See a photo of Karen, her bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, Part 2, and Part 3.

Q: You wrote in your blog: “I started explicitly seeking books on the subject last summer and by the end of the summer my fledging theory was cementing that storytelling applied to business wasn’t crazy.” Can you share with our readers some of the books you sought out and how they influenced you?

A: I think many things that we do and construct are best when we have a melding of influences. I also think it’s important to recognize and give attribution where appropriate. So let me list a myriad of influences because there was no one book and no one person that brought me to the conclusion of using storytelling with software testing.

In terms of current authors, Annette Simmons and Doug Lipman are two authors whose work I admire. The Story Factor especially made impressions on me due to its countless correlations of story and business.

• The Story Factor by Annette Simmons and Doug Lipman
• Improving Your Storytelling by Doug Lipman

I also found the book Rhetoric by Aristotle to be a great source. My own copy is all marked up and loaded with post-its, which is a sign that a book has brought something to me. I know Aristotle probably sounds stuffy and highfalutin, but it’s not. It’s a very readable book.

My local storyteller’s guild has been an influence as well. Zane Chait and Suzie Garfield are two members of my guild whose storytelling styles and encouragement has helped me. I could sit and listen to Zane for hours and I try to find opportunities to do exactly that.

Could I digress? This is too funny not to share. I can recall the first night I attended my local guild. Zane came right up to me, introduced himself, and welcomed me into the room. I asked him a leading question about how he came to be involved in storytelling. Zane began telling me about his business and his interest in storytelling. I was completely engrossed as he spoke. One of the other guild members had to pipe up and tell us that it was time to get started; “we’re here to tell stories.” Well I wanted to burst out laughing that Zane had been telling me stories since the moment I walked in the room. But I didn’t want to be rude, so we moved into a more formal format for the rest of the evening.

Suzie’s generosity with lending books and information has been helpful as well. Some of the books she’s shared have been Stephen Denning’s work and also Lori Silverman.

My professional colleagues James Bach and Jon Bach are also influencers and encouragers that believe in incorporating storytelling with software testing. We discuss the topic openly and specifically when we’re together at conferences. Also my colleague Mike Kelly has been an encourager sometimes pointing out material he knows will help my pursuit on integrating storytelling with business.