Comments on: Software Testing Lessons from Brief Counselling and Therapy http://www.eviltester.com/index.php/2008/04/11/software-testing-lessons-from-brief-counselling-and-therapy/ A different view of software testing Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:09:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Suzanne http://www.eviltester.com/index.php/2008/04/11/software-testing-lessons-from-brief-counselling-and-therapy/#comment-339 Suzanne Thu, 08 May 2008 21:29:51 +0000 http://www.eviltester.com/index.php/2008/04/11/software-testing-lessons-from-brief-counselling-and-therapy/#comment-339 How did you first stumble on the connection between therapeutic models and best software testing practices? Are you trying to make software geeks acknowledge their human side and improve their communications skills in the process? My attention was immediately hooked when NLP was mentioned. I actually read your paper, "NLP for Testers", with enthusiasm. I had forgotten "how" I became a good communicator and realized how much I ignore when I don't feel like engaging with others. You even mentioned how emotions affect communication without getting bogged down with it. Presuppositions and assumptions are a personal favorite because they're my frequent downfall in social situations. I found your blog from a Software Quality News link for today. Thanks for sharing something I could actually relate to. <em>Hi Suzanne, thanks for taking the time to comment and to read the paper. I developed an interest in NLP and Therapy before I moved into Software Testing. I continued to study therapeutic models, as I started studying testing models more deeply. When studying both topics at the same time, I guess they just converged. I would like 'software geeks' to consider software development as a communication process and adopt any tools which aid that process. I use tools and models from NLP, Cybernetics, General Semantics, Visual Thinking, to name a few of my sources. Other testers I know adopt tools from Logic, Philosophy, Physics, Experimentation. I enjoy working in a field where I can apply lessons from so many disparate sources.</em> How did you first stumble on the connection between therapeutic models and best software testing practices? Are you trying to make software geeks acknowledge their human side and improve their communications skills in the process?
My attention was immediately hooked when NLP was mentioned. I actually read your paper, “NLP for Testers”, with enthusiasm. I had forgotten “how” I became a good communicator and realized how much I ignore when I don’t feel like engaging with others. You even mentioned how emotions affect communication without getting bogged down with it. Presuppositions and assumptions are a personal favorite because they’re my frequent downfall in social situations.
I found your blog from a Software Quality News link for today. Thanks for sharing something I could actually relate to.

Hi Suzanne, thanks for taking the time to comment and to read the paper.

I developed an interest in NLP and Therapy before I moved into Software Testing. I continued to study therapeutic models, as I started studying testing models more deeply. When studying both topics at the same time, I guess they just converged.

I would like ’software geeks’ to consider software development as a communication process and adopt any tools which aid that process. I use tools and models from NLP, Cybernetics, General Semantics, Visual Thinking, to name a few of my sources. Other testers I know adopt tools from Logic, Philosophy, Physics, Experimentation. I enjoy working in a field where I can apply lessons from so many disparate sources.

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