BA Brew - A Business Analysis Podcast

Active listening is one of the most valuable skills a Business Analyst can develop — and one of the easiest to get wrong.

In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley from AssistKD is joined by Craig Rollason and Corrine Thomas to discuss how active listening helps business analysts build trust, improve stakeholder conversations and gather better requirements.

The discussion covers:

• What active listening really means for business analysts

• Why listening is central to effective stakeholder engagement

• Common unhelpful listening behaviours and how to avoid them

• How to prepare yourself to listen properly

• The value of summarising, silence and open questions

• How teams can practise and improve their listening skills together

Whether you are a business analyst, service designer, change professional or team leader, this episode offers practical advice for improving conversations and outcomes.

EXPLORE ASSISTKD TRAINING: AssistKD offers Business Analysis and Service Design training online, in person and through eLearning, with over 30 years' experience in professional development.

Relevant courses for this episode:

• BCS Stakeholder Engagement
• BCS Requirements Engineering
• BCS Advanced Requirements Engineering
• BCS Business Analysis Practice

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE: Find BA Brew on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major platforms.

What’s it really like starting out as a Business Analyst - and how do you avoid feeling isolated, overwhelmed or “behind” in your early career? In this episode of The BA Brew, Mike is joined by Joe and Jo from the Young Business Analysts (YBA) - a fast‑growing, volunteer‑led community designed to support Business Analysts aged 35 and under.

They discuss:

• Why YBA was created and the gap it set out to fill

• How safe spaces help early‑career BAs ask the questions they’re afraid to ask at work

• The impact of volunteering on confidence, networking and public speaking

• How YBA has grown into a 2,500+ strong community across online and in‑person events

• Why experienced practitioners still have an important role to play

From first‑job nerves to conference speaking, this is an honest conversation about growth, connection, and building a career in Business Analysis - without doing it alone.

FURTHER RESOURCES

YBA

• YBA Website

• YBA LinkedIn

BA Brews

• BA Brew 9: Young BA Special

• BA Brew 77: How to start your BA Career

• BA Brew 88: BA Apprentice of the Year

Articles

• The Young Business Analysts: How It All Began

• Where are They Now? Business Analyst Apprentices

What does it really mean to be a “professional” Business Analyst? In this episode of BA Brew, Kerry is joined by Laurens and Lisa to explore professionalism in business analysis – from preparation and mindset to qualifications, growth, and career progression.

They discuss:

• What professionalism means in a BA context
• Their journeys through the BCS International & Advanced Diplomas
• Achieving CITP status
• The path to becoming an Expert BA
• Practical advice for BAs looking to advance their careers

If you're considering the BCS Advanced Diploma, CITP, or the Expert BA route, this conversation is packed with insights from real practitioners who’ve been there.

FURTHER RESOURCES

BA Brews

• How to Become a Business Analysis Professional
• Transferable Skills
• Communities of Practice
• Self-Assessment and Development Tools
• I’m a Business Analyst — How Did That Happen?

Articles

• No Limits to Learning
• Elevating the BA Voice
• Skill Development of the Business Analysis Practice
• From Junior BA to BA Manager: A Business Analysis Journey

Qualifications

• BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis
• BCS Advanced International Diploma in Business Analysis
• Chartered IT Professional (CITP)
• The Expert BA Award

Being part of a Community of Practice allows BAs to share knowledge and best practice, mentor or be mentored, and have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities. But some of the benefits are less tangible.

In this lively chat, Anthony Thompson and Mark Thompson of Close Brothers discuss the value of Communities of Practice with the Brew Crew.

Anthony Thompson and Mark Thompson are both Lead BAs at Close Brothers.

FURTHER RESOURCES 

BA BREWS

• BA Brew 29: The Invisible BA
• BA Brew 35: The BA Service Framework

ARTICLES

• Ten Reasons to Establish a Centralised Community of Practice
• Ten Top Tips on Building a Community of Practice
• Running a Centralised Business Analysis Community of Practice: The Top 10 Financial Benefits
• Keeping a Community of Practice Alive and Kicking

COURSES

• BCS Certificate in Team Leadership

In this informative BA Brew Adam Pearson talks to the Crew about why BAs need to develop an accessibility mindset and how he, as a registered blind person, has used his BA skills to help to make it easier to both generate and consume accessible content.

Topics discussed: why accessibility must be considered from the start of every project; useful tools for generating accessible content and for consuming content; the difference between usability and accessibility; how AI tools can support accessibility; why making mistakes and learning means you are doing it right; and more.

As Adam says: “The more we all do as a collective, the fewer barriers there are into this fantastic field of work.”

Adam Pearson is now a Business Analyst at The RNIB.

FURTHER RESOURCES 

BA BREWS

• BA Brew 20: Resilience (feat. Corrine Thomas)
• BA Brew 27: The BA Apprenticeship

ARTICLES

• Resilience Resources
• Strengths Spotting - Achieve your goals by leveraging your strengths
• AssistKD’s Business Analyst (Level 4) Apprenticeship Scheme
• AssistKD BA Career Planner Tool
• 10 Top Tips for Entering the Business Analysis Profession

Helen Holder developed an idea to help her children talk about their fears during lockdown – and it proved to be highly effective. Now Helen is using the same powerful visualisation technique to help business change professionals name, and tame, their self-limiting beliefs.

In this mindset-challenging BA Brew, Helen and the Brew Crew discuss common 'Mental Monsters’ and share some practical strategies for challenging them.

See the resource list below for a link to Fiona Kiss’s ‘Problem Solving Duck’ article.

Helen Holder is Head of Business Analysis at RICS. She is also a volunteer with IIBA and YBA.

FURTHER RESOURCES 

BA BREWS

BA Brew 20: Resilience (feat. Corrine Thomas)

BA Brew 30: Confidence (feat. Philippa Thomas)

BA Brew 45: Developing Positive Habits and Behaviours

ARTICLES

Mental Monsters: Name and Tame Your Limiting Beliefs

Resilience Resources

Strengths Spotting - Achieve your goals by leveraging your strengths

StrengthsFinder 2.0

Foster a Growth Mindset with Mindset Advantage

The Problem Solving Duck

COURSES

Introduction to NLP Workshop

If you have relevant transferable skills, it is possible to change careers at any time of life. In this thought-provoking episode, Lisa Croft of Herd Consulting and AssistKD’s Amanda Christianson talk about transferable skills with host Jonathan Hunsley.

Relevant skills discussed include: stakeholder engagement; customer service; teamwork; data analysis; problem-solving; taking a holistic view; and documentation.

RESOURCES

CAREER PLANNING

• AssistKD Career Planing Tools

COURSES

• One Day Careers Workshop

ARTICLES

• What I Wish I had Known When I Started my Business Analyst Career
• 10 Top Tips for Entering the Business Analysis Profession

BA BREWS

• BA Brew 77: How to start your BA Career (Feat. Timothy Clark & Michelle Shakesheff)

Updating your skills toolkit? AssistKD offers a wide choice of business training courses.

Assist’s Learning Zone is packed with free learning resources, with new and topical content added regularly. Discover the latest BA Brew podcasts, articles, blogs, short learning videos and more.

If you’ve ever considered applying for the Business Analyst of the Year Award, this BA Brew special is for you. Current BA of the Year Mark Cross and 2024 winner Kay Hardy discuss what inspired them to apply, and some of the unexpected benefits of taking part.

FURTHER RESOURCES

• Visit our BA of the Year page
• Assist’s Learning Zone is packed with free learning resources, with new and topical content added regularly. Discover the latest BA Brew podcasts, articles, blogs, short learning videos and more.
• AssistKD BA Career Planner Tool
• Webinar: What it Takes to be BA of the Year

ARTICLES

• BA of the Year: 10 Top Tips for Applying
• Mark Cross Winner’s Interview
• Kay Hardy Winner’s Interview
• Pip Hall Winner’s Interview

BA BREWS

• BA Brew 20: Resilience
• BA Brew 68: Stepping Beyond the BA Toolbox
• BA Brew 80: Bravery in Business Analysis

In this stressbusting BA Brew, special guest and yoga teacher Jennie Macdonald talks to the Brew Crew about how yoga, mindfulness, and something as simple as a breathing technique can foster balance, calm and resilience in your work and home life.

Jennie and Ruth recommend the following online Yoga and Mindfulness resources:

• Yoga with Adriene is a particularly good entry point – well worth subscribing to on YouTube. This includes movement and breathing exercises, and she has multiple 30 day courses where the daily sessions are about 20 minutes long: Yoga With Adriene - YouTube

• The Mindful app is a great one for walking meditations – it isn’t free but it’s well worth the subscription: A Guided Walking Meditation for Daily Life - Mindful

• Nalanie Chellaram is a great teacher if people want to get into yoga in its broader sense: Nalanie Chellaram - YouTube

FURTHER RESOURCES

BA BREWS

• BA Brew 20: Resilience (feat. Corrine Thomas)
• BA Brew 30: Confidence (feat. Philippa Thomas)
• BA Brew 45: Developing Positive Habits and Behaviours

ARTICLES

• Resilience Resources
• Strengths Spotting - Achieve your goals by leveraging your strengths
• BOOK REVIEW: Begin with You by Petra Velzeboer
• Wellbeing in Times of Change By Petra Velzeboer

Bad service appears to be on the increase… why? Could it be because organisations are forgetting about the needs of the customer or are not sufficiently involving BAs, Service Designers or Business Architects?

Debra Paul, Jonathan Hunsley and Mike Williams share a few ‘tales of woe’ and discuss some of their favourite trouble-shooting tools and techniques.

Techniques discussed include scenario analysis; business continuity; the ‘Zone of Tolerance’; exploring the voice of the customer; and the POPIT™ technique.

FURTHER RESOURCES

BOOKS

• ‘Business Architecture: A Comprehensive Guide’ by Jonathan Hunsley and Debra Paul, is available from the BCS Bookshop.
• Business Analysis: 123 Essential Tools for Success by James Cadle, Debra Paul, Jonathan Hunsley, Adrian Reed, David Beckham and Paul Turner.
• Coming in 2026 and available for preorder: Service Design: A practical guide to creating customer centric services by Debra Paul and Jonathan Hunsley

ARTICLES

• The Rise of the CX Professional | Assist Knowledge Development  
• Putting the Service into Service Design | Assist Knowledge Development

COURSES

• Visit the Free Learning section of Assist’s Learning Zone for a choice of free short courses – with a course dedicated to POPIT™️. 
• AssistKD offers a wide choice of business training.

BA BREWS

• Customer Experience Analysis
• Business Service Architecture
• Business Service Design
• The BA Tools and Techniques Launch Chat