by Suzanne Whitby | Jan 17, 2025 | Export, Short reflections
We often approach the future by looking forward: imagining scenarios, mapping trends, projecting change. But sometimes, a future becomes more accessible when we approach it from the other direction. I’ve been thinking about the idea of an annual review, not as a list...
by Suzanne Whitby | Jan 5, 2025 | Export, Short reflections
I’m back to thinking about Miti Desai’s essay, “An Indigenous Pedagogy in Contemporary Times: My experience with the gurukul system of training”. In the Gurukul system, learning happens through proximity, repetition, observation, and relationship, as . Not through...
by Suzanne Whitby | Dec 17, 2024 | Export, Short reflections
My last reflection for 2024. I’ve seen futures processes fail, not because the scenarios were weak, but because the facilitation was. Some common anti-patterns that I’ve noticed include: Scenario-as-performance Scenarios are presented to people, not worked with...
by Suzanne Whitby | Nov 17, 2024 | Export, Short reflections
Movement is often treated as a break from thinking. But research shows that movement is a form of thinking and meaning-making. Our brains evolved in motion, solving problems while walking, navigating, scanning, and responding together. When we sit people still and ask...
by Suzanne Whitby | Oct 17, 2024 | Export, Short reflections
Most futures sessions involve people sitting still, listening for long stretches, trying to imagine radical change through abstract language and bullet points. Which is odd, because our brains didn’t evolve for that at all. John Medina’s Brain Rules makes this clear:...
by Suzanne Whitby | Sep 17, 2024 | Export, Short reflections
Psychological safety is often talked about as if it were a mood. Let’s create a space with good vibes, a warm and welcoming energy where people can feel “comfortable”. But in futures work, I believe that psychological safety is structural. If people don’t feel safe to...
