Our monthly seminars are the formal setting where our version of “conceptual blending” occurs. Formats vary from chapter to chapter, but all are focused around a specific trend shaping our society.
We intend for our sessions to be graduate-level courses in trends shaping our world, and those poised to impact the rest of the Twenty First Century.
Three weeks before the seminar, a syllabus is published on the Disruptive Thinkers website. This includes books, websites, articles and videos (particularly TED talks) that may be relevant to the upcoming discussion. This provides the foundation for the ideas explored at the actual meeting.
A typical seminar will begin with 30-45 minutes of socializing and networking. Once the meeting has begun, two of our members will give a five minute presentation about something innovative they are doing within the community. These range from Rotary projects, to mobile application development to starting a coffee importing business.
The heart of the evening is a twenty minute expository presentation given by a local expert or well informed member. As many people as possible are encouraged to lead a seminar.
After these presentations, the group breaks into three separate discussion forums. One focuses on military applications of the given topic, another public policy, and the final, business. These are usually the most interactive and entertaining of the evening — you never know where the conversation will end. The night culminates with a recap of each group’s discussion, and applications they created.
Our current month’s seminar can be found at the Current Month page.
Our past seminar syllabi have been archived at the below links:
November 2012: Your Financial Future, Rethought
October 2012: Connected: The Power of Social Networks
September 2012: Classroom Disruptions
August 2012: Elites and Their Discontents
July 2012: Collaborative Consumption
June 2012: The Elegance of Design
May 2012: Biomimicry
April 2012: Disrupting Established Political Institutions
March 2012: Crowdsourcing
February 2012: The Future of Energy
January 2012: The Coming Budget Crunch
December 2011: Leaders
November 2011: Doers
October 2011: Thinkers
September 2011: The Nexus Of Security and Economics
