How do you stay up-to-date on industry trends?
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Staying up-to-date on industry trends is crucial for any leader who wants to make informed decisions, innovate, and adapt to changing customer needs and expectations. However, with so much information available online and offline, how do you filter out the noise and find the most relevant and reliable sources for your field? Here are some tips to help you keep your finger on the pulse of your industry.
Follow key influencers
One of the easiest ways to stay updated on industry trends is to follow the people who are shaping them. These could be thought leaders, experts, practitioners, or even competitors who share their insights, opinions, and experiences on social media, blogs, podcasts, or newsletters. By following key influencers, you can learn from their perspectives, discover new ideas, and engage with them and their followers.
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The easiest and (in my opinion) best way to stay updated on industry trends is to be right where you are - on LinkedIn. Find people who speak about your industry and the topics that you are interested in. Follow them, and engage with their content for an even more meaningful experience. While the key influencers with six figure follower counts are always important to follow, I would also recommend following people with far fewer, as you are more likely to be able to have an actual exchange of thoughts and ideas. A mix of both is my advice. There is an amazing amount of thought leadership, news and advice here on LinkedIn. Leverage it!
Join professional networks
Another way to stay in touch with industry trends is to join professional networks and communities that are relevant to your field. These could be online platforms, forums, groups, or associations that offer opportunities to connect with other professionals, exchange information, ask questions, and access resources. By joining professional networks, you can expand your network, gain feedback, and participate in discussions and events.
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Professional networks are a convenient way to connect with people who have similar expertise and interests. I am a part of the National Speakers Association (NSA), and I’ve met so many speakers and event organizers through this organization. Joining NSA led to forging a strong speaker community, and it also opened up opportunities to speak to the group about the intersection of mental health and storytelling.
Attend webinars and events
A third way to stay updated on industry trends is to attend webinars and events that cover topics and issues that are important to your industry. These could be online or offline, free or paid, formal or informal, depending on your preferences and availability. By attending webinars and events, you can learn from experts, stay informed of the latest developments, and interact with other attendees.
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There are so many webinars, live events and podcasts that you can attend and listen to. There is absolutely nothing holding us back from learning something new every day. Many of these are free or low cost. There are multiple LinkedIn Live and LinkedIn audio events every day. In person events give you the added advantage of time to meet people face to face and make an in person impression, but virtual events and webinars mean that geographic location is no longer a barrier to entry. Sometimes, my biggest challenge is deciding which event or webinar to attend, and what fits my schedule. Podcasts are available at any time, and they are a great way to learn and be inspired on your own schedule. I often listen to them while I am walking.
Read publications and reports
A fourth way to stay updated on industry trends is to read publications and reports that provide in-depth analysis, data, and forecasts for your industry. These could be industry-specific magazines, journals, newsletters, blogs, or research papers that offer valuable information and insights. By reading publications and reports, you can deepen your knowledge, identify opportunities and challenges, and benchmark your performance.
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As a professional communicator, I love to start my day by reading industry news while I drink my coffee. It’s helpful to see what news organizations are most interested in at the moment. From there, it can guide strategy of prioritization and focus for the rest of my day.
Experiment and learn
A fifth way to stay updated on industry trends is to experiment and learn from your own experiences and those of your team, customers, and partners. This means trying out new tools, methods, products, or services that are relevant to your industry, collecting feedback, measuring results, and making improvements. By experimenting and learning, you can test your assumptions, validate your ideas, and innovate.
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I am a big fan of "Learning by doing". While reading and attending events are important, it's hands-on experience that truly helps us understand. We need to experiment ourselves in order to get the full picture. This approach shapes our expertise and guides us to the right direction.
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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Leader or not, life is all about continuous never ending change and improvement (cneci) as we grow, learn, develop and regenerate. Consider: Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other ~ John F. Kennedy Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young ~ Henry Ford The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing ~ Albert Einstein We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn ~ Peter Drucker Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever ~ Mahatma Gandhi