S12, E2 - Anticipating 2025 - Shifts, Shocks and Background Noise with Rohit Talwar

As we enter another year of instability and uncertainty, it behoves all organisations to keep one eye on the future for successful innovation and evolution. But shifting out of survival mode to examine the long game remains a challenge for many.

Horizon scanning and scenario planning to mitigate risk and leverage opportunity ought to be in every business strategist’s toolkit. However, all too often boards and senior leadership teams are stressed and overwhelmed by firefighting and conflicting priorities.

What are the benefits of future-gazing? In this episode, Dom, Jen and Cat chat with IoIC festival keynote speaker Rohit Talwar. They explore some underlying trends that are set to reshape business in 2025 and look at how can internal communicators help their organisations become more future-ready.

Takeaways

• Futurists explore trends and shifts rather than predict the future.
• Organisations need to develop agile and adaptive mindsets.
• AI is a significant force that organisations must engage with.
• Large corporations often struggle with transformation due to their size and conservatism.
• The SME community is more focused on future-proofing their operations.
• Cultural shifts in attitudes towards work are changing organisational dynamics.
• The rise of generative AI is reshaping how businesses operate.
• Effective communication is crucial for fostering a learning culture.
• Organisations must prepare for uncharted territories and unknown unknowns.
• Budget constraints may impact internal communication and training initiatives. The demand for GenAIi prompts is increasing among professionals.
• Organisations must navigate the triangle of human challenges, tech opportunities, and financial pressures.
• Forming alliances with key stakeholders is essential for internal communicators.
• Spotting and promoting mindset shifts can drive innovation.
• Internal communicators should connect employees with organisational changes and external trends.
• Continuous learning is vital for personal and organisational growth.
• No one cares more about your future than you do.
• Learning helps combat fear and confusion in a complex world.
• Internal communication must adapt to the changing landscape of work.
• Highlighting successful examples of innovation can inspire others.

About Rohit Talwar

Rohit Talwar is a global futurist, award-winning keynote speaker, author, and the CEO of Fast Future. He has a particular focus on helping clients develop ‘ready for anything’ leadership mindsets and capabilities to understand and respond to critical forces and developments shaping the future – ranging from geo-political and economic shifts through to sustainability and disruptive technologies such as AI. His keynote speeches and immersive executive education sessions are all highly tailored to the needs and context of the client organisation.

His key current speaking topics include:

• Global forces, shifts, and disruptions shaping the future
• Futureproofing - developing ‘ready for anything’ leadership
• The AI stepchange – accelerating insight, capability, and performance with AI.

Rohit has advised over 2,000 clients in global businesses, technology providers, professional service firms, governments, international agencies, NGO’s, and industry associations across a wide range of sectors in 80+ countries around the world. He uses his insights, experience, and inspirations to help clients build sustainable and future proofed organisations through virtual and in person speaking, executive education, research, consultancy, and publishing.

Fast Future www.fastfuture.com

Fast Future is a foresight agency led by futurist Rohit Talwar with a prime focus on helping clients explore and prepare for future shifts and uncertainties. Key services include keynote speaking, executive education, foresight research, scenario planning, strategy consultancy, event design and book publishing. Critical themes covered include leading in uncertainty, disruptive technologies such as AI, innovation and new business models, global shifts and shocks, new economic thinking, socio-demographic developments, sustainability, and the environment. Fast Future has published seven books and over 20 reports on different aspects of the emerging future.

Find Rohit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit-talwar-futurist-keynote-speaker/

Fast Future: https://fastfuture.com/