I feel compelled to share what I feel may be the most useful information I’ve come across on how futurists can more effectively communicate with the public. An added bonus is that comes from one of our alums, Simeon Spearman.
He’s produced a series of three blog posts for the APF Emerging Fellows program (another shout out due here to alum Terry Collins for her masterful work in designing and managing this amazing program).
Part 1 frames the topic. He talks about Fast Company’s Futurist Forum. He makes an extremely important point: “Part of the value that futurists can add to public discussions about the future is as simple as educating the public more effectively on the processes behind practicing strategic foresight, rather than merely teaching people about the future.”
Part 2 begins exploring “contagious” futures. Here he introduces us to the excellent work of Jonah Berger, author of Contagious, and his STEPPS model to explain how ideas spread. It’s a model I think we’ll all find useful.
Part 3 explores creating “contagious” futures work. IMHO, it may be the masterpiece of the three. He shares his thoughts on the importance of writing memorable or shareable headlines and then recounts his experience in producing 27 (not a typo) versions of his particular headline to highlight just how important it is to “Frame Futures Products for Shareability.” There’s some serendipity at play here, as last night in Alternative Perspectives class, we wrestled with this very topic with our guest speaker, Hope Katz-Gibbs, of BeInkandescent, a public relations firm and a former colleague of mine who helps futurists and foresight firms promote their offerings.
It matters, folks, it really matters, and Simeon has given us some invaluable insight on why and “how to.” Andy Hines
