by Suzanne Whitby | Sep 16, 2023 | Faciliating Futures, Notebook
We tend to talk about futures and foresight as analytical capabilities: the ability to scan signals, build scenarios, or anticipate change. But I’m increasingly convinced that one of the most important futures skills is something else entirely: collective...
by Suzanne Whitby | Sep 7, 2023 | Faciliating Futures, Notebook
Most futures work still treats imagination as something that happens in the head. But the brain doesn’t work that way. What neuroscience shows, and what experiential futures make tangible, is that imagination is embodied. We think with our whole nervous system, not...
by Suzanne Whitby | Aug 7, 2023 | Faciliating Futures, Notebook
One of the things I appreciate most about Questions Are the Answer is how strongly it links questioning to humility. Hal Gregersen suggests operating under the assumption that we don’t know things we need to know, and that this isn’t a weakness, but a strength. It...
by Suzanne Whitby | Jul 7, 2023 | Faciliating Futures, Notebook
We’re wired to treat uncertainty like a threat. Not metaphorically. Neurologically. Ambiguity scrambles our attention, tightens our thinking, and makes us reach for quick answers. But futures work isn’t about replacing uncertainty with certainty. It’s about building...
by Suzanne Whitby | Jun 7, 2023 | Faciliating Futures, Notebook
In futures work, hope is often misunderstood. It’s sometimes treated as optimism, a belief that things will turn out well. But in complex systems, that kind of hope rarely survives contact with reality. The kind of hope I’m interested in is different. It’s the...
by Suzanne Whitby | May 27, 2023 | Faciliating Futures, Notebook
Have you ever noticed how the most compelling facilitators, teachers, and change-makers all seem to be good storytellers? Not in a polished, performative way, but rather in a way that feels grounded and human. These people know how to tell their story. And they know...
