I often say that my work is oriented toward hopeful, sustainable futures. People sometimes hear that as optimism, a belief that things will turn out fine. That’s not what I mean. Optimism assumes a positive outcome. Hope, at least as I understand it, does not. Hope...
When I’m facilitating futures work, I’m obviously paying attention to the process: time, flow, activities. But a lot of my attention is elsewhere. I’m watching how uncertainty is moving through the room. Who looks energised by it, and who looks uneasy. I’m noticing...
I often describe my work as oriented toward hopeful, sustainable futures. This is what I stand for, both personally and professionally, although I try not to talk about this too much because for some, it demands too much explanation. I digress. When describing my work...
When people struggle to imagine different futures, it’s tempting to say they lack imagination. I don’t think that’s usually the problem. More often, people are drawing on futures they’ve inherited: images, narratives, and assumptions absorbed from films, policy...
As I am sure I’ve said before, one of the most persistent misconceptions about futures and foresight is that it’s about prediction. It isn’t. Good futures work doesn’t tell you what will happen. It helps you become more capable in the face of what might happen. Its...
People are often fascinated when I tell them that I often incorporate walks and place in my futures work. I do this because some futures can’t be accessed sitting still, and because “places” matter to us. Movement changes how people think. Walking slows...
