Framing a Vision: Postcards From the Future

Created by Chris Cushing

People are pretty good at recounting what happened in the past. But ask them what their lives or company or work will be like in the future and they freeze up. Future visioning isn’t easy, but it’s essential to planning and being proactively responsive to the trends and factors affecting an organization. A well-framed vision can serve as an organization’s north star, offering a snapshot of the future everyone is working toward. It’s not just about hopes and dreams—it’s about crafting a forward-looking view that’s both inspiring and actionable.

Postcards from the Future

One way to make envisioning the future easy is “Postcards from the Future.” Pass out large index cards, markers, and a reference library of icons, like a visual vocabulary. The icons will make it easier for participants to try their hand at drawing, since it’s easier to draw from a reference than from the imagination. 

Prompt participants with these instructions: “Imagine it’s ten years from now. Your organization has been wildly successful. In fact, it’s been so successful, that the you from the future has decided to send a postcard back to the you from today to tell you about how great life is. I’d like you to design that postcard.

“On one side, write a message to yourself from the future. What’s different about your day to day life? What’s improved? What challenges are behind you? What are your relationships like with your key stakeholders? What successes are you enjoying? What benefits are you living with?

”On the other side, draw a picture of that future world. Keep it realistic: we’re only talking about ten years. You might choose to represent your workplace, or your industry, or your stakeholders, or yourself. Use the icon library I’ve shared as a reference for your drawing.

“When you’re done, I’ll ask you to share your drawing and read your message from the future with the larger group.”

This is a good exercise to have people work on in pairs. Rather than assigning a specific block of time to work within, check in on progress about ten or fifteen minutes into the exercise before estimating the time they have to complete the activity, but in general, Postcards from the Future takes about twenty to thirty minutes for pairs to complete before debriefing.

A fun variation is to provide pairs with magazines, scissors, and glue sticks to come up with collages in lieu of drawing. 

Post completed postcards together and visible to the group. This activity segues well into identifying success factors, benefits, and attributes of a future vision.