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Sources of inspiration

Part of

Archived
This content was archived in October 2014

About this guide

  • Published: 20 February 2008
  • Updated: 2 October 2012

View full guide as a single page

Contents

Scenario planning
  • The evolution of scenario planning
  • Potential uses
  • Successful scenario planning
  • Scenario sets
  • How to: a step-by-step guide
    • Scoping
    • Trend analysis
    • Building scenarios
    • Generate options
    • Test options
    • Action plan
  • Applying creativity to the scenario process
    • Brainstorming
    • News headlines
    • Thinking the unthinkable
    • Metaphors and stories
    • Sources of inspiration
    • 'Personal lives': profiling target groups
    • Timeline
  • Moving forward
  • Acknowledgements and references

Using sources of inspiration can help when working through scenario planning exercises by allowing participants to engage with thoughts about which they are particularly enthusiastic – this could include things they most dislike as well as like! The technique can be used in conjunction with the metaphor or theme approach, or the news headlines exercise.

Activity plan

Participants are told the following:

“You have been invited by your director to spend the next six weeks on an exotic island. You will build scenarios with some colleagues. What book, CD, DVD (film, play), painting or sculpture would you bring along to inspire you while thinking about the distant future?”

  • Individuals think through some of the issues. Post-Its can be used for jotting down ideas. (two to three minutes)
  • The individual ideas are collected on flip chart and participants give a short explanation of what inspires them about a particular object. (ten to 15 minutes).
  • Participants are asked to consider “What are the characteristics of the book, CD, film, etc (or a main character) that you would like (or hate) to see in a future world” (ten to 20 minutes).

Book Navigation

  • ‹ Metaphors and stories
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  • 'Personal lives': profiling target groups ›

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