Scenario Planning for Internal Communicators
Scenario Planning for Internal Communicators
Using scenario planning for strategic decision making and driving the value of internal communication
Business leaders are under more pressure than ever to plan for an uncertain future, and the old playbooks are not built for that. Agility is key for organisations to successfully adapt to new ways of working and environments as they arise.
Scenario planning is a highly effective tool for mapping out multiple possible futures to support successful long-term decision making.
Building on known data, facts and intelligence, scenario planning uses narrative to create viable and compelling stories that support creative thinking and more agile business planning.
Grounded in narrative storytelling, it is a natural addition to the toolbox of internal communicators looking to deliver and demonstrate strategic value, whilst also presenting an opportunity to improve functional agility.
This three-part training will equip communicators with the skills and confidence to successfully influence senior leaders and assist with strategic decision making - helping to improve operational performance, agility and resilience.
Who should attend?
The course is suited for senior communicators who want to drive internal communication as a vital enabler of business resilience, performance and success.
You don't need experience of scenario planning to join. You do need to be working closely enough with your leadership team, or aiming to, that you can put what you learn into practice.
The course is aligned to Levels 3 and 4 of the IOIC Profession Map.
Programme Outcomes:
After this course, you will be able to:
- Understand and interpret primary trends transforming work
- Present a compelling case for the value of scenario planning in business strategizing
- Create and facilitate scenario plans for inclusion in business planning and risk mitigation activities
- Facilitate strategic foresight exercises with your leadership team
Learning Objectives:
The programme will equip internal communicators to:
- Understand the trends disrupting business as usual – appreciation of the forces creating challenge for decision-makers underpins successful scenario planning.
- Offer scenario planning to enhance strategic decision-making – to successfully respond to novel situations, leaders must widen their perspectives and be able to contemplate the implications of multiple plausible futures in parallel. As a structured process, scenario planning enhances organisational agility and operating resilience.
- Leverage storytelling techniques – storytelling is well recognised as a strategic tool that drives engagement, builds influence and accelerates alignment within organisations. Vivid, compelling and viable narratives form an essential cornerstone of successful scenario plans.
The course builds on core internal communication strengths and invites each participant to experiment with their existing skills to introduce elevated business planning principles for enhanced organisational resilience.
The course will cover
Spread across three consecutive weeks, each online module comprises two hours. The gap between sessions allows time to reflect on and apply what is covered with the support of coaching partners.
Session One: 12 November 2026, 9:30am - 11:30am
This session comprises:
- An introduction to scenario planning, its history, its use and its usefulness in VUCA environments
- An introduction to the trends driving business disruption
- Why internal communication is expertly positioned to drive scenario planning
Session Two: 19 November 2026, 9:30am - 11:30am
This session covers:
- The power of storytelling as a business futureproofing technique
- Using emergent trend insights to tell data-driven stories
- Creating and presenting plausible future scenarios
Session Three: 26 November 2026, 9:30am - 11:30am
This session covers:
- How to make the business case for scenario planning
- Practical application: How to run a scenario planning session
- Sustaining learning and next steps
Additional Benefits
Additional benefits include:
- Opportunity to experiment and create future scenarios for your unique context
- Pre and post course access to Canvas, the IOIC's online learning environment, where you will find all course materials and be able to engage with their fellow participants through forum discussions
- This course is worth 8 CPD Points for IOIC Members (20% of your recommended annual CPD)
- Share learning and experience with senior internal communication professionals and build connections and conversation
- Examples of good practice from a range of organisations.
Please note that we use Zoom for our online courses. Please ensure that you are able to access this system where you are based before booking your place. All times are BST/GMT.
