Name: An Introduction to Futures Thinking
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Créé parThomas Carroll, PhD

Dernière mise à jour : 11/2025

Anglais

Ce que vous apprendrez

The course will introduce the key aspects of this exciting and fascinating topic of Futures Thinking.
The course will help you to develop your own Futures thinking mindset and become more futures literate.
The course aims to support reflection upon our orientations towards the future as individuals, as organisations, as students or as educators.
The course will help you get better at leading positive change and thinking outside the box.
The course will help you build your creativity and to be ready for an increasingly fast changing world.
The course will help you and your business/organisation to adapt to an uncertain world, build resilience and agility to survive and thrive.
Increase participants’ ability to imagine different futures and act towards the realisation of a preferred future.
Build an understanding of how to engage in future-oriented thinking.
Challenge your conceptions about the future and imagined preferred futures.
Help you to understand the link between future-oriented thinking and action in the present.
You will recognise your own agency as a change-maker.
You will become aware of your own and other people’s assumptions about the future.

Contenu du cours

3 sections • 34 sessions • 2 h 35 min de durée totale

Introduction to the course8:19
The introductory lecture provides students with a overview of the course.
What is Futures Thinking?18:03
This lecture provides an introduction to Futures Thinking and and the key components of Futures Thinking.
Who might use futures thinking?7:35
Who can use futures thinking or strategic foresight? Find out in this lecture.
Benefits of futures thinking10:08
In this lecture we look at the very many benefits of futures thinking.
The challenges of futures thinking12:45
Thinking about the long term does not come naturally to us humans - learn about the challenges of futures thinking in this lecture.
Introduce yourself to other course participants0:18
We live in an uncertain world. There are many benefits to futures thinking. Find out how futures thinking can benefit you, your family, business, community, country and all of us on the planet.
Practice - Time machine to 10 years ago1:45
Take a trip to 10 years ago and find out what you can learn about futures thinking!
Practice - Time machine to 10 years into the future0:37
Jump ahead 10 years into the future using our unique human ability to imagine.
Reflection on the last two assignments4:08
In the last two assignments we time travelled to the past and also to the future. This lecture reflects on what we have learned.
Test your knowledge - section one
Summary of section 12:06
In this lecture we review what we have covered in section one of the course.

Introduction to section 20:21
In this lecture we look ahead to section two of the course.
The mindset and skills of an effective futurist11:03
In this lecture we look at the skills and mindsets of effective futurists. Futurists (and all of us I believe should develop these skills and attitudes) need to become good at dealing with uncertainty and comfortable with ambiguity. Find out more in this lecture.
Practice - Get into a Futurists mindset0:51
In this practice you will have an opportunity to get into a futurist's mindset and expand the range of what is possible.
Environmental or Horizon scanning11:40
In this lecture we look at horizon scanning which is a key component in any futures activity. Horizon scanning is often the first phase of foresight activities.
Practice scanning STEEP changes0:44
We all have different perspectives about the future depending on our backgrounds and experiences. The problem is that we see everything through our own narrow lenses. STEEP allows us to expand our thinking.
Weak signals of the future5:54
In this lecture we examine signals of change and in particular weak signals. As futurists we need to be on the lookout for weak signals. This lecture will show you how.
Practice - Choose a signal of your own1:38
In this lecture you will have an opportunity to explore a weak signal of your own interest and share with your fellow students.
Assumptions about the future9:17
Like a fish swimming in water we also swim in our own values and assumptions of how the world works. This lecture explores our assumptions about the future.
Practice - Reversing Assumptions Technique1:11
In this practice session you get an opportunity to challenge your assumptions on a topic of your choosing.
The futures cone & alternate futures11:03
In this lecture we examine the cone of possibility and possible, plausible, probable and preferred futures.
Creating alternative futures with scenarios9:56
As good futurists, we must be able to think in simultaneous, multiple futures. We need to broaden our thinking beyond the official future to stretch our thinking and to guard against fragility. Find out more in this lecture.
Practice - Create your own scenario0:42
In this assignment you get an opportunity to create a scenario related to your chosen future topic and share with your fellow students.
Visioning your preferred future and backcasting5:50
In this lecture we look at the concepts of visioning a preferred future and backcasting.
Practice - Imagine your preferred future and first steps0:55
What is one of YOUR preferred futures? In this practice you get a chance to describe it.
Story telling and prototyping artifacts from the future6:57
In this lecture we look at storytelling and prototyping artifacts from the future as a way to communicate the future.
Practice - Develop a story or prototype from 10 years time0:21
In this practice session you get an opportunity to develop a brief scenario, short story or artifact from 10 years time and share with your fellow students.
Futures Thinking is Collaborative3:25
You will never have a good picture of the future if you just look at it from one point of view. In this lecture we explore the collaborative nature of futures thinking.
Practice - The Futures Wheel0:32
Time to practice the Futures Wheel mentioned in the last lecture as a means to game out future scenarios.
Test your knowledge - section 2
Summary of section 22:13
This lecture summarises what we have covered in section 2 of the course.

Introduction to section 30:52
This lecture introduces what is coming in section three.
Practice - Time Machine to 20360:42
In this practice you get the opportunity to travel 10 years into the future to your preferred personal future.
Sources of further information on Futures Thinking0:16
In the external resources attached to this lecture there are links to organisations working in the space of futures thinking.
Quiz 3
Congratulations2:27
Congratulations on making it to the end of the course.
Bonus lecture0:40

Prérequis

There are no requirements - simply a desire to understand, prepare for and take ownership of the future!
The course is suitable for beginners who want an introduction to thinking about the future.
The course is a first step for participants who wish to familiarise themselves with future-oriented thinking and foresight.

Description

“The only certainty for the future is change. Hence, it is very risky to assume that everything will stay the same as today.”

– Kees van der Heijden

We live in a complex and fast-moving world. The pace of change is itself accelerating! These are turbulent times and both the future and the present feel more uncertain and nebulous than before. The major changes of our time are familiar to everyone: climate change, biodiversity loss, rapidly advancing technology, mass migrations, ageing populations, wars in Europe and the Middle East , a food and energy crisis and challenges associated with democracy. It’s no wonder that many people feel like their faith in the future is being tested!

Futures thinking for personal, organizational, and societal resilience and success is essential. Imagining a better future is perhaps more important right now than it has ever been in human history.

Futures thinking is used across all sectors, industries and functions - government, corporate, non-profit and startups. Futures thinking is used in strategy, innovation, change management and personal development. We use tools like environmental scanning and scenario planning.

The foresight gained from Futures Thinking allows us to thrive in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. Vigilant leaders interpret weak signals of change in the external environment, emphasizing preparation for future challenges.

Organizations that intentionally develop a futures culture are primed for market-leading innovation, successful opportunity development, and revenue-generating futures intelligence.

The course seeks to encourage and inspire course participants to be bolder in the way they think about the future; to push the boundaries of current constraints and knowledge of how things can be done.

Being a futurist is not for a select few - it's for all of us! These skills of being a futurist are teachable and learnable. The more you think like a futurist, the better you can create the future you want.

While there will always be great uncertainty about the future, there is no uncertainty that it will unfold, so who is responsible for the future? I think we all are. So let's get started. We all have a stake and interest in the future!

"My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there."

- Charles Kettering

Welcome to the course!

À qui ce cours s'adresse-t-il ?

The course is for anyone who wants to become better at thinking about the future.
Those who want to define their preferred future scenario and take steps today to make it happen.
Beginner futurists who want an introduction to this endlessly fascinating topic.
Both nonprofits and for-profit organisations who seek to use Futures Thinking to help improve strategic business decision-making.
Small business owners who what to catch potential trends early and capitalise on them.
Leaders who want to get a new perspective on the world and not get blind sided by the competition.
Those who want to build a culture of experimentation, thus also increasing organisational long-term resilience.
Those who wish to foster a culture of longer-term thinking within their organisation.
Educators who want to better equip their students to engage with the future.
Government policy makers who want to make policy which is robust and responds to long-term change.
Those who want to make the future a greater priority and embed long-term thinking into their everyday lives.

Ce que vous apprendrez

Découvrir les sujets associés

Contenu du cours

Introduction to Futures thinking10 sessions • 1 h 6 min

Implementing Futures Thinking19 sessions • 1 h 25 min

Conclusions and resources for further leaning5 sessions • 5 min

Prérequis

Description

À qui ce cours s'adresse-t-il ?