Non-Obvious: How to Think Different, Curate Ideas & Predict The Future

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

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

(even if it doesn’t seem exotic or far away)

Idea Sources - Where to Get Ideas Personal conversations at events or meetings (ask lots of questions) Listening to live speakers or TED Talks (write down memorable quotes) Entertainment (TV shows and movies that actually make you think) Books (Nonfiction and fiction) Museums (the more obscure the better!) Magazines and newspapers (as unexpected or

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?

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

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

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.

here: Being curious means asking questions about why things work the way they do, and embracing unfamiliar situations or topics with a sense of wonder. Being observant means training yourself to see the details that most others often miss. Being fickle means capturing ideas without feeling the need to fully understand or analyze them in that moment