Learn how to research and synthesize information to stay ahead of emerging trends in your field and become a thought leader. Follow these six steps to find, filter, and apply relevant information.

Scan secondary sources such as comments and reviews. Many of your best ideas will be inspired by your audience, instead of other content creators. To be on the cutting edge of a discussion, you first have to be IN the discussion.

How do you stay ahead of emerging trends in your field?

How do you stay ahead of emerging trends in your field? It's a question that many professionals face, especially in fast-changing and competitive sectors. Being aware of the latest developments, innovations, and opportunities can give you an edge over your peers and help you deliver more value to your clients and stakeholders. But how do you find, filter, and apply the relevant information without getting overwhelmed or distracted? In this article, we'll share some tips and strategies to help you research and synthesize information effectively and efficiently, and become a thought leader in your field.

1 Scan your sources

The first step to staying ahead of emerging trends is to scan your sources regularly and systematically. Sources can include industry publications, blogs, podcasts, newsletters, social media, webinars, conferences, and online courses. You can use tools like Google Alerts, Feedly, or Pocket to monitor and organize your sources, and set aside some time every week or month to review them. Look for patterns, gaps, contradictions, and surprises in the information you find, and make notes of the key points and questions that arise.

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Erica Breuer

Messaging Strategist & Writer | Founder, The Worst-Kept Secrets Club | Co-Host & Producer, Trash Talk Podcast | Say What Matters. Shape Your Industry.
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Scan secondary sources such as comments and reviews. Many of your best ideas will be inspired by your audience, instead of other content creators. To be on the cutting edge of a discussion, you first have to be IN the discussion.

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2 Curate your content

The second step is to curate your content, which means selecting and evaluating the most relevant and reliable information for your needs and goals. You can use criteria like timeliness, credibility, accuracy, relevance, and usefulness to filter out the noise and focus on the signal. You can also use tools like Evernote, OneNote, or Notion to store and organize your content, and create tags, categories, or folders to group them by topic, theme, or project. Curating your content will help you avoid information overload and keep track of your sources.

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3 Synthesize your insights

The third step is to synthesize your insights, which means combining and connecting the information you have curated to generate new ideas, perspectives, and solutions. You can use techniques like mind mapping, brainstorming, summarizing, or outlining to structure and visualize your insights, and identify the main arguments, evidence, and implications. You can also use tools like Canva, PowerPoint, or Prezi to create and present your insights in different formats, such as reports, slides, infographics, or videos. Synthesizing your insights will help you deepen your understanding and communicate your value.

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Erica Breuer

Messaging Strategist & Writer | Founder, The Worst-Kept Secrets Club | Co-Host & Producer, Trash Talk Podcast | Say What Matters. Shape Your Industry.
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Set aside ideas or emerging concepts that you’re certain are great, but that just seem to tangle up as you explore them. Fighting with them for the sake of quick output isn’t worth it, but you don't have to lose these nuggets forever. Stick them in a dump file. Your dump file is like a junk drawer where you stick pieces of ideas you’re both not ready to launch, but also not quite ready to part ways with. This allows you to better hear the insights you should share right now, because you’ve cleared away the noise around them. Like an attic, the content in your dump file usually finds a use. While it might not be unadulterated thought leadership, you’ll find it useful to draw from when you feel blocked on sharing your expertise.

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4 Apply your knowledge

The fourth step is to apply your knowledge, which means using your insights to inform your decisions, actions, and outcomes. You can use frameworks like SWOT, PESTEL, or SMART to analyze and evaluate your opportunities, challenges, and goals, and plan and execute your strategies. You can also use tools like Trello, Asana, or Basecamp to manage and track your projects, tasks, and progress. Applying your knowledge will help you achieve your objectives and demonstrate your impact.

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Erica Breuer

Messaging Strategist & Writer | Founder, The Worst-Kept Secrets Club | Co-Host & Producer, Trash Talk Podcast | Say What Matters. Shape Your Industry.
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Experiment with your ideas, not your delivery! New ideas fail to take hold if delivered in an uncompelling way. Play to your strengths as you apply your insights. Choose opportunities, formats, and actions that you can best execute on. When you start working toward thought leadership objectives in this way, everything to follow originates from the strongest possible starting point.

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5 Share your expertise

The fifth step is to share your expertise, which means contributing your insights to your network, community, and industry. You can use platforms like LinkedIn, Medium, or YouTube to publish and promote your content, and engage with your audience, peers, and influencers. You can also use opportunities like podcasts, guest posts, or speaking events to showcase and share your expertise with a wider and diverse audience. Sharing your expertise will help you build your reputation and authority, and establish yourself as a thought leader.

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Erica Breuer

Messaging Strategist & Writer | Founder, The Worst-Kept Secrets Club | Co-Host & Producer, Trash Talk Podcast | Say What Matters. Shape Your Industry.
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Expertise is not thought leadership. Thought leadership = NEW ideas, insights, points of view. Your expertise is valuable, but it’s also available from many others like you. Expertise, demonstrated and repeated over time, is just noise. What you share should help your audience see their obstacles and experiences through a new lens. A lens that points to possibility. A lens that exposes solutions they’ve overlooked. A lens that doesn’t sound and feel like everything else they’ve come across.

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6 Learn from feedback

The sixth and final step is to learn from feedback, which means seeking and receiving input from others to improve your research and synthesis skills. You can use methods like surveys, polls, reviews, or comments to collect and analyze feedback from your audience, clients, and stakeholders. You can also use sources like mentors, coaches, or courses to get and apply feedback from experts and professionals. Learning from feedback will help you refine your strengths and address your weaknesses, and keep you updated and relevant.

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Erica Breuer

Messaging Strategist & Writer | Founder, The Worst-Kept Secrets Club | Co-Host & Producer, Trash Talk Podcast | Say What Matters. Shape Your Industry.
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Differentiate thoughtful skeptics from world-class hecklers. Skeptics make thoughtful comments. They can be won over with data, results, and digestible, logical steps. Their comments and questions can be used to strengthen the ideas and solutions you share. Hecklers are there to play devil’s advocate, to poke the bear, and not much else. When pressed, their feedback usually boils down to "just asking questions," and it is not likely to lead you down a worthwhile path.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Erica Breuer

Messaging Strategist & Writer | Founder, The Worst-Kept Secrets Club | Co-Host & Producer, Trash Talk Podcast | Say What Matters. Shape Your Industry.
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You’ll often overlook your most original thinking because it’s easy to miss when you’re searching for something “big.” The best ideas are deceptively simple. In fact, most of your best ideas don’t need to be brainstormed. They’re already part of what you do every day, in the conversations you hold and in the results you create every day. Appreciate them for what they are and take them from being hidden in plain sight, to known and useful worldwide.

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How do you stay ahead of emerging trends in your field?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Scan your sources

2 Curate your content

3 Synthesize your insights

4 Apply your knowledge

5 Share your expertise

6 Learn from feedback

7 Here’s what else to consider

Thought Leadership

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How do you stay ahead of emerging trends in your field?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Scan your sources

2 Curate your content

3 Synthesize your insights

4 Apply your knowledge

5 Share your expertise

6 Learn from feedback

7 Here’s what else to consider

Thought Leadership

Rate this article

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