Futures Thinking
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Futures Thinking
This course is part of Strategic Thinking for Everyone Specialization
Instructor: CareerCatalyst
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There are 6 modules in this course
You can’t always know what’s coming, but you can imagine it. You have the ability to embrace new ideas and stay hopeful about the future. That’s what futures thinking is all about. By exiting your default frame and asking the right questions, you can start to imagine new scenarios and use those to inform your decisions. For anyone trying to think ahead and act strategically, this kind of thinking is a must.
With the expertise of Dr. Timiebi Aganaba from the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society, the Futures Thinking course will put the tools, knowledge and strategies for imagining possible futures directly into your hands. You’ll learn the fundamentals and get acquainted with your futures thinking toolkit. Then, you’ll directly apply them in hands-on scenarios. Relying on your usual framework will not produce every possible future. Instead, you need to open your mind and remain hopeful. You also need to learn which questions to ask. By the end of your process, you should be able to exit your usual frame of mind and imagine new scenarios that you can plan for — skills that anyone can learn and apply anywhere. Jump-start your futures thinking journey today!
What's included
1 reading2 plugins
1 reading•Total 5 minutes
- Welcome to Futures Thinking!•5 minutes
2 plugins•Total 7 minutes
- Introduction to Futures Thinking!•2 minutes
- Story: Bigger questions for Vitória•5 minutes
What's included
3 readings1 peer review1 discussion prompt3 plugins
3 readings•Total 13 minutes
- Practice the solution: Mental exercises to open your mind•1 minute
- Infographic: The forms a frame can take•10 minutes
- Opening your mind: Key Takeaways•2 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
- Apply the solution: Simplify an issue•60 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Reflect on the solution: Imagining the future with a frame•10 minutes
3 plugins•Total 24 minutes
- Imagining the future with a frame: Causes and resources•3 minutes
- Imagining the future with a frame: Escaping your frame of thinking•6 minutes
- Practice the solution: Mental exercises to open your mind•15 minutes
What's included
3 readings1 peer review1 discussion prompt3 plugins
3 readings•Total 13 minutes
- Practice the solution: Blind spots in core questions•1 minute
- Infographic: Question Productivity Index•10 minutes
- Improving your questions: Key Takeaways•2 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
- Apply the solution: Evaluate your question•60 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Reflect on the solution: Asking the right questions•10 minutes
3 plugins•Total 22 minutes
- Asking the right questions: Causes and resources•3 minutes
- Asking the right questions: Evaluating questions for quality•4 minutes
- Practice the solution: Blind spots in core questions•15 minutes
What's included
2 readings1 peer review1 discussion prompt3 plugins
2 readings•Total 12 minutes
- Infographic: Brainstorming•10 minutes
- Thinking of the future: Key Takeaways•2 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
- Apply the solution: Building a scenario•60 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Reflect on the solution: Harnessing imagination in scenarios•10 minutes
3 plugins•Total 21 minutes
- Harnessing imagination in scenarios: Causes and resources•2 minutes
- Harnessing imagination in scenarios: Building a possible scenario•4 minutes
- Practice the solution: Helpful scenarios and rational responses•15 minutes
What's included
3 readings1 peer review1 discussion prompt3 plugins
3 readings•Total 13 minutes
- Practice the solution: Controlling Vee’s fear of the future•1 minute
- Infographic: Use a futures triangle•10 minutes
- Don’t fear the future: Key Takeaways•2 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
- Apply the solution: Regaining power over the future•60 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Reflect on the solution: Regaining power over the future•10 minutes
3 plugins•Total 20 minutes
- Regaining power over the future: Causes and resources•2 minutes
- Regaining power over the future: Controlling your fear of the future•3 minutes
- Practice the solution: Controlling Vee’s fear of the future•15 minutes
What's included
1 reading1 plugin
1 reading•Total 1 minute
- Final Thoughts•1 minute
1 plugin•Total 2 minutes
- Final Thoughts•2 minutes
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Arizona State University
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Institute for the Future
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Institute for the Future
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Reviewed on Feb 16, 2025
Good course. It's short but very powerful. My only complaint is regarding the exercises' instructions, they weren't very clear to me.
Reviewed on Sep 11, 2024
This course is very helpful and useful for my job. Very nice.
Reviewed on Jan 28, 2024
Thanks for your wonderful, powerful and effective course!
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