Get Future-Fit: Foresight Foundations for Insight Professionals

Learn how to combine the science of foresight with the psychology of long-term thinking to enrich consumer insight and strategic planning.

In a rapidly changing world, foresight is now an essential skill for anyone shaping research, strategy, or innovation. This one-day, practical course introduces the practice of foresight, blending structured futures tools with the latest psychological research on how people relate to the future.

You’ll explore how cognitive biases, identity, and emotion influence long-term thinking and decision-making and learn to apply foresight tools such as horizon scanning and the futures wheel to make sense of emerging change. By connecting behavioural insight with futures methods, you’ll discover how to unlock richer, more forward-looking perspectives on people, markets, and possibilities.

Designed for professionals in market research, insight, or strategic planning, the session offers hands-on exercises, real-world examples, and practical templates to help you apply foresight thinking in your day-to-day work.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, you will:

• Understand the principles and value of foresight for insight professionals
• Recognise and counteract common psychological biases in futures thinking
• Conduct basic horizon scanning and map signals of change
• Apply tools such as the Futures Wheel to explore implications and opportunities
• Identify where and how foresight can complement insight and strategy work

Who should attend

Ideal for market research, insight, strategy, and brand professionals who want to broaden their skillset, strengthen client impact, and future-proof their work. Suitable for both agency and client-side roles across all sectors.

Learning method

A mix of presentation, interactive exercises, and group discussion with practical foresight tools.

Course delivery mode

Live online training (one day, 10:00–16:30)

Trainer biographies

Josh McBain (CEO) and Pippa Goodman (MD) are co-founders of Next Up Foresight. With over 30 years of combined experience, they have supported leading organisations across the private and public sectors - helping them advance their strategic goals with tailored foresight systems, actionable insights, and compelling activations. They have identified future opportunities, risks, and corresponding action plans in sectors spanning travel, mobility, retail, consumer goods, health and technology. They are passionate about making foresight more accessible and impactful for organisations and individuals at every level.

Emily Shipp is a researcher and foresight practitioner specialising in the psychology of futures thinking. She brings over 15 years’ experience at the intersection of behavioural insight, strategy, and long-term thinking, working with financial services including Aegon and Standard Life, as well as NGOs, startups and the NHS. Emily is an Associate at the University of Edinburgh Futures Institute, leading a Wellcome Trust–funded project on futures literacy in research cultures. She specialises in helping organisations understand how we relate to the future - and how that shapes decision-making and innovation today