On Trends & Cultivating Connection

Are you an established business owner that’s quick to brush off anything trendy? You might be thinking about trends all wrong.

When you hear trends, do you think about ice bucket challenges and dance routines on TikTok?
Let me please stop you right there!

Great news for you:
Participating in trends is not the only way to engage with them! So no, I’m absolutely not suggesting you lip sync on TikTok. Hacks and tricks and get-there-quicker-tips are not exactly my thing.

What is my thing? → Paying attention, making sense of a whole bunch of seemingly random pieces of information, and helping you see more clearly how to show up fully as yourself AND understand where people are, and what they’re seeking.

Sound good?
Let’s talk trends.

THE CASE FOR PAYING ATTENTION TO TRENDS

What do trends offer? Perspective, insight, and a glimpse into what people care about.

Zooming out to look at trends across the industry offers an in on what’s happening in the social zeitgeist.

Brushing off trends as irrelevant or here today, gone tomorrow or just for the teens leaves so much insight and opportunity for connection on the table.

Consider what’s trending as a means of answering the question “what might my clients and collaborators be especially interested in right now?” and if you can connect a trend to one of your/your brand’s values? That’s where marketing, communication, and creating content gets a whole lot easier.

Connection is a deeply held value of mine, and my clients will tell you the same. Across the industry, I’ve noticed a larger trend so far this year away from simple reach and into deeper engagement. Call it the post-pandemic-blues, call it a natural consequence of years spent talking to other floating heads on Zoom, but CONNECTION is on trend!

I’m sharing a few links down below to illuminate how different thinkers and creators are hopping on the trend of going deeper into real, authentic human to human connection in their work:

On his podcast, Peter Spear asks each guest “where do you come from?” and the answers are simultaneously all over the place and give highly specific insight into the way the guest thinks, what they believe, and what components of their identity feel most important to note.

Whitney Johnson similarly has a repeated closing question for Disrupt Yourself podcast guests that dives beneath the surface. She’s such a gifted interviewer that she seamlessly turned the tables and asked us revealing questions when she was a guest on our podcast.

And while we’re talking about interviews, Matt Hampton spoke with 100 people in 100 days in 100Connections project, and he asked every one of them, “if you were a dinosaur which one would you be and why?” – I hope you’ll reply to this email with your answer! That’s the only way you’re hearing mine.

Ann Handley’s In and Out list considers the trend of connection in marketing, offering a perspective on what metrics we ought to be looking at

More than personal takes, Business Insider shared how Social media platforms are seeing less posting and engagement and more activity in DMs and group messaging. In 2024 they’ll be investing in making those features more robust.

Replacing boozy nights out with books. Reading Rhythms are described as “Not a book club. A reading party. Read with friends to curated music.” Attendees spend time reading their favorite books, then discussing them with one another. They say that the conversations are much deeper than one might find in a noisy bar. Events are currently sold out with extensive waiting lists.

In Face to Face–The Art of Human Connection, Brian Glazer tells stories of his face-to-face meetings, happenstance and projects that otherwise would not have come to life. Only when we are face to face, able to look one another in the eyes, can we form the kinds of connections that expand our world views, deepen our self-awareness, and ultimately lead to our greatest achievements and most meaningful moments.

What trends are you noticing? Which ones might you experiment with?