Glossary of Terms

Use this glossary as a practical resource to deepen your understanding of key terms, tools, methods, and practical definitions to help you navigate the language of foresight.

Coaching:

The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as: partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

Drivers of change:

Broad, long-term forces and trends that shape future possibilities and outcomes, influencing the direction of societal, technological, economic, ecological, regulatory, and ethical shifts.

Forces of change:

The underlying values, mindsets, and norms that drive and shape observable trends, reflecting deeper societal currents.

Forecast:

A futures tool that describes what is likely to happen based on certain assumptions, data, and the interpretation of trends.

Foresight:

The use of futuristic tools and literacy to help people think longer term (five, 10, and more years down the road) to make better decisions today.

Future client:

A conceptual individual representing a potential client in a future scenario, used to explore how coaching needs may evolve.

Future coach:

An archetype representing the evolution of the coaching profession in future scenarios, highlighting new roles, skills, and approaches.

Future ICF:

A fictional representation of ICF in a future scenario, used to explore how the organization might evolve in response to emerging trends and challenges.

Future persona:

A research-based, fictional character designed to represent someone who could exist in a future scenario. Typically combined with scenarios to explore diverse responses to emerging trends, technologies, and societal changes.

Futures Thinking Loop:

The ICF Thought Leadership Institute’s Futures Thinking Loop provides a structured approach for developing plausible future scenarios. This loop includes four phases:

1. Observe.
2. Envision.
3. Anticipate.
4. Act.

Futures thinking:

A transformative framework designed to help individuals navigate the uncertainties of the future with confidence. A blend of science and art, futures thinking integrates many disciplines, data, experience, and creativity to envision and activate preferred future scenarios.

Horizon scanning:

The systematic examination of potential threats, opportunities, and future developments that may affect an organization or field. It involves monitoring and analyzing emerging trends and signals.

Scenario:

Narrative-based explorations of various possible futures incorporating the impact of multiple trends and uncertainties to envision different outcomes.

Scenario planning:

A strategic method used to develop and analyze multiple, plausible future scenarios. It helps organizations prepare for uncertainties by considering a range of possible outcomes and their implications.

Signals of change:

Early indicators of specific, often unexpected, and observable events, developments, or phenomena that suggest or demonstrate an emerging driving force of change.

STEERE Framework:

A futures-thinking tool adapted for coaches from the STEEPLE or PESTLE framework, used to identify and analyze multi-dimensional drivers, trends, and signals across social, technological, economic, ecological, regulatory, and ethical domains.

Trend:

Global shifts across various social, political, and economic indicators. Trends often reflect the influence of underlying forces of change.

Trend analysis:

A futures thinking method that examines macro-level data across multiple disciplines to describe plausible futures. Trend analyses are often combined with signal identification for deeper insights into potential futures.Trend mapping: Visualizing patterns of change to anticipate disruptions.