Future human behaviour

After half a study in International Business and a full study in Cultural Studies, with a thesis on subcultures, Thimon de Jong started his career as editor-in-chief of RELOAD, a board sports and design scene magazine. This combination of study and practical experience made him an expert in youth and media and made him sought after by various research agencies.

In 2014, De Jong founded WHETSON / strategic foresight, a think tank of future-orientated thought leaders who exchange research, next practices and future strategies around one basic question: what are people going to do next?

Many of your themes are about the future. Does this make you a trendwatcher?

I don’t mean to be negative, but Dutch trendwatchers tend to discuss more broad and ambiguous topics, such as next year’s colour trends and the increased demand for craft beer. I only talk about the future of behaviour based on scientific research. In any case, I rarely come across the term ‘trendwatcher’ abroad.

What behavioural changes are companies and sectors currently dealing with?

First, the mental health crisis. Mental problems have increased sharply, especially when we were two-thirds of the way through the health crisis. Scientists also speak of a polycrisis to describe the times we live in now: we’re in a permanent state of crisis. Research shows that Gen Z suffers the most from this.

The worldwide market is responding to this issue with mental health gyms to train mental resistance instead of muscles and mental health walk-in shops, like a kind of hairdresser, but to talk about problems.

You could say that it’s everyone’s responsibility to see a therapist, but companies and governments also have a role to play. They will have to deal proactively with employees’ mental health in the long term, just as they do now with physical health.

Until recently, this topic had a negative connotation, especially among men my age (47). Organisers dislike themes containing the word ‘crisis’ for the introduction of a conference or a lecture before drinks. Mental health is too heavy a subject for them. However, thanks to the influx of a new generation, companies are now interested in addressing mental health.

Over the last two years, AI and behavioural change have been the most in-demand. How should a company deal with them? How do you encourage employees to experiment with them? What if AI takes over certain tasks? They’re captivating subjects, but they’re only getting attention because they’re in the hype phase.

What kind of audience do you give lectures to?

The vast majority of my lectures are for people higher up the ladder, the decision-makers.

So, your rates are high.

We’re expensive but also very good. Management as a target group is a conscious choice. We want to make an impact and encourage new policy, which means we need to influence the decision-makers. To effect change, they need to lend their support.

It’s also grown that way. When you’re working at that level, you often get new requests from the same types of people. People recommend speakers to each other. I’m now a bit older, and decision-makers regard me as an equal sparring partner, which helps.

And our high rates reduce demand, giving us more time to provide tailor-made super lectures and do research on the specific questions that come up.

 

Thanks to the influx of a new generation, organisers are now interested in addressing mental health

 

You use a lot of humour in your presentations, which seems to be a major pitfall, especially in mixed international company.

I use humour consciously, knowing that it’s based on science. Emotional responses such as laughing, crying and shock make people feel the message and remember it better. The content stays with them much longer.

Most of my presentations are in the UK because my agent and mentor are based there. Many multinationals don’t want native English speakers in the room for international meetings with diverse cultures because they talk too fast and their tongue-in-cheek humour often falls flat.

The Dutch, Belgians and Scandinavians are the most in demand for culturally mixed groups. Everyone understands their English, and their humour works internationally. They are probably more internationally sensitive without even realising it.

I’ve always struggled with making jokes in Asian countries, especially with an all-Asian audience. Their humour and body language are different, and Asians often require interpreters. By the way, it’s a lot easier when Asians are in an international setting. Then you have a kind of international multicultural dynamic, which helps the jokes land.

Your website says that your presentations are interactive. How do you go about it?

Behavioural science is also involved here. After no more than 20 minutes, you need to get the audience to participate. Most people can’t hold their attention any longer than that.  I usually encourage people to talk to their neighbours about the topic. I get a lot of positive feedback on that. I often hear that it led to something, like a new idea or contact.

I once had an assignment for a group of technicians and had them discuss an IT topic and mental health. I had a decibel meter with me, and the conversations about mental health I measured were louder and more animated.

I’m not a fan of raising hands because letting people stand and vote by sitting is more effective. I do this with three answer options instead of two, which is also backed by research.

I also prefer not to use a voting app because people will again be on their phones. I only see added value in submitting questions because asking them out loud is too high a bar for many participants.

You regularly do duo-presentations with younger, talented speakers who work at your company. What’s the added value of doing this?

In the beginning, I worked alone and missed my colleagues. I could have hired a researcher or personal assistant, like many other speakers, but I thought it’d be nice to have a junior colleague who would also give lectures. It also gave me the opportunity to accept work from organisations that could not afford my services otherwise. We quickly realised that standing together on stage would be innovative for clients and fun for us. We’ve been doing this for years now, and it works very well. There are several generations in the audience, so each group can identify with someone on stage.

How do you select these speakers?

I have encountered all this in practice. There are a few things I pay attention to. First, I look to see if someone is authentic, has charisma, is pleasant to look at and listen to, and is believable. Second, and perhaps most importantly, a speaker is on stage for the audience, not just for themselves. They need to radiate, ‘Here, I have a gift, all my knowledge and all my energy, for you.’ Third, a person must have an intrinsic interest in others, including the tech people and catering.

I also think diversity is very important. This field mainly has white, middle-aged men on stage, so people who don’t look like me have an advantage.

Do you also have a tip for organisers?

Since the health crisis and with people working from home, I noticed that audiences have a greater need to talk to each other. Sometimes, I have to wave for more than half a minute before they stop talking during an exercise. At conferences, as much as possible is crammed into two days, which means people don’t have enough time to chat. And during the coffee break, people pick up their phones again to check their emails.

It would be beneficial if organisers took more control and encouraged people to talk to each other. This starts by including more time for interaction in the programme. And before the coffee break, you can encourage participants to stay away from their phones and share their initial thoughts about the presentation.

 

‘I’m tearing up again’
I once cried on stage. That was six or seven years ago in Reykjavik. It was during my daughter’s birthday, so my wife and two children came along.

When it was time for questions from the audience, the first person said, “We can’t ask questions before singing for your daughter’s birthday!” The moderator had mentioned it briefly when introducing me. Everyone stood up, and 400 people sang ‘Happy Birthday’ in Icelandic. As you can hear in my voice, I’m tearing up again.