I came across Karen Gilliam, PhD, unexpectedly while researching another storytelling guru who agreed to respond to a Q&A. I was instantly attracted to her practice and philosophy, and she graciously agreed to respond to this 21st in a series of Q&As. This is also the last Q&A of Phase I of the Q&A project. Phase II will commence March 2.

The Q&A with Karen will appear over the next five days.

Bio of Karen Gilliam, PhD, can be found here.

Q: How did you initially become involved with story/storytelling/narrative/working with stories? What attracted you to this field? What do you love about it?

A: As I thought about this question, I came to realize that whether or not I was consciously aware of the impact of a story, I was never the less encapsulated by its power to influence. I actually cannot remember a time when I was not attracted to story. As a child, I hung on to every story shared by my relatives, in particular my grandmother and uncle. Their stories about family told me that I belonged, that I was special and that I was a part of something great and wonderful. As an adult, I’ve used stories and storytelling in my work as a trainer, coach and organization development consultant. Jerome Bruner defines it best when he says “story is meaning.” I love story and storytelling because of its ability to capture emotion and reason, hearts and minds like no other spoken communication tool. And, there’s something quite liberating and authentic about being able, as a listener, to take, in that moment or some future point in time, from story only what I need in order to make meaning.