Eric Garland

Eric Garland: Program Outlines

Eric only produces keynotes and strategy briefings based on the specific needs of individual clients. Since he often briefs school boards, prime ministers, mayors, pharmaceutical companies, makers of diesel engines, people looking at the future of skin care, environmental protection agencies, college philosophy classes, finance ministers running lotteries, and sales conferences, he knows that all clients need specialized information and require a specialized approach. His research company, Competitive Futures, has up-to-the-minute trend data from which to create new presentations for each event. He regrets that he is unable to provide canned speeches at this time.

In the past, he has delivered presentations on:

• the talent crunch,
• the urban future,
• intelligence methodologies,
• national security,
• local economic development,
• peak oil,
• the extremely predictable financial collapse of 2008,
• the future of languages,
• nanotechnology,
• careers of tomorrow,
• healthcare,
• ROBOTS AND FLYING CARS,
• atypical antispsychotic medications,
• the future of curse words,
• nuclear power,
• climate change,
• the mobile world and the surveillance culture it will create,
• the future of sex, and much more.

If you tell him what kind of event you want, he will suggest a theme that works for you and your audience with great pleasure, based on the most up-to-date information available.

Past Programs Include:

The World after Normal: Four megatrends and why they will change your competitive future forever
Aging populations, peak oil, Asian economic resurgence, mobile information technology. Sure, you are hearing about them all the time, but together these four megatrends mean the end of an economic system that has driven the world to today’s level of prosperity. When you look at your future, your notion of “normal” must include these massive shifts that will mean new cities, new markets, new challenges, and new riches on the horizon. Are you ready? Is anybody? The only way to prepare is to start a dialogue on what these megatrends will mean for you and your organization.

Audiences will:

• See why foresight is more important than ever
• Recognize the massive changes in the world as a potential for growth and prosperity
• Realize that we are living at any exciting, promising point in time

The Catabolic Economy
The world economy is breaking down – and this could be good news. Based on the numbers used for the business media, it looks pretty bleak. After all, those numbers keep going down, and down is bad! We like up! Wait – breaking down can sometimes be quite positive. All throughout nature and economics we see phases of growth (anabolism) and breakdown (catabolism). The Catabolic Economy is one where we break down the components of the old system to reform into new, more sophisticated, more prosperous forms. The past is full of such examples. It isn’t going to be easy, but this moment offers new opportunities for those with fresh ideas, talent and a taste for risk. Is that you?

Audiences will:

• See potential new ideas for business and investing
• Learn how not to hyperventilate every time they see bad news
• Recognize how important leadership will be at this critical moment

Changing of the Guard: Talent crunch, generational transition, and the leadership of tomorrow
The retirement of the Baby Boomer population is resulting in a remarkable phenomenon. Since Generation X is only half of its size throughout the industrialized world, the Boomers are leaving a massive “talent crunch” in its wake. We’re going to need doctors, foresters, electrical engineers, teachers and, especially, leaders of all kinds. In the wake of credentialism and an education bubble that served to keep young people out of the job market, in the coming years you’re going to be fighting for top talent. Have you hugged a thirty year-old today? It’s 2 a.m. – Do you know where your engineers are? If you cannot answer those questions with a yes, we need to talk about this changing of the guard.

Audiences will:

• Learn how massive demographic shifts will make or break the competition for tomorrow
• See how cutting edge human resource practices will be necessary to win in the next economy
• Think about how important an inter-generational dialogue will be

Next Narrative: the future of branding and communications in the world after normal
Since Edward Bernays and the birth of the modern advertising movement, businesses and governments have been able to count on a generally shared sense of meaning when they engage in communications. The industrialized world has been constantly growing, improving quality of life, and giving people a sense of purpose. As we move in the “world after normal” and the breakdown of the “Catabolic Economy” the mass communications made possible in the 20th century are having less and less effect. Organizations that want to send their brands into the future will need to predict where the narrative is headed in this world of unprecedented change. Yours will be a world of mass customization and micromeaning. Let the dialogue start today.

Audiences will:

• Go beyond technology to really connect with customers of the future
• See the drivers of the brands of tomorrow
• Reflect on the new techniques required for the next phase of market research