Let’s look at each of these three elements in detail. Idea – Great trend ideas are unique descriptions of a shift in culture, business or behavior in a concise enough way to be meaningful without being over simplified. Impact – A trend has impact when it causes people to start changing behavior, or companies to adapt what they are selling

As marketing becomes broader than just promotion, leaders and organizations abandon traditional silos, embrace content marketing and invest in the customer experience.

“As soon as children become able to evaluate themselves, some of them become afraid of challenges. They become afraid of not being smart. I have studied thousands of people … and it’s breathtaking how many reject an opportunity to learn.” —Carol Dweck (from Mindset)

Elevating Questions - How To Think Bigger About Ideas What interests me most about these ideas? What elements could I have missed earlier? What is below the surface? What is the bigger picture? Where is the connection between ideas?

Naming Questions - How to Ensure You Have an Effective Trend Name ... Is the name not widely used or already well understood? Is it relatively simple to say out loud in conversation? Does it make sense without too much additional explanation? Could you imagine it as the title of a book? Are you using words that are unique and not overused or

The Haystack Method describes a process where you first focus on gathering stories and ideas (the hay) and then using them to define a trend (the needle) that gives meaning to them all collectively.

A non-obvious trend is a unique curated observation of the accelerating present.

For his part, Naisbitt believed deeply in the power of observation to understand the present before trying to predict the future

Proving Questions - How To Quantify a Trend Is the trend idea unique enough to be described as new or fresh? Has anyone published research related to this trend idea? Is the media starting to uncover examples or focus on it? Are there enough examples across industries to show adoption? Is it likely to continue into the foreseeable future? As you go