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John H. Vanston, Ph.D.
Technology Forecasting and Management Speaker
Chairman
Technology Futures, Inc.
Dr. John Vanston is an internationally-renowned consultant, educator, speaker, and author in the fields of technology forecasting, technology/market integration, and technology management in uncertain environments. His presentations and workshops provide audiences with an understanding of the technology development process, teaches participants to conduct valid technology/market forecasts, and shows how to utilize these forecasts to to identify and evaluate emerging market needs and improve organizational planning.
Presentation Topics and Descriptions:
To find out more about our speaker services, please contact Carrie Vanston at (800) TEK-FUTR, (512) 258-8898, or cvanston@tfi.com. We welcome your inquiries.Seeing the True Future: Stop Living in the Past!
In this presentation, Dr. Vanston discusses how our projections of future developments can be significantly improved, and thus our professional and personal decisions relating to the future, if we are cognizant of solid starting points for our leap into the unknown. Many people live comfortably in the cozy den of the past, and are easily convinced that the present is actually the future. In the past, the consequences of this may have had little negative impact for most people and organizations. But in today's fast-moving world, such behavior is a prescription for surprise, disappointment, and failure. Dr. Vanston gives examples of pitfalls and reviews current realities that are not appreciated by much of the public.Strategic Insights For Dramatic Business Success
In this presentation, Dr. Vanston examines how the combination of forecasting, foresight, and imagination can identify significant business opportunities that are not recognized or appreciated by others who have access to the same information. Over the last thirty years, TFI has developed or adapted more than sixty tools-techniques, methods and approaches-that can be used to develop strategic insight. Dr. Vanston discusses how these tools can be used, individually and in concert, to project future changes, to define the implications of these changes, and to spur imaginative thinking about the strategic opportunities afforded by these changes.The Five Views of the Future™
Dr. Vanston provides an overview of the philosophy and methods behind Technology Futures' Five Views of the Future™ Strategic Analysis Framework for planning and forecasting. This framework allows the consideration of both tangibles and intangibles, and has resulted in accurate forecasts by Technology Futures over 30 years in fields such as communications, information technology, and consumer electronics. Representative quantitative and qualitative tools are reviewed, with emphasis on practical understanding and practical examples, rather than on theory. Strategic and planning implications of forecasting models are also stressed.The Future as YOU See It
Psychiatrists tell us that to a large measure the way people lead their lives depends on how they view the future. Obviously, different people have different perceptions, different value systems, and different experiences that define their visions of the future. In this presentation, Dr. Vanston will discuss the various ways that people view the future, will assist you in examining your own views of the future, and will discuss the implications of these views to your life. Participants will leave the presentation with a better understanding how they can use the different ways of viewing the future to assist in taking fullest advantages of emerging trends and events.The Future as a Strategic Asset
Experience has shown that strategies based on credible projections of future market opportunities, social trends, the competitive environment, and new technologies are superior to those based on guesses, hunches, or vague suppositions. The ability to make sound projections in each of these areas can provide your organization with a major strategic advantage over less adept competitors.
Dr. Vanston demonstrates in this presentation how you can use a mixture of practical, proven forecasting techniques to develop a valid, comprehensive picture of the business environment in which your strategy will be tested. By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Project future business developments of key importance to your organization
- Integrate these projections into your strategic planning process, and
- Recognize changing circumstances and modify your strategies as appropriate.
Nuclear Genie Gnawing at Stopper
For more than six decades, the nuclear genie has been kept in the bottle. However, over the last few years there have been increasing indication that the genie is becoming restless and threatening to escape its confinement. In this presentation, Dr. Vanston discusses his experience in taking part in one of the last atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in which the participants were closer to ground zero than anyone since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He then discusses the current nuclear weapons situation and actions and policies that might be considered to minimize the probability of nuclear catastrophe.