By: Lindsay Angelo, Futurist, Strategist, MBA, TEDx Speaker
Have a flare for decoding the future? Looking to build your foresight capabilities but wondering how to get there? In this article, we dive into the world of futurism — exploring the skills of professional futurists, how to become a futurist or foresight practitioner, and the importance of diversity in shaping a better future.
Let's dive in!
What is a Futurist?
A futurist is someone who eyes the future with innovation and change. They observe and analyze signals and trends all with the goal of informing plausible paths that may unfold into the future. Often synonymous with the term “visionary”, Futurists have an uncanny ability to see the unseen. They can look at the world around them and identify patterns beyond the status quo.
What Makes for a Great Futurist?
What distinguishes a futurist isn't just the ability to forecast; it's also a combination of strategic thinking, creativity, story-telling and a deep understanding of emerging trends.
Leadership skills are also a must in order to facilitate a compelling worldview.
For more tips on how to become a futurist, check out this article.
What do Futurists do?
For those aspiring to become professional futurists or foresight practitioners, understanding the pivotal role of futurists in professional settings is essential. You will chart unexplored paths, dimensions, and paradigms - all with the goal of making better decisions.
However your role extends far beyond mere prediction.
You'll also have the opportunity to:
Identify Industry Trends and Emerging Market Disruptors: You recognize and understand evolving industry trends and emerging disruptors in the market.
Assist in Strategic Planning: You contribute to strategic planning by identifying shifts on the horizon, ensuring organizations are well-prepared for what lies ahead.
Guide Innovation: You uncover emerging technologies and market shifts, providing valuable insights to guide innovation within organizations.
Inform Product and Service Development: Your foresight informs the development of products and services, aligning them with future market demands.
Deliver Custom Research & Thought Leadership: You engage in delivering bespoke research and thought leadership, offering unique perspectives on future trends and shifts.
Enhance Risk Management: By anticipating future challenges, you contribute to enhancing risk management strategies within organizations.
Shape Policies and Regulations: You play a role in shaping policies and regulations to address future challenges, ensuring a proactive approach to governance.
Deliver Keynotes on Future Trends & Shifts: You share your expertise through delivering keynotes on future trends and shifts, and delivering valuable insights to diverse audiences.
Interested in Earning your Futurist Stripes?
Becoming a Certified Futurist positions you amidst a booming field. In fact, we predict it to be the power skill of the next decade. Here are three distinctive approaches to entering the field of futures studies:
1. Traditional Academic Programs
Aspiring futurists have the option to pursue traditional academic programs in foresight studies, strategic planning, or other adjacent fields. Enrolling in a degree in Futures Studies can provide a structured theoretical foundation for those aiming to build a robust knowledge base.
2. DIY Learning
For those who prefer a flexible and self-paced learning journey, the do-it-yourself (DIY) approach is an option. Finding free content, courses and resources offer a self-led training ground. This avenue will allow you to delve into futurist concepts and futures theories at your own pace, catering to your specific areas of interest. You can also join Professional Associations if you're looking to tap into a like-minded community.
3. Futurist-in-50 Training Program
If you're looking for a step up from the DIY method, our Futurist-in-50 Days Accelerator delivers a step-by-step system for building your foresight skills.
It covers the following learning outcomes:
appreciating the critical role of foresight
discovering how to frame the future
identifying, distilling, and prioritizing trends
crafting compelling futures narratives
connecting foresight to strategic action
and mastering exercises in foresight, creativity, strategy and story-telling
Upon completing the program, you'll also earn a professional foresight certificate!
Diversity in the Field of Futurism
While the field of futurism is evolving, it's a field ripe for greater diversity. Addressing this gap is crucial to ensure a well-rounded global perspective of the future.
To encourage diversity in the field, in recent years, we've been illuminating futurists from all corners the earth.
You can find a list of some of the most prominent futurists here, and the world's most talented female futurists here.
Futurist-in-50-Days aims to provide even greater access to foresight tools with the hope of fuelling more diversity in the space.
Let Futurist-in-50 Days Support Your Certified Futurist Journey
Keen to embark on your certified futurist journey? Whether you’re a rookie or an expert, a corporate professional, a business leader or a Consultant, Futurist-in-50-Days offers early access to innovative content, insights and coaching from an award-winning Futurist.
Becoming a foresight practitioner and a futures thinker not only adds a Certificate of achievement to your arsenal but also positions you in a booming field.
The world is on fast forward - and foresight is the new currency.
Ready to coin yourself a Certified Futurist? Learn more about our Foresight Community here.
Want to hire a Futurist? Contact us here.
Read more on the Top Female Futurists, Top 30 Global Futurists, what a futurist is, how to become a futurist, the top futurists, best futuristic courses, certified futurists, futurist certification, strategic thinking, futurology, futurist jobs and on strategic foresight.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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A wide array of backgrounds can lend themselves to future studies—from Science to technology, to creative thinking fields, to cultural anthropology, to strategy and strategic planning. Because there are many tracks or niche specialties in the field of futures research, a variety of backgrounds can support the career. A degree in Futures Studies supports the career as well.
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See this blog for more information on what a Futurist is.
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We publish a list of top Futurists every year. Check out this link for the most successful futurists around the globe.
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Building foresight capacity can greatly benefit policy makers by enabling them to anticipate and prepare for future challenges and opportunities, including unforeseen events such as natural disasters. Foresight efforts can help policy and foresight professionals, in coordination with foresight units, adopt a more proactive approach. The Futurist-in-50 Days Accelerator will equip you with the advanced skills and practical training you need should you decide to enter the public policy arena.
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Futurist-in-50-Days is a virtual-based training program on how to become a futurist. Whether your knowledge of foresight is that of a beginner or expert, this program will open your eyes to new tools, methods and opportunities, forging a new generation of futures thinkers, foresight professionals and purpose-driven thought leaders. IN exciting news, Futurist-in-50-Days was recently featured by Business Insider - check the article out here!
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Yes, you learn the art of crafting future scenarios vis a vis scenario planning. You'll also learn skills in the realm of strategic thinking, creativity, and story-telling.
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Yes, you'll learn how to craft alternative futures, preferred futures and with any luck, brighter futures!
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Futurist-in-50 Days covers the mind set and skill sets required in futures thinking, common exercises used in futures work, how to identify, assess and prioritize trends, Futurist frameworks - and more. If you decide to foray into the field of futures studies, all these tools will greatly enhance your ability to anticipate future scenarios and future events to arrive at your very own preferred future.
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The growing complexity of the world, paired with rapid technological and societal change, has increased the demand for Futurists. Businesses and governments alike are turning to foresight professionals to navigate uncertain futures and uncover future opportunities. By employing essential foresight techniques, Futurists help organizations anticipate trends, mitigate risks, and stay competitive.
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Strategic planning and foresight go hand in hand. Foresight provides a forward-looking lens that enables strategic planning to account for long-term trends and uncertainties. Applied Foresight Accelerator programs such as Futurist-in-50-Days focus on teaching professionals how to weave foresight into strategy, equipping them with the tools to align future-focused insights with actionable plans.
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Futures Studies form a theoretical backbone of foresight practice. This interdisciplinary field combines methodologies from social sciences, economics, and technology to study and forecast potential future scenarios. By understanding the principles of Futures Studies, Futurists can craft strategies that respond to a variety of possible futures.
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Futurists use tools like scenario planning, trend analysis, and horizon scanning to tackle uncertain futures. These techniques enable them to explore multiple outcomes, helping organizations build resilience and adaptability in the face of rapid change.
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Embedding foresight into strategy ensures that organizations remain agile and future-ready. By understanding emerging trends and disruptions, leaders can make informed decisions that align with long-term goals while staying responsive to immediate challenges.
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Applied Foresight Accelerators are practical training programs such as Futurist-in-50-Days designed to teach essential foresight techniques. Participants gain hands-on experience in applying foresight to real-world challenges, making it a perfect fit for professionals aiming to leverage foresight in strategic planning.
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Foresight plays a critical role in helping organizations and individuals anticipate future challenges and opportunities. It provides the tools needed to design alternative futures, craft preferred futures, and ultimately make decisions that contribute to a brighter tomorrow.
About the author
Lindsay Angelo is the founder of Futurist-in-50-days, supporting impact-driven professionals, teams and organizations in learning to think and lead into the future. She's also a practicing and award-winning Futurist, Strategy consultant, MBA and TEDx speaker. She's advised Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, think tanks, and celebrities - all the while creating a nomadic lifestyle rooted in travel, family and community. Named a Woman to Watch and Global Innovation Leader, Lindsay's delivered over 100+ keynotes and has worked with organizations including lululemon, Unilever, the LEGO Group, Snapchat and the Human Potential Institute. Her experiences culminate in what she refers to as her sweet spot - where strategy, innovation and foresight intersect, where the rational meets the emotive, where facts meet insights and where logic meets creativity.
