Strategy

Cover Story

Imagine your future success splashed across a magazine cover. This exercise turns abstract goals into a concrete, inspiring vision through creative storytelling. It's about making aspirations feel real.

Duration
1.5 hours
Group Size
12-30
Category
Strategy
Difficulty
Easy
Participants will: Envision future success in tangible terms. Create an inspiring, shared vision. Transform abstract goals into concrete plans. Build excitement and motivation around shared objectives.
Participants will produce: A compelling magazine cover visualizing their success. A clear, shared vision of the future. A motivating artifact to guide their actions.
This exercise works because it makes the future feel real, frames success positively, uses narrative for memorability, implies recognition, and is creatively engaging. Choosing the right magazine is key. It should be read by your target audience, realistically cover the achievement, lend credibility, and frame success appropriately. Good headlines should be specific, capture the achievement succinctly, sound like real news, and create excitement. Avoid vague, jargon-filled, unrealistic, or boring headlines. The cover image should show the impact, people benefiting, the innovation in action, or a moment of triumph. When writing the article, write in the magazine's style, include specific details, quote real stakeholders, and show the journey. Make it believable; it's easy to get carried away. Variations include: a blog post (for smaller projects), a news article (for a formal tone), a documentary film (create a movie poster), or an awards ceremony (design a trophy). Use this exercise for strategic planning kick-offs, vision setting, product planning, motivation, or celebrating milestones. Common themes include customer impact, innovation recognition, market leadership, problem-solving at scale, and team achievement. Success looks like a team with an inspiring, concrete, and achievable vision.

  1. Setup (5 min): Select a magazine that realistically features your success. Consider industry publications, business magazines, or general interest magazines. Set a time horizon (2-5 years is typical). Think realistically about what success looks like in that timeframe.

  2. Magazine Cover Template: The cover should include: a cover image that visually represents success, a main headline announcing the big news, 2-3 subheadlines highlighting key details, cover lines teasing other stories, a future date, and quotes offering testimonials or reactions.

  3. Phase 1: Individual Envisioning (15 min): Each participant creates their own magazine cover, focusing on the headline, image, key points, quote, and the story behind the story. What does success look like to them?

  4. Phase 2: Small Group Development (30 min): In teams of 3-5, combine individual ideas to create a single magazine cover. Design the layout, write headlines and copy, and draw or collage images. This is where collaboration is key.

  5. Phase 3: Cover Story Article (20 min): Write a feature article (300-500 words) addressing what happened, how you achieved this, who was involved, what obstacles were overcome, the impact, and what's next. Be specific.

  6. Phase 4: Gallery and Sharing (20 min): Post all covers and each team presents their cover (3-4 min), sharing the story and explaining design choices. Follow with a whole group discussion.

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For Facilitators

  • Review participant profiles and expectations
  • Prepare all materials and supplies
  • Test technology and room setup

For Participants

  • Complete pre-session survey
  • Review background materials
  • Prepare examples or case studies

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  • Large paper or poster board

  • Markers, colored pencils

  • Magazines for cutting images

  • Glue, scissors

  • Magazine cover templates

  • Optional: Actual magazine covers as examples

  • Optional: Design software (Canva, PowerPoint)

  • Optional: Company logos and photos

  • Optional: Printer for final versions

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Discussion

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