company’s response to the arrest of two black men who peacefully came to a Philadelphia Starbucks for a business meeting. This was one of several important actions Starbucks CEO…
Read More4 Things to Look For in a Business Storytelling Trainer
Businesses have learned the many uses of storytelling. It draws customers, gives employees a sense of purpose and makes messages stick. So there’s a natural inclination for successful business leaders to want to build storytelling into the capabilities of our workforce. But who’s going to help the workforce build this skillset? Many companies turn to…
Read More5 Tips for Asking for a Major Gift
You’re about to step up and speak to your supporters at your organization’s annual fundraising gala. You’re about to issue a “call for cash”—asking attendees to give anywhere from $1,000 to $25,000 more. Last year, the gala’s donations fell shy of the targets, so the pressure is on. How do you ask for a major…
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