Course Overview

It’s essential to look ahead if you want to ensure the relevance of your product or service in the future world, but how can you anticipate what’s coming next, and how it will affect your business? How can you know where to focus and what to invest in?

Trends and future thinking can seem like a dark art, but in fact, ‘foresight’, ‘trends’ and ‘future thinking’ is a skill that can be developed. And I can teach you.

Future thinking is a collection of many skills, as it’s a combination of creative thinking and hard evidence: of design and science. Being a good trend forecaster and future thinker uses research skills, data, curiosity, processes, experimentation and imagination.

Learning outcomes

• The role of a trend forecaster and futurist
• Why it’s essential to look ahead
• The basic tools and processes for:
• Researching what will impact the future
• Organising your findings into trends
• Translating the trends into actions for your business
• Nurturing the mind-set to think critically, challenge perceptions and imagine future possibilities and make this a part of daily life

Who it's for

These skills are an invaluable tool for any business professional, from entrepreneurs and solo freelancers to the biggest corporations.

Study methods

This course will blend real case studies from Jill’s personal experience as The Future Thief with skill development and practical tasks to provide a taste of the basics of trend forecasting and future thinking.

Time & tools needed

• The activities are solo, not group exercises, but discussion is encouraged.
• Bring your curiosity and an open mind
• You might want to bring a notebook/paper and a computer or tablet to take notes, but it’s not a pre-requisite
• All other activity materials will be provided
• Tea, coffee and a light lunch will be provided
• 20 minutes preparatory work will be required, briefed 2 weeks before the course start date

Your tutor

This course is run by Jill Hawkins, a futures consultant, trainer and speaker with 13 years’ experience in trend forecasting and qualitative consumer insight for global brands and agencies. She now runs her own consultancy called The Future Thief, where she helps businesses stay relevant in the future.

Her mission is to demystify trend forecasting and make it accessible to all. By enabling everyone with the skills to anticipate the future, they can make progressive business and design decisions with a positive impact.

Jill has worked with and for companies including Nike, Red Bull, Bolia, Lene Bjerre, LEGO, The Sun newspaper, Blossom Hill wine, Unilever, JWT, Givesco foods and Pej Gruppen. She is one of Pej Gruppen’s preferred speakers, and presents at their conferences.

She also regularly teaches trend forecasting and futurist skills at colleges and Universities. Recently at DMJX and UC Syd in Denmark, and London College of Fashion and Northumbria University in the UK. Jill has a Master’s degree in Design, a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Marketing and a colourful attitude to life and work! This will be a friendly, impactful and inspiring course.