Future Search

Future Search is a planning meeting that aims to help people transform their capability for action very quickly. The meeting is task-focused. It is structured to bring together 60 to 80 people in one room or hundreds in parallel rooms.

Future Search brings people from all walks of life into the same conversation - those with resources, expertise, formal authority and need. They meet for 16 hours spread across three days. People tell stories about their past, present and desired future. Through dialogue they discover their common ground. Only then do they make concrete action plans.

The meeting design comes from theories and principles tested by the Future Search Network in many cultures for the past 50 years. It relies on mutual learning among stakeholders as a catalyst for voluntary action and follow-up.

Future Searches have been run in every part of the world and sector of society.

Future Search Methodology
The process is usually four or five sessions each lasting 1/2 day and includes the following steps:

1. Focus on the Past
   People make time lines of key events in the world, their own lives, and in the history of the future search topic. Small groups tell stories about each time line and the implications of their stories for the work they have come to do.
2. Focus on Present, External Trends
   The whole group makes a "mind map" of trends affecting them now and identifies those trends most important for their topic.
3. Focus on Present, External Trends
   Stakeholder groups describe what they are doing now about key trends and what they want to do in the future.
4. Focus on Present
   Stakeholder groups report what they are proud of and sorry about in the way they are dealing with the future search topic.
5. Ideal Future Scenarios
   Diverse groups put themselves into the future and describe their preferred future as if it has already been accomplished.
6. Identify Common Ground
   Diverse Groups post themes they believe are common ground for everyone.
7. Confirm Common Ground
   Whole group dialogues to agree on common ground.
8. Action Planning
   Volunteers sign up to implement action plans.