A trend is a curated observation of the accelerating present.

Elevating involves identifying the underlying themes that align a group of ideas to describe a single, bigger concept.

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Naming is the art of describing a collection of ideas in an accessible and memorable way.

Great trends reflect a moment in time, but that moment is never fleeting, and the basic idea is more elevated. Good trends always focus on the shift in an underlying human behavior or belief. They don’t describe a single interesting story or a hot new product or industry.

SEEK OUT COMMON WORDS. As you review your groups of ideas and stories, look for key words that can reveal the common themes among them. When I was collecting ideas related to entrepreneurship, for example, a word kept coming up that described the growing ecosystem of on-demand services for entrepreneurs: fast. This word helped me bring various piec

Proving entails seeking out data, stories, and conversations to validate whether a collection of ideas can justifiably be described as a trend.

MASHUP WORDS. Mashups take two words or concepts and combine them in a meaningful way. Likeonomics is a mashup of likeability and economics. This technique can make a trend name memorable and uniquely yours, but it can feel forced and artificial if not done artfully. There is a reason I didn’t call my book Trustonomics. The best mashups are easy to

Gathering is the disciplined act of collecting stories and ideas while taking notes of why they are interesting.