31 Jan How a Stranger Changed my Book Writing

Listen Up

I overheard John speaking to another writer at the Maclab cafe at the Banff Centre for Creativity. There is a writing retreat on now and they are both participants. I am on my own private writing retreat in Banff while cat-sitting and decided yesterday to do some writing at the Banff Centre. I approached John and said, “Excuse me. May I ask you a quick question?” He said, “Yes”. “Are you here on the writers retreat?” Again, he replied, “Yes.” This led us into a conversation where he told me about an authors’ event. It was open to the public and happening that night, so I attended. It was great.

A Sequence of Events

The event itself was great, but the insight that I had while there was fantastic. I met award-winning author Anakana Schofield and heard readings from other talented authors. What a privilege. The insight I came to was that I must include more of my circus story into my book. So I will, and I am excited. This is real-world evidence of how a conversation with a stranger can improve your work or your life. So get out there and meet someone!

Tony Esteves has presented and performed for people on 5 continents. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he is a play-based workshop facilitator and performer. He facilitates communication and resiliency and improves team dynamics. He studied improv at the Second City Improv Training Centre, has a Bachelor of Communication Studies degree, and loves to bring people together.

Tony has been performing with Le Cirque de la Nuit since 2014  and was a part of their 2016 TEDxYYC performance.  He believes that people can best move their lives and careers forward by having more face-to-face conversations. (That is how he got into the circus). This is why he created the Talk2MorePeople Project. During this social experiment, Tony meet at least one new stranger a day for an entire year and positively transformed his life. Now he teaches how to meet people through coaching, workshops and keynote presentations. The Talk2MorePeople book will be released in 2020.

With a professional background in logistics and communication, Tony has presented at conferences in Canada, Italy, the USA and South Africa. Having lived and worked in 40 countries, he has worked in a variety of unique jobs. These include managing logistics for the US military in Uzbekistan, teaching in Japan and corporate sales in Ukraine. Audiences from Tony’s presentations leave entertained, educated, inspired and empowered.