Newspaper of Tomorrow

Purpose

Newspaper of Tomorrow (also called Cover Story) asks teams to imagine their project has succeeded wildly and to write the newspaper front page covering it. By crafting a headline, subheadline, pull quotes, and article body, the team articulates a vivid, shared vision of success that is more compelling than abstract goal statements.

At a glance

How to run

1. Set the timeframe (2 min): Decide when the newspaper is from — 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years from now.
2. Write the front page (18 min): Each team creates: headline, subheadline, a key quote from a stakeholder or user, 3–5 bullet points about what happened, and an image description.
3. Present (6 min): Each team reads their front page aloud to the room.
4. Synthesise (4 min): Identify common themes across front pages. What vision elements appear everywhere? Where do visions diverge?

Materials needed

• Large paper (flip chart sheets work well) or newspaper template
• Markers and coloured pens
• Optional: printed newspaper template for structure

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Too vague: "Company does well" is not a headline. Push for specificity: numbers, names, impacts.
• Unrealistic fantasy: Ground the vision in what is achievable within the timeframe.
• No synthesis: The power is in comparing and merging visions across teams.
• All positive: Include a sidebar on "challenges overcome" for realism.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Allow writing or drawing — not everyone is a wordsmith.
• Provide a template so the structure is clear.
• Let non-native speakers contribute bullet points rather than full prose.

Variations

• Cover Story: Use a magazine cover format instead of a newspaper.
• Press Release: Write an Amazon-style working-backwards press release.
• Anti-Newspaper: Write the headline if the project fails — to surface fears.

When NOT to use this

• When the team has no latitude in defining success — the vision is already set by leadership.
• When time is better spent on concrete planning than visioning.
• When the team is cynical and will not engage with a creative exercise.

Source & further reading

• Gamestorming: Cover Story / Newspaper
• Luke Hohmann, *Innovation Games* (2006)
• Amazon Working Backwards method