Denial is not a river in Africa.
But, it’s a human condition that’s truly defined the years that have come before 2020. Climate change isn’t real. Big tech isn’t going to take on every industry. Global pandemics aren’t coming. Our lives are assured and safe. What I call the ‘OSTRICH MANTRA’.
It’s that time again when I reflect on the signals of change that I see out in the world and make my predictions for 2021.
Yes, P.R.E.D.I.C.T.I.O.N.S.
Futurists are often quick to say we don’t ‘predict’ things and that we “analyze trends” or “develop foresight”. But in reality we…
Note: This is the start of a story I started writing back in 2015 more chapters will be released over time. Contact me if you like it and want to read more.
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New Seattle, Wednesday Dec 10th, 2072.
The alarm clock rang at 7:30 with a piercing ring that split Jocasta’s head like a block of wood struck with precision and intent.
“Wake up!” STACEY barked, “Apparently it’s your birthday. Welcome to the beginning of your 22nd year. Heh heh.”
There was rustling under the red duvet, and a hand reached for the cellphone on the side table but…
2043 was a great year. It was then that we transcended quantum supremacy and unlocked the secrets of artificial general intelligence (AGI) — and it was all because we paused as a race, and came together as one to advance humanity. It was that year that laid a foundation for where we are now 2220.
The advances in medicine, food science, communications, security, sub-orbital travel, interstellar travel and teleportation are changing how we see connection and the fabric of humanity. Within it we see human-biological symbiosis and nanotechnologies combine to eradicate cancers and build an ever-healing infrastructure.
We’ve seen equality…
Last month I shared ‘How to Create an Incredible Virtual Futurist Keynote’. Which discussed good information design and the equipment needed for me to deliver virtual keynotes.
FUTURE-CASTING
Over the past few weeks I’ve developed my FUTURE-CASTING Platform for delivering incredible keynotes for clients. It’s a mash-up of eSports streaming, newscasting, documentary film making, and futurist keynotes.
It takes time to develop and deliver it. And, it’s 100% worth it. In that post I talked about the early set up I used and it’s been upgraded significantly since then.
Today, I presented ‘THE FUTURE OF EVENTS’ to one of the agencies…
Now, a couple of months ago I asked ‘Why Virtual Futurist Keynotes Suck!’ as I saw more and more people roll out green screens with the same old content and lackadaisical ideas on the post-corona world.
Then, I was booked to present some keynotes and I learned a great deal about this new virtual world. I still love in-person keynotes 1000% more than online keynotes. Meeting people and getting into deep discussions are my favourite. The adrenaline is addictive as well.
I was humbled by the keynotes I gave and workshops I hosted. After that I shared ‘Pro-tips for world-class…
Today marks the end of probably the most intense four months of work I have undertaken in the past 15 years.
In early-March I returned to Toronto from a workshop in Detroit and I couldn’t imagine what was going to transpire.
One week prior I had been in Vancouver, BC in Canada presenting to a large conference full of Doctors of Optometry. During that trip I spoke to a number of people that were worried about the potential for COVID-19 to roll into Canada and shake things up significantly. Back in Detroit I had refused to shake the hands of…
With COVID-19 I have been thrust from the 2000+ stages I have been used to into being a Virtual Futurist Speaker. In addition I have focused a great deal of time on building out my foresight practice and running virtual futurist workshops with clients. We need to see ahead to bring back evidence from the narratives we create to strengthen our strategic thinking and shift our mindsets from what is to WHAT IF…
What’s been fascinating about these times is that so much of our lives have become truly virtual. This transcends the idea that we strap a VR headset…
Ever wondered what the pro-tips for world-class virtual futurist keynotes are from a leading futurist speaker?
Well, I like to cut through the hype to the most important things to remember for event producers and speakers when preparing and delivering your virtual futurist keynote.
1. It’s all about content, not an over technical set up
There are a lot of speakers running out to buy green screens and use ‘weather casting’ backdrops to Zoom. While these seem like fun, they really act as distractions and really just look a little hokey. You need a solid laptop, a great microphone and a hi-resolution webcam.
And, you need to do the research that…
Virtual Futurist Keynotes Are the Beginning of a Beautiful Relationship. This is a truth, a little under-exaggeration, and a challenge to what we have to play with right now — online, virtual conferences and remote keynotes for us who used to speak 50+ times a year, and clients that can now step forward into the world of foresight.
Read to the end to see what I have learned, and why a virtual keynote could lead you into a deeper understanding of the value that foresight can deliver to your organization.
‘Before COVID-19’
In early-March the world changed. COVID-19 accelerated through communities in the world (and it’s still doing that in places like Brazil). The keynotes I was lined up to deliver were shifted to 2021 and others dropped out-of-view. But, I have been so busy that I only now have a couple of days to reflect on the work I’ve done and share the 5 reasons to hire a futurist in a pandemic.
My 2020 predictions on 2020 being the ‘Year of Resiliency’ have proven to be somewhat true, yet I didn’t foresee a pandemic of this scale and ‘the great pause’…
Nikolas Badminton, Futurist
Futurist speaker Nikolas Badminton is a world-renowned keynote speaker, consultant, and media producer that shifts your mindset from what is to ‘WHAT IF…’
