IFTF Foresight Essentials
IFTF Foresight Essentials
IFTF Foresight Essentials is a one-of-a-kind course designed to help individuals and organizations develop their skills in the art and science of foresight. As a participant, you’ll learn to filter information to determine its usefulness; transform urgent foresight into actionable insights; disrupt short-termism; and develop and test your own experiments in future-making. Upon completion, you’ll receive a certification as a foresight practitioner and join a network of like-minded specialists committed to promoting and supporting futures thinking across the globe.
You’ll learn to
- Identify and analyze signals of change
- Leverage hindsight to discover patterns of innovation—and disruption
- Build a "foresight mindset" for your own futures thinking
- Design futures projects that lead to actionable insights
The course includes
- Immersive, content-rich, multi-session instruction facilitated by senior IFTF research staff
- A proprietary IFTF Foresight Essentials Toolkit with 22 specialized tools and accessories built on 50+ years of proven futures research and methodologies
- Video lectures on the foresight fundamentals
- Exercise templates for you to use in your own professional foresight practice
- Presenter slides including key takeaways and learnings
- Digital training materials with convenient access in a central repository
- Personal access to instructors during dedicated office hours
- Networking and collaboration opportunities with participants from a wide range of professions, sectors, and industries around the world
- A Certificate of Completion demonstrating your accomplishment to share with potential employers or clients
- A personalized, strategic Foresight-Insight-Action plan to guide your new, purposeful journey as a foresight practitioner
- Membership into the growing IFTF Foresight Essentials alumni community—an exclusive learning network that supports your development as a foresight practitioner beyond the confines of the course
Who should attend
IFTF Foresight Essentials is for people and teams ready to build their foresight capacity. Attendees come from the public and private sector, often from the disciplines of innovation, strategy, design, research, education, engineering, technology, planning, operations, HR, and organizational change.
Format
The time commitment for this course includes:
- 20+ hours of live instruction over 6 structured sessions organized within IFTF’s Prepare-Foresight-Insight-Action framework
- 2 hours of assignments to be completed independently between each session, including a mix of self-paced videos to watch, solo work, or buddy work
- Optional 1-on-1 “Office Hour” time with a faculty member
- Optional “Sip & Chat” social hours to get to know your fellow participants
Technologies Used
- Zoom: This video conferencing platform will be our primary virtual tool to hold all our live online training sessions and optional social gatherings. Please ensure you have a stable enough internet connection to join us by video.
- Miro: This online workspace is where we'll capture the entire visual narrative of our learning and where you'll collaborate with colleagues and work independently on futures exercises. We strongly recommend you familiarize yourself with Miro before the training begins.
- IFTF Foresight Essentials home base: This easy-to-use online learning platform designed specifically for IFTF Foresight Essentials courses will serve as the training's home base. It will hold your agenda, training materials, prework instructions, instructional videos, session recordings, presentation slides, and more.
Agenda
Session 1: Orientation (1.5 hours)
In our kickoff gathering, we spend time framing our upcoming learning journey and getting to know others in the course.
Session 2: Prepare (4 hours)
Building on the pre-work videos that explored the fundamentals of foresight, session two focuses on how to prepare your evidence, frame futures questions, and open your mind for futures work. Through small group work and whole group discussion, we’ll get to know each other and orient ourselves toward the basic skills and practices of strategic foresight.
Session 3: Foresight (4 hours)
In session three we begin developing our own foresight and forecasts—“statements about the future that provoke insight in the present.” We explore a wide range of foresight approaches and practice the ability to analyze futures evidence. Through upbeat peer-to-peer interactions and group discussions, we focus on how to integrate these tools and processes into our day to day practice.
Session 4: Foresight to Insight (4 hours)
Session four continues our work with foresight tools, as well as the transition from Foresight to Insight—the “aha moment” when you draw meaningful connections between an outside-in view of the future and the work that you’re doing today. Insight tools include mapping the implications of foresight on various stakeholder groups or impact domains, and identifying waves of change.
Session 5: Insight to Action (4 hours)
In our final tool-based session, we discuss tools and processes for moving from Insight to Action. After all, the purpose of doing strategic foresight is to take different action in the present. In addition we cover instructions, tools, and guidance for our capstone activity—an action plan for how you will weave the methodologies you have learned into a project that is meaningful to you. Participants can use the original project they had in mind or develop something entirely new.
Office Hours (25 mins, varying time slots)
As participants work through their project planning, IFTF veterans will make themselves available to participants for 1-on-1 office hours and guidance sessions.
Session 6: Building Your Foresight Practice (4 hours)
We start our final session with an exercise that is consistently ranked as a highlight of the training session—peer feedback on action plans. In small groups, facilitated by IFTF faculty, participants share their plans, challenges, and questions. We gain insight into alternative ways to implement the tools and thoughtful commentary from peers and IFTF. And we participate in the final rite of the program—graduation—knowing that the community will continue to be a resource moving forward.
Dates
IFTF Foresight Essentials is offered for every time zone around the world, and in your choice of a 3-week, 4-week, or 6-week format.
*Please note that participants should plan to complete approximately 2 hours of independent assignments between each session and should schedule time on their calendars accordingly.
APRIL 7—MAY 7, 2021 | 6 weeks | Online
Optimized for U.S., Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America
Session 1: Wed, Apr 7 | 8-9:30am PDT | 11am-12:30pm EDT | 3-4:30pm UTC
Session 2: Wed, Apr 14 | 8am-12pm PDT | 11am-3pm EDT | 3-7pm UTC
Session 3: Wed, Apr 21 | 8am-12pm PDT | 11am-3pm EDT | 3-7pm UTC
Session 4: Wed, Apr 28 | 8am-12pm PDT | 11am-3pm EDT | 3-7pm UTC
Session 5: Wed, May 5 | 8am-12pm PDT | 11am-3pm EDT | 3-7pm UTC
Office Hours: Thu, May 6 | Varying time slots
Session 6: Fri, May 7 | 8am-12pm PDT | 11am-3pm EDT | 4-8pm UTC
MAY 25—JUNE 17, 2021 | 4 weeks | Online
Optimized for U.S., Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America
Session 1: Tue, May 25 | 8-9:30am PDT | 11am-12:30pm EDT | 3-4:30pm UTC
Session 2: Tue, Jun 1 | 8am-12pm PDT | 11am-3pm EDT | 3-7pm UTC
Session 3: Thu, Jun 3 | 8am-12pm PDT | 11am-3pm EDT | 3-7pm UTC
Session 4: Tue, Jun 8 | 8am-12pm PDT | 11am-3pm EDT | 3-7pm UTC
Session 5: Thu, Jun 10 | 8am-12pm PDT | 11am-3pm EDT | 3-7pm UTC
Office Hours: Tue, Jun 15 | Varying time slots
Session 6: Thu, Jun 17 | 8am-12pm PDT | 11am-3pm EDT | 3-7pm UTC
JULY 13—AUGUST 5, 2021 | 4 weeks | Online
Optimized for U.S. West, Asia, Australia, New Zealand
Session 1: Tue, Jul 13 | 5-6:30pm PDT • Wed, Jul 14 | 10-11:30am AEST | 8-9:30am CST/HKT/SGT
Session 2: Tue, Jul 20 | 5-9pm PDT • Wed, Jul 21 | 10am-2pm AEST | 8am-12pm CST/HKT/SGT
Session 3: Thu, Jul 22 | 5-9pm PDT • Fri, Jul 23 | 10am-2pm AEST | 8am-12pm CST/HKT/SGT
Session 4: Tue, Jul 27 | 5-9pm PDT • Wed, Jul 28 | 10am-2pm AEST | 8am-12pm CST/HKT/SGT
Session 5: Thu, Jul 29 | 5-9pm PDT • Fri, Jul 30 | 10am-2pm AEST | 8am-12pm CST/HKT/SGT
Office Hours: Tue, Aug 3 • Wed, Aug 4 Varying time slots
Session 6: Thu, Aug 5 | 5-9pm PDT • Fri, Aug 6 | 10am-2pm AEST | 8am-12pm CST/HKT/SGT
OCTOBER 6—NOVEMBER 10, 2021 | 6 weeks | Online
Optimized for U.S. East, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America
Session 1: Wed, Oct 6 | 8-9:30am EDT | 12-1:30pm UTC
Session 2: Wed, Oct 13 | 8am-12pm EDT | 12-4pm UTC
Session 3: Wed, Oct 20 | 8am-12pm EDT | 12-4pm UTC
Session 4: Wed, Oct 27 | 8am-12pm EDT | 12-4pm UTC
Session 5: Wed, Nov 3 | 8am-12pm EDT | 12-4pm UTC
Office Hours: Fri, Nov 5 and Mon, Nov 8 | Varying time slots
Session 6: Wed, Nov 10 | 8am-12pm EST | 1-5pm UTC
NOVEMBER 30—DECEMBER 14, 2021 | 3-week intensive | Online
Optimized for U.S., Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America
Session 1: Tue, Nov 30 | 8-9:30am PST | 11am-12:30pm EST | 4-5:30pm UTC
Session 2: Tue, Dec 7 | 8am-12pm PST | 11am-3pm EST | 4-8pm UTC
Session 3: Wed, Dec 8 | 8am-12pm PST | 11am-3pm EST | 4-8pm UTC
Session 4: Thu, Dec 9 | 8am-12pm PST | 11am-3pm EST | 4-8pm UTC
Session 5: Fri, Dec 10 | 8am-12pm PST | 11am-3pm EST | 4-8pm UTC
Office Hours: Mon, Dec 13 | Varying time slots
Session 6: Tue, Dec 14 | 8am-12pm PST | 11am-3pm EST | 4-8pm UTC
Registration Fee:
- $6,500 Standard
- $6,000 Standard early-bird
- $4,500 Nonprofit/education/government*
- $4,000 Nonprofit/education/government early-bird*
Email register@iftf.org to verify your organization's eligibility, or to inquire about the IFTF Vantage partner discount.
SEE ADDITIONAL REGISTRATION POLICIES >>
To Register
Space is limited. Register early to secure your seat and to take advantage of the early-bird discount (60 days prior to a training).
To sign up, email register@iftf.org with your:
- Name
- Job Title
- Organization
- Email address
- Mailing address
- How you heard about IFTF Foresight Essentials
- Preferred Training Dates
- Preferred Payment Method (credit card, wire transfer, check)
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Contact
For additional questions, please contact Cindy Baskin at cbaskin@iftf.org.
IFTF Foresight Toolkit + Templates Usage
As a research and educational organization, Institute for the Future’s mission is to build more foresight capacity in the world by providing tools and resources to help people better anticipate the future to make decisions in the present. To this end the IFTF Foresight Studio Toolkit and Templates are held under an IFTF copyright and licensed under the Creative Commons 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). If you are a certified IFTF Foresight Practitioner, we encourage the reproduction and use of these tools within your organization(s) and in your own practice of foresight education for any non-commercial, attribution-only, non-derivative use.