HOW CAN YOU BECOME A FUTURIST?

16 Jul HOW CAN YOU BECOME A FUTURIST?

Posted at 18:01h in Uncategorized by

How can you become a futurist – and one of the best virtual keynote speakers in your field? Talking to some of today’s top future trends experts and futurologists, it seems that there are many pathways and areas of study. Some go the academic route, others become active business industry practitioners and still more stumble onto the calling through the arts, humanities and other areas. So take a tip from the best virtual keynote speakers today: If you want to be a futurist, the below hints and tips may help.

  • Get a broad education in both the sciences and humanities – Futurism requires a big picture perspective and ability to connect diverse domains. Study fields like technology, economics, environment, politics, psychology, etc or so the best virtual keynote speakers tell us often.
  • Stay current on emerging trends and innovations – Closely follow advances and new developments in science, tech, business, culture. Subscribe to publications, blogs, podcasts about future-focused topics.
  • Develop strong analytical and critical thinking skills – Be able to assess technologies, innovations and trends objectively, weigh pros and cons, think critically about impact.
  • Cultivate excellent research skills – Compile relevant data, statistics, expert opinions. Synthesize quality sources and insights into compelling forecasts.
  • Train in strategic foresight methods – Study established forecasting and scenario planning techniques like Delphi surveys, cross-impact analysis, backcasting, etc.
  • Adopt a probabilistic mindset – Think in terms of likelihood and uncertainty rather than certainty, or so best virtual keynote speakers’ story goes. Provide projections in ranges.
  • Enhance communication ability – Convey complex futures ideas and analysis clearly to both experts and general audiences.
  • Embrace lifelong learning – The future is constantly evolving so continuous education and updating of knowledge is essential.
  • Join futures organizations – Connect with other futurists through groups like World Future Society, Association of Professional Futurists, etc.
  • Follow a code of ethics – Adhere to principles of independence, open-mindedness and transparency. Provide unbiased assessments.
  • Build experience in related fields – Develop domain expertise in areas like technology, environment, economics, or social sciences.

 

Again: There are many possible routes you can go if you want to become a futurist, not all of which are patently straightforward or obvious. But then again, that’s the fun of the job – learning to adapt to uncertainty.