Institute For The Future

Take the Foresight C.U.R.E.

What if a 3-day training workshop could help you see your career in a whole new light?

Last month we hosted another outstanding class of foresight practitioners in Palo Alto—a thorough mix of experienced strategists and innovators, and novices to foresight taking their first steps. We dove head-first into our Foresight Toolkit, sharing signals, creating scenarios and meeting fictional residents of the future. Our final activity wove all these together into individual stories of how we might all become better foresight practitioners. I wanted to share one story that came out of our workshop—an inspiration to me and others. It’s the tale of Michael the Alchemist.  Michael Nobleza participated in the Foresight Practitioner’s Training as he readied himself for launching from leading one non-profit organization (#YesWeCode)  to a regional network of 74 community based organizations (the Asia Pacific Fund).

The foresight C.U.R.E. 

Leveraging the metaphor of alchemy, Michael interpreted one of our frameworks in a truly delightful way.  We know, from our research with foresight practitioners inside and outside of organizations, that the role has at least four key aspects: trusted advisor, translator, analyst and synthesizer, and community facilitator.  Some practitioners make one of these the centerpiece of their practice, others integrate them completely across their activities. Michael interpreted their functions as base elements that could be transformed into a golden whole:

Consult, Understand, Relate, and Engage—the Foresight C.U.R.E.  

These elements, expressed through combinations of tools for preparing the mind, foresight, insight and action, turn confusion and ambiguity into the “gold” of clarity and action for a diverse set of stakeholders, lighting the way towards the future of community.  

“Thank you for facilitating what has become a critical inflection point in how I understand and articulate my own professional development journey. In fact, the story I shared was the first time I had publicly talked about my interest in really examining the future of community,” Michael concluded. 

A note on storytelling: 

Foresight practice is a mad brew of substance and style: here at IFTF we work from a foundation of qualitative research, but our work would not be what it is without the solid visual metaphors, storytelling, and pizzaz brought by our most creative colleagues. We’ve found that the right stories and metaphors can transcend painful organizational realities and bring clarity to the most complex topics. Thanks in this case to graphic facilitator Tom Benthin for setting the visual stage for Michael’s journey—and the journeys of other participants.  

Come practice foresight with us!

IFTF’s Foresight Studio is run by practitioners for practitioners. Our trainings distill the 48 years of experience in practical foresight at IFTF into tools and strategies for making better decisions today. Sign up today for one of our upcoming sessions!