Strategic Foresight Masterclass Series

Trusted & Proven

• 5th Edition — running and refined since 2023
• Participants from 15+ countries
• 10 hours of live, interactive instruction
• Certificate of Completion

Outcomes

What you will achieve

You don't leave with notes. You leave with a deliverable.

By the final session you will have built a practical foresight asset you can reuse inside your organization — and the confidence to run the method again on your own.

A Scanning Dashboard

The key drivers of change for your chosen domain — mapped, categorized, and ready to brief to your team.

Scenario Narratives

Your critical uncertainties translated into distinct, plausible scenario logics and stories that make the future tangible for decision-makers.

A Strategic Roadmap

A first set of strategic options and an initial Three Horizons roadmap — the bridge from "interesting" to "actionable."

Audience

Who this program is for

Built for professionals who need a practical foresight capability they can apply immediately — not abstract theory.

• Strategy & transformation leaders — stress-test strategy under uncertainty and build options that hold up across multiple futures.
• Innovation, product & R&D leaders — detect disruption early and shape the opportunity spaces before competitors see them.
• Public sector & policy professionals — strengthen anticipatory governance and design policy that's robust to surprise.
• Consultants, facilitators & analysts — upgrade your methods, templates, and client-ready deliverables.
• Researchers & educators — apply structured frameworks for exploration, synthesis, and sensemaking.

No prior experience required. The program starts with foundations and progresses to hands-on application — you'll be productive from session one.

The Workflow

Scanning, Sensing & Acting (SSA™)

One end-to-end workflow that connects intelligence to decisions. Most foresight stalls because scanning never reaches strategy. SSA™ is the repeatable process that closes that gap — applicable to strategy cycles, innovation initiatives, and policy design alike.

• 1 — Strategic Focus & Time Horizon
• 2 — Scanning: signals, trends, discontinuities, drivers of change
• 3 — Sensing: sensemaking, patterns, critical uncertainties
• 4 — Scenarios: building multiple plausible futures
• 5 — Acting: options, initiatives, and a roadmap

Curriculum

Masterclass Sessions

Five 2-hour live sessions • 10 hours total • Thursdays, 1–29 October 2026 • 12:00–14:00 London

1. Strategic Foresight Foundations (2h · Thu 1 Oct)

Start your futures journey by uncovering the building blocks of strategic foresight. Explore how foresight weaves together science, art, and practical application to support better decisions today.

You'll leave able to: explain what foresight is (and isn't), and frame a strategic question worth exploring.

• Foresight - Between Science, Art, and Practice — Understand the interdisciplinary nature of foresight and how it merges research, creativity, and strategic thinking.
• Assumptions and Principles of Foresight — Learn to question default assumptions and build a forward-looking perspective.
• Defining Strategic Foresight — Clarify the fundamentals of foresight and how it applies in different organizational contexts.
• Mastering the Skills and Mindset of a Futurist — Explore the critical skills—curiosity, open-mindedness, systems thinking—required to excel in futures work.
• Foresight Needs Strategy, Innovation, and an Entrepreneurial Mindset — Understand how combining foresight with strategic planning and entrepreneurial creativity can drive sustainable growth.
• The New Era of Foresight — Delve into emerging tools and approaches from Generative AI to Speculative Design & Design Fiction.

2. Key Concepts & Frameworks (2h · Thu 8 Oct)

Go deeper into the core components and structures that underpin foresight. From megatrends to managing uncertainty, learn to systematically track and interpret signals of change.

You'll leave able to: distinguish trends, signals, and uncertainties — and know which to act on.

• Strategic Focus — Determine where to concentrate your attention for future-oriented planning.
• Time Horizon — Decide the optimal timeline for strategic analysis—short, medium, or long-term.
• Megatrends — Explore large-scale forces reshaping societies, economies, and industries.
• Trends — Learn to spot and monitor evolving market, societal, and technological trends.
• Weak Signals / Early Warnings — Gain methods for detecting subtle indicators of disruption before they become mainstream.
• Wild Cards & Black Swans — Understand low-probability, high-impact events and how to account for them in strategic planning.
• Risks and Critical Uncertainties — Evaluate uncertainties and risks that could alter your organization's path.
• Scanning, Sensing & Acting Framework — Our proprietary framework—a mindset for nurturing agility, fostering continuous learning, and thriving in uncertainty.

3. Mapping Methods & Tools (2h · Thu 15 Oct)

Equip yourself with a powerful toolkit that brings foresight to life. Learn hands-on methods to map and anticipate emerging trends, signals, and scenarios.

You'll leave able to: populate your own scanning dashboard with structured, categorized drivers of change.

• Creative Techniques & Ideation — Harness brainstorming and other creative tools to unlock fresh perspectives on possible futures.
• Environmental Scanning & Horizon Scanning — Systematically track external signals and developments to stay ahead of industry shifts.
• Futures Wheel — Visualize the cascading impacts of emerging trends and events.
• Stakeholder Analysis — Identify and understand the roles, interests, and influences of key players in your ecosystem.
• Causal Layered Analysis — Reveal underlying narratives and assumptions to spark deeper insights.
• Scenario Planning — Learn to create multiple, plausible futures to better manage uncertainty.
• Three Horizons Framework — Structure your innovation and transformation strategies across short-, mid-, and long-term perspectives.
• Strategic Radars & Roadmaps — Build continuous intelligence systems that align day-to-day actions with long-range goals.

4. Scenario Planning: Building Multiple Futures (2h · Thu 22 Oct)

Build and refine your command of scenario methodologies. Learn to spot emerging opportunities and prepare for discontinuities through structured, compelling narratives.

You'll leave able to: turn two critical uncertainties into a coherent set of scenario narratives.

• What are Scenarios — Define scenarios as structured yet creative narratives about alternative futures.
• Why, When, and How to Use Scenarios — Discover ideal contexts and timing for scenario planning, and best practices for execution.
• Building Scenarios from Critical Uncertainties — Identify major unknowns that could reshape your industry or market.
• Scenarios as Stories and Narratives — Create compelling scenario narratives that make complex possibilities relatable.
• Linking Strategy, Vision, and Scenarios — Integrate scenario insights directly into your broader strategic roadmap.
• Scenarios in Action: Use Cases — Learn from real-world examples and success stories where scenario thinking drove innovation.

5. Scenario Planning Lab: From Anticipation to Action (2h · Thu 29 Oct · Hands-on Lab)

Apply the proprietary Scanning, Sensing & Acting™ framework in a guided project — and use ORION.AI to accelerate the scanning and analysis.

You'll leave able to: translate scenarios into strategic options and a first Three Horizons roadmap.

• Strategic Focus & Time Horizon — Define the boundaries and timeframe for your foresight project.
• Building the Scanning Dashboard — Identify Megatrends, Trends, Weak Signals, Wildcards, and Critical Uncertainties.
• Designing a Scenario Planning Project — Structure a fit-for-purpose scenario planning approach for your context.
• From Anticipation to Action — Explore strategic options, co-create a future vision, and redesign policies.
• Using ORION.AI — Streamline scanning and analysis by automatically categorizing and making sense of driving forces, insights, and signals of change.
• Initial Roadmap Development — Jump-start innovation initiatives with an actionable implementation plan.

Distinctive

What makes this program distinctive

• Live, interactive delivery — Real-time sessions with Q&A and direct facilitator feedback, not pre-recorded video.
• The complete SSA™ workflow — An end-to-end process that actually connects intelligence to decisions.
• Reusable assets — Recordings, slide decks, templates, and structured outputs you keep and reuse.
• Designed for application — You build a deliverable you can use, not just content to consume.
• AI-accelerated — Work hands-on with ORION.AI to compress scanning and synthesis from weeks to hours.

Enroll

Enrollment options

Choose the option that best fits your goals

Early Rate — 20% Off. Applied automatically at checkout — no code needed. Ends 15 August 2026.

Core

For participants who want the full live learning experience and a professional starter toolkit.

• 5 live sessions (10 hours total)
• Slide decks + templates pack
• Session recordings (available after each session)
• Curated reading list and resources
• Certificate of completion

PRO — Studio Year (Recommended)

For professionals who want continuity and acceleration: the full masterclass plus a full year of foresight practice.

🎁 Headline bonus: a full 12-month Futures.360 subscription — included, no further costs. Every PRO seat comes with a complete year inside Futures.360, our foresight practice & learning studio: the 8-module Playbook, a 200+ slide Master Deck, 29 interactive templates, guided practice, and expert-led video walkthroughs. The full 12 months are included in the €350 PRO price — nothing more to pay, no add-ons, no recurring charge for the year. It's the difference between learning the method once and practising it all year.

Everything in Core, plus:

• Futures.360 — 12 months included, no further costs — guided learning paths, the full template library, the Master Deck, and all studio updates for a full year, with nothing more to pay
• ORION Pro access (3 months) — the AI scanning and synthesis workflow to accelerate your deliverables
• 1:1 mentoring session — personalized guidance on applying foresight to your own context

Frequently asked questions

Do I need previous experience in foresight?

No. The program starts with foundations and builds step by step. Complete beginners and experienced practitioners both leave with a usable deliverable.

Is this about predicting the future?

No. Foresight isn't prediction — it's the disciplined exploration of multiple plausible futures so you can make better decisions today and build strategy that's robust to surprise.

What are the dates and times?

Five Thursdays — 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October 2026 — from 12:00 to 14:00 London time. Each session is 2 hours, 10 hours total. (Note: UK clocks change on 25 October; non-UK participants should re-check their local time for the final session.)

How much time is required outside the sessions?

Plan for around 1 hour of light application between sessions if you want to build your own deliverable as you go. Everything is reusable, so the time compounds into a finished asset.

Will I miss anything if I can't attend live?

Every session is recorded and shared afterwards, so you can catch up — though the live Q&A and feedback are where much of the value lands.

Can I use the templates in my work?

Yes. The slide decks and templates are yours to reuse on real projects. PRO members get the full Futures.360 template library for a year.

What's the difference between Core and PRO?

Core is the complete live masterclass plus a starter toolkit. PRO adds a full 12-month Futures.360 subscription — included in the price, with no further costs — plus 3 months of ORION Pro and a 1:1 mentoring session — built for people who want to keep practising after the course ends.

Do you offer team or in-company editions?

Yes. We run private cohorts and tailored in-company programs. Get in touch to discuss.

Facilitator

About the facilitator

Paulo Soeiro de Carvalho

Founder, IF Insight & Foresight

Paulo is a professor and researcher in Foresight, Strategy & Innovation. With more than 25 years of experience, he has supported public and private institutions in applying futures thinking to strategy development, transformation, and innovation.

Connect on LinkedIn

Ready to Enroll?

Ready to enroll?

Choose the option that best fits your goals and start building your foresight capability this October.

Enroll — Core

Go PRO — Studio Year

Have questions? Get in touch →