How can you use Future Search for large group facilitation?

1 What is Future Search?

Future Search is a three-day workshop that involves 60 to 80 people who represent the whole system of an issue or organization. The participants explore the past, present, and future of the system, identify common ground and differences, and develop action plans for the next steps. Future Search is designed to create a high level of engagement, collaboration, and ownership among the participants, and to generate innovative and sustainable solutions for complex problems.

2 Why use Future Search?

Future Search is an effective tool for large group facilitation, as it can help align diverse stakeholders around a shared vision and strategy, build trust and relationships across boundaries and silos, mobilize collective action and commitment for change, enhance creativity and learning among the participants, and create a positive atmosphere for dialogue and action.

3 What are the challenges of Future Search?

Future Search is not a foolproof method for large group facilitation, and requires careful planning, preparation, and follow-up to guarantee its effectiveness and impact. You may face several challenges when using Future Search, such as finding a suitable topic and scope that is relevant to the system, recruiting participants who accurately represent the diversity and complexity of the system, securing resources and logistics for a three-day workshop with many people, facilitating the workshop with a balance of structure and flexibility, direction and participation, consensus and conflict, and supporting the implementation and evaluation of action plans that result from the workshop.

4 How to prepare for Future Search?

Prior to conducting a Future Search workshop, you need to do some groundwork to make sure that you have a well-defined purpose, a robust design, and a reliable support system. To get ready for Future Search, you should first define the focus question and the expected results of the workshop. Then, form a steering committee that will direct and supervise the workshop process. Additionally, identify and invite the stakeholders who are impacted by and can affect the issue or system. Furthermore, collect and analyze pertinent data and information about the issue or system. Lastly, design the workshop agenda and materials based on the Future Search principles and framework. Finally, arrange the venue, equipment, and supplies for the workshop.

5 How to facilitate Future Search?

As a facilitator during the Future Search workshop, it is your responsibility to create a safe and productive environment for the participants to share their perspectives, discover common ground, and plan their actions. The Future Search framework consists of five phases, beginning with reviewing the past. During this phase, the participants share their personal and professional histories related to the issue or system and create a timeline of significant events and trends. The second phase explores the present by identifying current realities and challenges. This is followed by creating the future, where participants envision the desired future of the issue or system through a collage of images and words. In phase four, they compare and contrast their visions to discover common ground. Lastly, in phase five, action groups are formed based on interests and priorities, developing concrete plans for the next steps.

6 What are some tips for Future Search?

To make your Future Search workshop more effective and enjoyable, consider using a variety of methods and media to engage the participants, such as storytelling, drawing, mapping, collaging, voting, etc. Encourage the participants to interact with each other and self-organize and self-manage their work. Respect the diversity and complexity of the participants, and avoid imposing your own views or solutions on them. Give clear instructions and guidelines for each phase and activity, checking for understanding and agreement among the participants. Monitor the time and energy of the workshop, making adjustments as needed. Finally, celebrate the achievements and learnings of the participants while acknowledging their contributions and commitments.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?