Rohit Bhargava

TRENDS: 7 Non-Obvious Trends Shaping the Future Normal

What does it take to identify world changing trends that will actually last? For the past decade, Rohit Bhargava and Henry Coutinho Mason have been on the front lines of the future—going into cutting-edge labs, private testing facilities, and invite-only showcases around the world. Now for the first time ever, this exclusive talk will reveal the most powerful stories and instigators that are already shaping humanity’s next decade.

From biophilic skyscrapers to generative AI to haptic interfaces, this keynote will offer a clear-eyed overview of not only the technology changing our world, but also explore the deeply human questions all this advancement will raise. Rather than offering “futurist theater” with obvious forgettable examples, this talk is updated with new stories (sometimes pulled from that morning’s news!), a charismatic delivery style, and interactive exercises to deliver a memorable experience for any size audience. This is not a boring academic talk. Instead, it’s a pull-no-punches, always entertaining, constantly surprising, highly actionable (and deeply non-obvious!) glimpse into what the future will look like … and how each of us can train ourselves to anticipate big shifts before they happen.

This program will help leaders and teams:

• Create a strategy to take their organization into the future and navigate significant change or disruption either through industry shifts, restructures, pandemic effects and/or new leadership.
• Gain exposure to cutting edge ideas and technologies (as well as the innovators behind them) that can help inform new initiatives and products.

The audience will leave with:

• A greater understanding of the fundamental forces of disruption that are shifting consumer behavior and beliefs across industries and what this means for them.
• A roadmap of relevant innovations and advances that can help to shape strategic planning and current efforts around building products and services for existing and future potential customers.

INNOVATION: How to Lead the Future with Non-Obvious Thinking See What Others Miss and Shift Your Perspective

This candid, fast-paced session reveals the five habits of non-obvious thinkers that can help you see opportunities others don’t, be more resilient, and lead the future.

This program is ideal for leaders and teams who want to:

• Create a strategy to take their organization into the future and navigate significant change or disruption
• Understand their future customers and prepare their business to serve needs those customers haven’t demanded yet (but will one day)
• Broaden their perspective outside their industry so they can take ideas from many sectors and expertly apply them to their own roles and business

The audience will leave with a grasp of:

• Five immediately usable habits they can integrate into their daily lives to broaden their perspective, be more creative, and see the world differently
• The fundamental forces of disruption that are shifting consumer behavior and beliefs across industries and what this means for them
• What trends are, what they aren’t, why they matter, and how they can start to identify trends and patterns of behavior for themselves

MARKETING: The Art of Non-Obvious Storytelling, Marketing & Branding Create Brand Loyalty, Stand Out from the Competition, and Be More Persuasive and Engaging

This “non-obvious” keynote will teach you how to apply the secrets of the world’s best storytellers to create more persuasive marketing and a brand that commands trust.

This program will help leaders and teams:

• Achieve buy-in at all levels of an organization for branding, messaging, or strategic shifts either planned or already happening
• Align a team across departments with a shared understanding of branding, positioning, marketing, storytelling, and the part everyone plays in shaping the organization’s perception in the marketplace
• Articulate why storytelling matters and make it more approachable and realistic for everyone to use in their daily roles.

The audience will leave with:

• The key principles of storytelling and guidelines for applying them in a business context to improve communications and be more persuasive
• A 360-degree view of marketing, branding, communications, and sales, and the way these elements should collaborate, no matter what department they work for within your organization
• A template for crafting a persuasive company story and then bringing that story to life through actions, communications, and everyday practices

DIVERSITY: The Non-Obvious Method To Leading Diversity (When It’s Not Your Day Job) How Leaders Can Make Diversity and Inclusion Happen

This keynote offers an approachable introduction to diversity and inclusion for busy leaders. Inspired by the world’s most ambitious gathering of diversity experts at the Beyond Diversity Summit and the WSJ bestselling book Beyond Diversity, this talk is specifically for leaders who don’t spend all day working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Instead of blaming and shaming or focusing on a long list of “- isms,” this optimistic keynote candidly approaches some of the biggest myths and realities of diversity while offering practical suggestions to actually build a more inclusive and diverse team.

This program will help leaders and teams:

• Understanding why building a more diverse and inclusive world matters and what is driving the current conversation and cultural demand for this to be a priority for all companies
• Put DEI efforts into context and understand what matters most when it comes to creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace and company culture
• Shift away from “blaming and shaming” and instead approach the topic of DEI from a place of positivity and optimism to help everyone shift their thinking without feeling forced or minimized in the process

The audience will leave with:

• A shared sense of purpose for why DEI matters and how to adapt their current workplace or business practices to be more inclusive and equitable. 
• How to better identify instances of unconscious bias or unintentional discrimination and correct these moments or the policies that enable them.