Idea Time with Dr. Jo North

Horizon Scanning & Foresight for Innovators

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Episode notes

In this content-packed live show, I dive into Horizon Scanning & Foresight for Innovators.

No crystal balls, prophecies or predicting the future, though!

Horizon scanning is about detecting weak signals of potential change before they make it big. It keeps you prepared, and gives you and your innovation strategy a competitive edge.

In this show, I share:

• What horizon scanning is, and why it’s important
• The differences between foresight, forecasts and prediction
• What ‘weak signals’ are, and how to spot them
• Emerging trends
• Tips and approaches for horizon scanning in a fast-moving, information-dense world
• How to do horizon scanning with your team
• Data for horizon scanning
• A horizon scanning toolkit, including:
  • Seven Questions interview technique
  • The Delphi technique
  • Futures Wheel
  • Text Mining – using AI to scan through large sets of text data, spotting trends in news, social media, or academic publications.
  • Cross-impact analysis
  • Scenario planning
  • Importance / certainty matrix
  • Transformation maps

It really is a value-packed whopper of a show – ideal for you if you’re planning your innovation and business growth strategy. I also share how you can access my free horizon scanning toolkit.

As always, I'd love your comments and questions on my social channels!