August 27, 2025 • 12 mins
The BA as Storyteller: 10 Ways Narrative Shapes Better Outcomes
Business Analysts aren’t just requirement gatherers — we’re storytellers.
In this episode of the Better Business Analyst Podcast, Benjamen Walsh explores how narrative can transform workshops, requirements, benefits, business cases, and even your career.
You’ll hear 10 powerful ways to use storytelling in BA work, complete with real-world examples from energy, government, and education projects — where the right story, metaphor, or user journey shifted outcomes.
💡 Key lesson: Data and documents may inform, but stories inspire action.
If you want to become a BA who influences, not just documents, this episode is for you.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
We're going to explore a skill that doesn't get nearly enough
attention in the BA world. It's called storytelling, and
you might think storytelling belongs to authors, marketers or
female speakers. But here's the truth.
As a business analyst, your ability to tell stories will
(00:24):
make or break your effectiveness.
It's not enough to gather requirements.
You have to make people feel theproblem, see the vision, or buy
into the journey. I've seen brilliant solutions
still because no one get enough to champion them.
(00:44):
And I've seen the most modest improvements.
Why? Through the approval process?
Just because someone framed themas a powerful story.
So in this episode we'll be breaking down anyways.
Narrative shapes better outcomesfor BAS, the Better Business
(01:06):
Analysis Institute presence, theBetter Business Analysis podcast
with Kenjaman Walsh. Welcome back everybody.
On this episode, I'll share practical tips and real world
examples and even a few hard learnt lessons along the way
(01:28):
from my own project to talk about why every BA needs to have
storyteller and their toolkit. Let's get started #1 the BA is
the translator, which you would have heard about and the story
at its core. BA work is about translation
(01:49):
from business needs to technicalspecifications, from strategy to
data impact. Storytelling is actually that
bridge. On one project at Z Energy,
technical teams keep talking APIs and integration layers and
in some cases some very old cobalt code the business glaze
(02:13):
over. I reframe this as think of this
like a natural pump. The nozzle, the hose, and the
pump are all connected. APIs are those connectors
system. Suddenly the business
stakeholders understood I was using their language, something
they were familiar with. Always ask what story am I here
(02:37):
to tell? Frank technical detail and
business narrative #2 is to use narrative arcs and workshops.
I'm not particularly good at this and this is a skill that I
want to get better. Good workshop isn't a meeting,
it's a story with a beginning, amiddle and an end or a
(02:58):
resolution. At the Ministry of Education I
had man, I managed kind of messydesign workshop around a
dashboard before people were semi engaged, depend on how they
felt on the day. And I reframed it as here we
(03:19):
are, this attention, right? We all have different
disagreements. That's OK.
What we want to do is come together and achieve the
following goals. And I even actually did some
work beforehand and I used the power start model to achieve
(03:39):
that. You can Google it.
And it's actually really good atprepping while we do it.
But Despite that, people were still moving in different
directions. You need to design your
workshops with a cliffhanger in the middle.
Then create tension, good tension.
Then guide the group through theresolution.
And the worst thing, just as another tip here, is if you run
(04:00):
out of time, you may run out of time.
But you need to make sure you always have time to a natural
close because people hate stories they never finish #3
turning requirements into user journeys.
Dry requirements don't inspire auser.
Journey tells the same information is a story.
(04:22):
Instead of listing system requirements or business
requirements, I actually mapped out kind of journey from
beginning to end when we're implementing a CRM system at New
Zealand Trade and Enterprise andhighlight pain points in a way
that requirements documents never will.
Convert lists into stories as weknow about, but also add visual
(04:45):
story telling cues just like an illustration in a children's
book. It actually works when you go
things down to simple books or statements is the Wiggles model,
which is a popular TV channel here but think Kelly WS or
whatever you've got in your country Barney very simple
(05:05):
stories. That's actually how you should
articulate your requirements andit's not about saying that the
people that you are teaching areare children.
It's the fact that if you say itsimply, they'll understand and
you can reinforce it. The other thing is making
benefits real. This is #4 executives don't care
(05:27):
about who's efficiency gains. They care about what that means
in people's lives or the bottom line at the use of care inquiry.
Benefits had to be framed aroundthe survivor experiences, right?
Not around process efficiency, not even the collecting of
information, which is why we were there to produce a report.
Storytelling may, even if it's real, not abstract.
(05:49):
OK, really help these people, the survivors of terrible abuse,
actually have a better experience when dealing with the
inquiry. Always connect benefits to human
impact and not percentages. Now I upon about the fact you
need to have smart objectives. That's fine.
But when you're telling that story, say why and why it allows
(06:11):
you to talk about the actual story behind those statistics.
There's also #5 which is the power of metaphors.
You can do this badly, but give it a go.
A metaphor can do the TV liftingof 20 PowerPoint slides in a
project at Genesis Energy. Instead of explaining that we
(06:34):
needed to open in the ElectronicMarketing Act that was coming
in, we need to collect whether or not people wanted to receive
marketing material and we need to integrate into the customer
pool flow. Instead of explaining that, I
actually used an example around the fact that someone might
knock on your door and try and sell you something, and that was
(06:57):
the same example. You're effectively knocking on
the door. Imagine that someone who's
selling a vacuum cleaner knocking door to door, and that
person needs to have the opportunity of not listening to
them if they didn't want to, or subscribing and listening.
And so that gave a good example,just a metaphor around why it
was really important for people to have those that question
asked and for us to collect thatinformation and respect them.
(07:20):
Build a Bank of metaphors you can draw from.
OK, then you'll be a superpower.I don't use them enough.
So I'm telling you, and I'm going to myself to do better at
it. Number six is around that
stakeholders. You can gain empathy with them
through storytelling. And that's not understanding
them as people and what they do.The best way to win over
(07:42):
resistance stakeholders is to tell them a story from their
perspective. And Hamilton City Council, I
dealt with planners and it was around changing and capturing
some information around buildingconcerns.
And I tried to just explain to them, Imagine if you're a rate
payer trying to lodge a consent at 11:00 PM at night instead of
queuing the next day at your desk.
(08:04):
Resistance gets dropped because then they appreciate that
actually people want to do this outside of their work hours.
Always run. What's their story exercise
before engaging with stakeholders #7 is data as a
character in the story? Data is neutral, treated like a
character with a role in your story.
(08:26):
We captured data information at the Tresherry Educational
Commission here, presenting the idea around students and people
who were looking for work. And we used data around the fact
that people who were out of workfor more than six months in
motivation completely crushed. It was very hard to get back on
(08:48):
the either learning journey or getting back into work.
So you should humanize data and you should show the faces behind
those data if you can with your personas.
And it really helps when you're trying to tell a story.
The other part that I've used storytelling to some degree is
(09:09):
storytelling and business cases.So treasury boards, executives,
they see dozens of cases, but the memorable ones are the ones
with the story. When I was in the Ministry of
Education, we framed the business case not around, you
know, individuals trying to access information.
But really, what were the frontline staff getting out of
(09:31):
this system? OK, It wasn't just about process
improvement. It was around fixing broken
pipes and having a pipe of information.
When you write the case, write the first draft as a story,
especially in the executive summary and at the end before
you translate it into corporate template language #9 of course,
(09:55):
which is my favorite, which is using visuals and storyboards.
Sometimes the best story isn't words at all, it's a visual
sequence. Underlying designs.
We use storyboarding, you know when we do, I guess, music,
digital experience, design into comic book form, draw comic
books. They work really well, helps get
(10:16):
everyone online, absolute jobs to be done.
Don't be afraid to sketch, even if your step fingers look
terrible, they can tell a story faster than bullets and you'll
see. If you ever work with me, I
always had a whiteboard and a whiteboard pen with me and I
tell you what my writing is, butI can draw a picture #10 is your
(10:38):
BA Real estate storytelling isn't just for projects, it's
about how you position your career.
When I pivoted from local government ALCO to the private
sector back to the private government, I framed my story
journey as a translation betweencomplexity and declarity.
(11:00):
Whether it was the school or thecity I was working in or moving
overseas to Europe, the UK, they'll come in the door and and
effectively as podcasters is a storytelling exercise.
Craft a personal narrative that ties together your career, leaps
your your background, your passions.
(11:20):
Don't just list roles. Tell a coherent story and that
will get you in the door places that you may have not thought
that you could get into. So then you have a ten ways
story makes you a Better Business analyst.
If you only take one thing away from today, it's requirements.
(11:43):
Processes and models are important, but they'll never
move people to act on their own.Stories do that.
Stories make people hear a line and conduct.
Thanks for joining me today and I'll catch you next week.
We're going to explore a skill that doesn't get nearly enough
attention in the BA world. It's called storytelling, and
you might think storytelling belongs to authors, marketers or
female speakers. But here's the truth.
As a business analyst, your ability to tell stories will
(00:24):
make or break your effectiveness.
It's not enough to gather requirements.
You have to make people feel theproblem, see the vision, or buy
into the journey. I've seen brilliant solutions
still because no one get enough to champion them.
(00:44):
And I've seen the most modest improvements.
Why? Through the approval process?
Just because someone framed themas a powerful story.
So in this episode we'll be breaking down anyways.
Narrative shapes better outcomesfor BAS, the Better Business
(01:06):
Analysis Institute presence, theBetter Business Analysis podcast
with Kenjaman Walsh. Welcome back everybody.
On this episode, I'll share practical tips and real world
examples and even a few hard learnt lessons along the way
(01:28):
from my own project to talk about why every BA needs to have
storyteller and their toolkit. Let's get started #1 the BA is
the translator, which you would have heard about and the story
at its core. BA work is about translation
(01:49):
from business needs to technicalspecifications, from strategy to
data impact. Storytelling is actually that
bridge. On one project at Z Energy,
technical teams keep talking APIs and integration layers and
in some cases some very old cobalt code the business glaze
(02:13):
over. I reframe this as think of this
like a natural pump. The nozzle, the hose, and the
pump are all connected. APIs are those connectors
system. Suddenly the business
stakeholders understood I was using their language, something
they were familiar with. Always ask what story am I here
(02:37):
to tell? Frank technical detail and
business narrative #2 is to use narrative arcs and workshops.
I'm not particularly good at this and this is a skill that I
want to get better. Good workshop isn't a meeting,
it's a story with a beginning, amiddle and an end or a
(02:58):
resolution. At the Ministry of Education I
had man, I managed kind of messydesign workshop around a
dashboard before people were semi engaged, depend on how they
felt on the day. And I reframed it as here we
(03:19):
are, this attention, right? We all have different
disagreements. That's OK.
What we want to do is come together and achieve the
following goals. And I even actually did some
work beforehand and I used the power start model to achieve
(03:39):
that. You can Google it.
And it's actually really good atprepping while we do it.
But Despite that, people were still moving in different
directions. You need to design your
workshops with a cliffhanger in the middle.
Then create tension, good tension.
Then guide the group through theresolution.
And the worst thing, just as another tip here, is if you run
(04:00):
out of time, you may run out of time.
But you need to make sure you always have time to a natural
close because people hate stories they never finish #3
turning requirements into user journeys.
Dry requirements don't inspire auser.
Journey tells the same information is a story.
(04:22):
Instead of listing system requirements or business
requirements, I actually mapped out kind of journey from
beginning to end when we're implementing a CRM system at New
Zealand Trade and Enterprise andhighlight pain points in a way
that requirements documents never will.
Convert lists into stories as weknow about, but also add visual
(04:45):
story telling cues just like an illustration in a children's
book. It actually works when you go
things down to simple books or statements is the Wiggles model,
which is a popular TV channel here but think Kelly WS or
whatever you've got in your country Barney very simple
(05:05):
stories. That's actually how you should
articulate your requirements andit's not about saying that the
people that you are teaching areare children.
It's the fact that if you say itsimply, they'll understand and
you can reinforce it. The other thing is making
benefits real. This is #4 executives don't care
(05:27):
about who's efficiency gains. They care about what that means
in people's lives or the bottom line at the use of care inquiry.
Benefits had to be framed aroundthe survivor experiences, right?
Not around process efficiency, not even the collecting of
information, which is why we were there to produce a report.
Storytelling may, even if it's real, not abstract.
(05:49):
OK, really help these people, the survivors of terrible abuse,
actually have a better experience when dealing with the
inquiry. Always connect benefits to human
impact and not percentages. Now I upon about the fact you
need to have smart objectives. That's fine.
But when you're telling that story, say why and why it allows
(06:11):
you to talk about the actual story behind those statistics.
There's also #5 which is the power of metaphors.
You can do this badly, but give it a go.
A metaphor can do the TV liftingof 20 PowerPoint slides in a
project at Genesis Energy. Instead of explaining that we
(06:34):
needed to open in the ElectronicMarketing Act that was coming
in, we need to collect whether or not people wanted to receive
marketing material and we need to integrate into the customer
pool flow. Instead of explaining that, I
actually used an example around the fact that someone might
knock on your door and try and sell you something, and that was
(06:57):
the same example. You're effectively knocking on
the door. Imagine that someone who's
selling a vacuum cleaner knocking door to door, and that
person needs to have the opportunity of not listening to
them if they didn't want to, or subscribing and listening.
And so that gave a good example,just a metaphor around why it
was really important for people to have those that question
asked and for us to collect thatinformation and respect them.
(07:20):
Build a Bank of metaphors you can draw from.
OK, then you'll be a superpower.I don't use them enough.
So I'm telling you, and I'm going to myself to do better at
it. Number six is around that
stakeholders. You can gain empathy with them
through storytelling. And that's not understanding
them as people and what they do.The best way to win over
(07:42):
resistance stakeholders is to tell them a story from their
perspective. And Hamilton City Council, I
dealt with planners and it was around changing and capturing
some information around buildingconcerns.
And I tried to just explain to them, Imagine if you're a rate
payer trying to lodge a consent at 11:00 PM at night instead of
queuing the next day at your desk.
(08:04):
Resistance gets dropped because then they appreciate that
actually people want to do this outside of their work hours.
Always run. What's their story exercise
before engaging with stakeholders #7 is data as a
character in the story? Data is neutral, treated like a
character with a role in your story.
(08:26):
We captured data information at the Tresherry Educational
Commission here, presenting the idea around students and people
who were looking for work. And we used data around the fact
that people who were out of workfor more than six months in
motivation completely crushed. It was very hard to get back on
(08:48):
the either learning journey or getting back into work.
So you should humanize data and you should show the faces behind
those data if you can with your personas.
And it really helps when you're trying to tell a story.
The other part that I've used storytelling to some degree is
(09:09):
storytelling and business cases.So treasury boards, executives,
they see dozens of cases, but the memorable ones are the ones
with the story. When I was in the Ministry of
Education, we framed the business case not around, you
know, individuals trying to access information.
But really, what were the frontline staff getting out of
(09:31):
this system? OK, It wasn't just about process
improvement. It was around fixing broken
pipes and having a pipe of information.
When you write the case, write the first draft as a story,
especially in the executive summary and at the end before
you translate it into corporate template language #9 of course,
(09:55):
which is my favorite, which is using visuals and storyboards.
Sometimes the best story isn't words at all, it's a visual
sequence. Underlying designs.
We use storyboarding, you know when we do, I guess, music,
digital experience, design into comic book form, draw comic
books. They work really well, helps get
(10:16):
everyone online, absolute jobs to be done.
Don't be afraid to sketch, even if your step fingers look
terrible, they can tell a story faster than bullets and you'll
see. If you ever work with me, I
always had a whiteboard and a whiteboard pen with me and I
tell you what my writing is, butI can draw a picture #10 is your
(10:38):
BA Real estate storytelling isn't just for projects, it's
about how you position your career.
When I pivoted from local government ALCO to the private
sector back to the private government, I framed my story
journey as a translation betweencomplexity and declarity.
(11:00):
Whether it was the school or thecity I was working in or moving
overseas to Europe, the UK, they'll come in the door and and
effectively as podcasters is a storytelling exercise.
Craft a personal narrative that ties together your career, leaps
your your background, your passions.
(11:20):
Don't just list roles. Tell a coherent story and that
will get you in the door places that you may have not thought
that you could get into. So then you have a ten ways
story makes you a Better Business analyst.
If you only take one thing away from today, it's requirements.
(11:43):
Processes and models are important, but they'll never
move people to act on their own.Stories do that.
Stories make people hear a line and conduct.
Thanks for joining me today and I'll catch you next week.
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