Library of facilitation techniques

This creative method invites participants to bring a possible future to life by designing or imagining a tangible object from that world. In the same way that we have historical artefacts from the past, this exercise is all about creating a tangible “artefact from the future.” It’s a way to make abstract scenarios feel real, prompting empathy, engagement, and grounded conversation.

Artefacts from the future can be run in a 2D or 3D approach.

When adopting the 3D approach, this method shifts participants into a making mindset. This engages their analytical thinking as well as intuition, improvisation, and embodied creativity. This helps surface insights that might not emerge through discussion or writing alone.

Developed by futurist Sohail Inayatullah, CLA is a cornerstone of critical futures thinking. It’s designed to support more inclusive, layered conversations by opening up not just what might happen, but why we imagine it that way.

A short activity to help participants get to know each other and themselves better by quickly stripping away the default identities we carry.

Seeds begin to shape what emerges during a time of silence and reflection. Seeds are small personal notations, but they hold the potential for deep change. This practice is especially useful after a process of Guided Journaling as a way of identifying what resonated most strongly from the “field of the future.”

Player 1 initiates with object work.  Player 2 joins the scene by doing object work that someone might also be doing in that environment.  

The participant will try to act like Abraham Lincoln and pronounce loudly and clearly as if he was in a wide open area.

This activity invites participants to look for weak signals, which are early signs of change that may shape the future. It helps build awareness of emerging trends, stimulates curiosity and encourages participants to notice what’s happening at the edges of the present.

Attività di brainstorming che utilizza le immagini come stimolo al pensiero. Prevede una buona capacità di astrazione da parte dei partecipanti e la disponibilità a mettersi in gioco.