The future holds many possibilities — some in concert, and others in tension with each other. Seeing different versions of the future enables us to see a varying degree of possible futures, surfacing a wider range of possibility and reminding us all that one person’s preferred future might be another person’s worst nightmare.
Seeing in Multiples allows us to get comfortable with plurality and ambiguity, resisting the urge to see things in just “one right way.” We actively invite and value different types of knowledge, lived experiences, and ideas.
We seek generative questions to explore, and value the curiosity to probe even deeper. We recognize that there is no expertise about the future, as the future holds no facts, assessments or measurable track record. Instead, we practice holding two truths in harmony and in tension, and honor the full range within the edges. Seeing in Multiples not only helps us seek out different perspectives and ways of looking at complex problems, but it also helps imagine a wider range of how the future might play out.
How can we use imagination, flexibility, and diverse perspectives to ensure that we’re looking beyond our plausible or preferred futures, but a fuller range of possible futures?
Explore insights and value gained from tensions of competing thoughts from creating “Vent Diagrams”, a practice of naming, drawing and exploring with tensions created by educators E.M. Markovitz, Rachel Schragis. Use the Futures Implications Wheel to explore unintended consequences of an emerging technology or trend.
Host debates of the future. What are utopian and dystopian visions of what might unfold 20 years from now around emerging technologies and trends?
Consider a scenario planning activity for your next strategic planning meeting. Explore alternative futures on how the world might play out from existing future scenarios, or custom scenarios you might create for your organization.
Duck! Rabbit! Amy Krause Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything ― Even Things That Seem Impossible Today by Jane McGonigal
What If? The Art of Scenario Thinking for Nonprofits Diana Scearce, Monitor Institute
Futures Series d.school
