Underrated Leadership Skill: Short Film Shows Power of Business Storytelling

Storytelling guru Esther Choy Reveals the Power of Storytelling in Business Communication in new short film from Leadership Story Lab

Chicago, IL: “When I realized that in a competitive environment, everything and everyone can become commoditized, what else do you have besides your qualifications? It’s your story,” wonders Esther Choy in the opening scenes of a new brand film released by Leadership Story Lab, October 25, 2023.

Filmed by 3x Emmy-winning Brand Storyteller Bryce McNabb, the film “The Power Of Leadership Storytelling In Business Communication” gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at leadership storytelling in action in different business contexts.

United Airlines, one of Choy’s clients in the film, learns to use storytelling to help their sales teams turn sales pitches into moments for human connection. Glenn Hollister, Vice President of Sales Strategy and Effectiveness at United Airlines, says Choy helped his team turn presentations into conversations: “You have hard facts. People need convincing. [Choy] knows how to bridge that gap.”

But it’s not just sales teams who need storytelling skills, the film reveals. Another client fairlife, a international dairy company, found the need for leadership storytelling when communication between teams broke down with the overloading of data.

Valerie Zanchettin, Senior Director, Masterbrand Strategy & Purpose at fairlife explains that her team was expert storytellers in the six seconds spots they had to connect with customers. But “we needed help with our own internal storytelling, or storytelling to our leadership about our annual plans,” shares Zanchenttin in the film.

Leadership Story Lab steps into these pain points with tools for building a storytelling culture. “In business communication, many rely on lots of information or data. You might have heard that logic makes you think, but emotion makes you act,” explains Reena Kansal, Leadership Story Lab’s Chief Operating Officer. Since founding the company in 2010, they have defined leadership storytelling to be that strategic sequencing of facts and emotion.

The film gives a sneak peak into the life and origin story of the woman-led company with Esther Choy at the helm. Choy confesses, “I wasn’t born a great public speaker or a great storyteller. I’m more interested in finding other people’s stories. I wanted to create a space where it is safe and effective for them to invest their time and effort and their resources to develop their story.”

Choy believes that anyone can learn to tell powerful stories. Certified Story Facilitator Rissa Reddan of West Monroe considers Esther Choy to be the secret ingredient to her successful leadership communications. She says, “[Choy] has really helped me. And not only helped me with the components of storytelling, but also the courage to tell a story.”

Watch Leadership Story Lab’s new film.

Title: The Power Of Leadership Storytelling In Business Communication

Release Date: October 25, 2023

Formats: Vimeo, Youtube

Length: 6:51 minutes

About Leadership Story Lab

Leadership Story Lab is a storytelling coaching, consulting and training company that uses classical storytelling techniques to serve modern leaders, giving leaders and teams the tools they need to implement a storytelling culture that improves internal and customer-facing communication, forms strong business partnerships, and brings a clear sense of purpose to their organizations.

About Esther Choy

Esther Choy is the CEO and Chief Story Facilitator at Leadership Story Lab, where she applies design thinking and science to help her clients articulate and assert who they are, ultimately connecting with audiences in meaningful ways. Since 2010, Esther has combined the science of persuasion and the art of storytelling to help her clients gain a competitive edge.