Posts by Esther Choy
How Storytelling Helps You Demonstrate That You Fit In
When I served as an admissions officer for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, one thing became abundantly clear: Every year, thousands of applicants with stellar GMAT scores, strong career experience and genuine praise from their managers got rejected (and still do). The problem, as I saw it, was that having strong…
Read MoreWhy Are Stories So Powerful?
In this interview with Aimee Hanson at Glass Hammer, Esther reveals three reasons why stories are so powerful: They are more memorable than facts alone They impact decision-making much more than you might expect. They build consensus. Read Esther’s interview to find out more about why stories are so powerful—and learn quick tips for better…
Read MoreMaking a Dry Topic Riveting
Roger Dooley gave Esther a challenge on a recent episode of The Brainfluence Podcast. “Why don’t you give me an example of a rather boring product sales situation. I can imagine half the people in the audience saying, ‘well, there’s absolutely nothing riveting about what I do.’ How do you translate that into a story…
Read MoreBusiness Storytelling Connects You With (Almost) Everyone
After meeting a new person, people often wonder if they established a strong connection. On the Selling in a Skirt Podcast with Judy Hoberman, Esther emphasizes that it’s important to be at ease with the fact that you can’t connect with everyone, even though business storytelling does help. Once you are not trying hard to…
Read MoreStorytelling for Entrepreneurs: Lessons From An Unlikely Source
Carl, a computer science PhD, fidgeted a little in a sunny conference room. Across from him, the president of a large family office sat waiting to hear details about Carl’s start-up, Chart Hero. Using AI, Chart Hero would seamlessly, confidentially and accurately relate patients’ information, medical history, current status and potential treatment needs across hospitals,…
Read MoreHow to Interview for a Leadership Role
Being interviewed for a leadership position is not exactly like being interviewed for other roles. No longer are you being interviewed on your skillset but also about who you are as a leader. The stakes are high, and the competition is stiff. How do you ace the interview? To find out, Moira Lawler interviewed…
Read MoreCommunicating the Meaning Behind the Information
Esther predicts that storytelling will become even more important in the workplaces of the future. As automation continues and big data gets bigger and accumulates faster, humans will need to communicate the meaning behind the tasks and behind the data. And the best way to communicate meaning? Stories. Read her interview with InfoWorks. #InfoWorks #bigdata…
Read MoreGetting Their Heart to Agree with You
Growing up, we are taught that we have to prove our point. When we complete our math homework, we lose points if we find the right answer yet fail to show our work. But in the workplace, painstakingly proving our points isn’t always effective. The good news is that by being passionate and acknowledging your…
Read More10 Tips for Intriguing Your Audience
Prepping for a presentation? Gearing up for important conversations? Here are 10 of our best tips for intriguing your audience. You don’t need your audience to know all information that you know. More important that they’re captivated and persuaded. (From “Is it every okay to data dump?”) The best stories are told with a sense…
Read MoreEureka Moments Through Leadership Storytelling
“The most exciting phrase to hear in science,” says Isaac Asimov, “the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!) but ‘That’s odd….’” How does this connect with storytelling or leadership? That is what Bob Morris asked Esther in a recent interview. What do eureka moments and “that’s odd” moments have…
Read More