Driver: Broad, long-term change that will impact society over long periods of time (e.g. climate change)

Forecasting: A technique used to project likely future outcomes based on historical data, current trends, and models.

Horizon Scanning: Practice of exploring the world around us to monitor for and identify both large and small scale changes.

Scenario Planning: Structured method for imagining multiple plausible futures to support long-term strategic decision-making. Importantly it does not aim to predict the future, but to explore a range of possibilities.

Sensemaking: The process people use to give meaning to complex or ambiguous situations, integrating data and perspectives to form a coherent view, often through narrative.

Signal: Specific, recent and real examples of change that you encounter in the world.

STEEP: An achronym used to help ensure a broad lense for viewing possible change: Social, Technological, Environmental, Economic and Political.

Trend: A medium-term directional change or pattern of behavior with moderate to significant, but localized or sector-specific impact (e.g. rise of remote work)

Wild Cards: Events that are often unpredictable or outside normal expectations that can happen suddenly or at any time (e.g. global pandemic)