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Futures Thinking and Creativity

Online Interactive or On-site in Copenhagen

Use the future to rethink the present

Escape dominant narratives about the future and embrace new possibilities for action in this Futures Literacy inspired course. Learn to envision futures, utilise creative friction, and leverage uncertainty as a resource through hands-on exercises and industry case studies.


UNESCO considers Futures Literacy as one of the most important leadership skills in the 21st century. As a part of CIFS efforts to democratise futures literacy, we are thrilled to offer a targeted futures literacy course hosted by the UNESCO Chair in Anticipatory Leadership and Futures Capabilities in collaboration with Hyper Island.

WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?

The course explores different building blocks for enhanced anticipation and emphasizes emergence in futures work. It is for anyone intrigued to learn from envisioning futures through dynamic exercises, creative friction, stretching conventional thinking beyond boundaries, and cultivating the cognitive agility to embracing uncertainty as a resource.

Note that this is not a course on creativity, but on how to use the future creatively.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES
  • check Futures Thinking & Foresight
  • check Divergent Thinking
  • check Systems Thinking
  • check Collective Intelligence
  • check Anticipatory Leadership
Futures Thinking
Futures Literacy
Diversity & Inclusion
Creativity
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Tyler Vanderwal

Got questions?

Book a call with Tyler.
I'm here to help find the best solution for you.

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15% discount for all courses!

Use the coupon before November 8th to receive an exclusive 15% discount for all courses.

We offer two types of format

Discover the flexibility of our course, available in two formats to suit your needs.

Do you prefer the convenience of learning from home?
Choose our on-line course and access training content wherever you are.

Or experience immersive and interactive on-site lessons, where you can collaborate directly with our experts and other professionals.

Whatever your choice, we guarantee an effective learning path designed to help you achieve your goals.

We offer two types of format

Online: 4 weeks with weekly 2-hour live sessions.
On-site: Intensive 2-day expert-led training.

Either way, you'll build the skills to succeed!

ONLINE

ONSITE

Get a Team discount

Speak to one of our Course Specialists to find out if you qualify for a special group price.

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What you will learn

The course structure is interactive and collaborative, supported by dialog, discussion, and individual reflection. Inspired by Futures Literacy concepts, the participants will engage in the following course themes:  

Futures Thinking and Futures Literacy expand_more expand_less

The participants get an introduction to the foundation of futures thinking and futures literacy.

Challenging Dominant Images of The Future expand_more expand_less

We explore and challenge current dominant images of the future. Where do these images come from, who envisions them, whose interests are being benefited from this future, who are excluded?

A Case About The Future expand_more expand_less

The participants will throughout the course work with a fictional case, exploring the future of a selected topic for a specific client.

Unfolding Alternative Futures expand_more expand_less

Participants will immerse themselves in imaginative, provocative, and alternative futures, unfolding three different versions futures.

Revealing Assumptions expand_more expand_less

Based on the participants alternative futures, they will uncover their assumptions and biases about the future. The participants will select one identified assumption they will continue working with.

Worlding The Future expand_more expand_less

With a starting point in participants' selected assumption, they will engage with tools from futures thinking and storytelling to speculate and create a future that presents an alternative future state of their assumption.

Questions About Today From The Future expand_more expand_less

Based on the participants’ future, they explore and uncover what new questions emerge about the present. What do they see know that they didn’t see before.

Prototyping For The Present expand_more expand_less

The participants harness their creativity to create a prototype for the present informed by the future, bringing their new insights back to today.  

Learning Outcomes

By the time you finish this course you should have acquired the following knowledge and skills, which you’ll be able to use right away in your work, or add to your resumé:

Using futures to inform the present:

Participants will develop the ability to anticipate, negotiate, and respond to emerging future scenarios, enabling them to raise new questions, proactively explore possibilities, and inform decision-making and strategic planning in the present.

Futures Literacy Fundamentals:

Demonstrate foundational understanding of futures thinking and futures literacy, including the ability to recognize and articulate how assumptions and biases shape our perceptions of what is possible.

Explore Alternative Futures:

Develop and explore alternative future through creative, collaborative processes to challenge existing assumptions and expand the range of potential futures.

Frameworks, Methods, and Tools:
  • The Polak Game (agency and outlook). 
  • Challenge Images of the future. 
  • The Causal Layered Analysis (a tool for systems thinking, myths and metaphors). 
  • Revealing Assumptions.
  • Prototyping.
  • Storytelling.
  • Futures Informed Ideation.
  • Journaling/Reflection.

Meet your Course Leaders

Get to know the experts guiding your journey to success.

Nick Larsen CIFS
Nicklas Larsen

Nicklas is a Facilitator, Keynote Speaker and Board Member at the Copenhagen Institute of Futures Studies. He is also the current UNESCO Co-Chair in Anticipatory Leadership & Futures Capabilities, and holds a Faculty Position within Strategic Design and Management at the Parsons School of Design. Nicklas works to cultivate anticipatory capabilities for individuals and organisations through futures and foresight, and has practiced large scale strategic foresight and thought leadership projects for almost a decade. He speaks, writes, teaches, and advises on futures thinking with an aspiration to democratise futures literacy through arts, culture, and education.

Lovisa Volmarsson CIFS
Lovisa Volmarsson

Lovisa is a graduated architect from the Royal Danish Academy and has worked as a facilitator & advisor with the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies since 2021. She engages in futures studies and foresight through explorative, speculative, and critical practices, and her work often lies at the intersection of research, storytelling, and futures literacy. She has been involved in futures and foresight projects mainly focusing on the future of urbanism, architecture, and design. Lovisa is always dedicated to democratize futures thinking through participation and to challenge current imaginaries about the future, to explore how futures can act as an aid for the imagination in various design practices and methods.

Thomas Reibke
Thomas Reibke

Thomas is an experienced and awarded organizational consultant and change facilitator, who works from a holistic perspective, and bases his work on establishing frameworks that support groups and individuals to learn and grow collectively. He has worked with teams and leaders, to increase their innovative capacities, and lead organizational transformation processes. Companies and organizations with whom Thomas has facilitated transformation programmes include Unilever, IKEA, Adidas, Google, Target, Swedbank, General Mills, Wyden&Kennedy, BBDO, DDB etc. Thomas is a graduated Kaospilot and holds an MA in Cultural and Creative Leadership from University of Portsmouth UK.

Receive and Share Your Certificate

You’ll receive a Professional Certificate via the Certifier platform within 1-2 weeks after completing the course.

Certificates are configured for uploading and sharing on LinkedIn or downloading as PDF.

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What the say

Discover what our former students say about their experience.

Anne Verdaasdonk - Course participants

 “It was very hands on, with many tools you can immediately start applying in your workplace. I valued the opportunity to discuss day-to-day situations with the community. Having had the time to work with the learnings for a few months after I finished the course, both the learnings and tools are enabling better teamwork for our team.”


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Anne Verdaasdonk

Senior Digital Producer at Etcetera
Domenico Dargenio - Course participant

"I found the course to be highly experiential. I enjoyed the design of the journey, which was emotional and built on deep connections. It exceeded my expectations in every way, particularly as I didn’t know much about Hyper Island prior to joining. My experience helped to ‘validate’ the course/product for me and I was positively surprised."

 

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Domenico Dargenio

Consultant at Dardo Consulting
Nina Enroth - Course Participant

"Before taking the course I had been interested in the subject and studied bits and pieces here and there, so it was luxurious to be able to just enjoy the ride and suck in all the information. Most of what I learned I use at work daily. The course was an awesome experience for me."

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Nina Enroth

Account Director and Change Consultant at Ellun Kanat
Liam James - Course participant

"Each chapter of the course was crafted in a very purposeful way. Going into this with a growth mindset was key because it allowed me to be totally open to new ideas and approaches. Regardless of how much experience another course member had, there seemed to always be something to learn from each other."

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Liam James

Copywriter, Voice Over Artist & Storytelling Strategist

Trusted by leading brands

Companies from all over the world partner with Hyper Island in order to equip their leaders to drive meaningful change.

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The Hyper Island Way™

Hyper Island creates learning experiences for individuals and organizations that helps them shape the future.
This is what we call The Hyper Island Way™.

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LEARN BY DOING

Build, create and experiment by creating opportunities to get hands on with the underpinnings of what’s driving change in business.

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FEEDBACK & DIALOGUE

Providing the essential communication techniques to realize inclusion and empathy for others through active listening, feedback and effective dialogue.

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GROUP DYNAMICS

Experiences rooted in the foundational tools, theory and models around group dynamics and team development such as IMGD (Integrated Model of Group Development).

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REFLECTION HABITS

Developing critical reflection habits for individuals and teams provides opportunity to amplify experience and outcomes.

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