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

Q&A with Karen Dietz, Question 5:

Q: What future trends or directions do you foresee for story/storytelling/narrative? What’s next for the discipline?

A: I think there are multiple events on the horizon for the discipline: a greater focus on ethics and quality; an improved skill base; and more knowledge sharing among story professionals. I also see organizational story work moving into becoming a core competence for organizations. Today it is seen too often as a mere tool, which is severely limiting and does not recognize storytelling as fundamental to an organization’s success. I would like to think that organizations are starting to realize that mastering stories and storytelling is a core competence to their business growth and operations. Personally, my passion is training leaders to become compelling storytellers as an essential leadership and influence skill. Coaching — workshops — I love it!