Institute For The Future

How to Form a Signals Group

Signals of change are the building blocks of futures thinking, and scanning for signals is an essential habit for any foresight practitioner. They form the foundation upon which any good futurist develops forecasts of the future. Signals are to foresight practitioners what paint is to an artist. While one can certainly signal-scan alone, there are advantages to scanning with a group. Here are our tips for forming your own signals group:

1. Select a few friends or colleagues to form a group

Signals are best collected as a group, especially with people who have varied interests because this leads to a richly diverse set of signals. Think of specific people you know who would be interested in looking for signals of change and approach them to join your group. It could start off small and eventually grow as others learn of how much fun you’re having.

2. Pick your channel of communication

Decide what medium your group will use to share your signals of change. You could meet every few weeks via Zoom, Google Hangouts, or another video conference tool. You could have a constant stream of signals-sharing online using platforms like WhatsApp or Slack (link to signals group). You could even meet in person once a month over a bite or drinks.

3. Scan

Scan everything. You can find signals in the news, social media, magazines, scientific literature, even your personal life at home, at work, or in your neighborhood. Signals are everywhere if we just look for them.

4. Share and discuss with your group

Using whatever channel of communication you chose, inform your group of what you found (sharing any links when available), tell them why you found it compelling, and what are the implications. Open it up for a conversation to see what your group thinks of the signal. Pose the question, “how would the world be different if the signal became mainstream?” 

5. Repeat steps 3 & 4

It’s important to keep your group going. Continue scanning, sharing, and discussing. This way, you’ll improve your practice and scanning will become second nature. The better you become at seeing signals and thinking of their implications, the better you’ll become at envisioning future possibilities. This will make you a stellar decision-maker.

 

 

Pssst….IFTF Vantage will soon be launching IFTF Future Factors — a comprehensive signals platform to help you amplify and accelerate internal foresight processes and capacities across your organization.  If you’re an IFTF Vantage partner, this will be a great complementary tool for your signals group!