01
The perspective
A trend the audience has to deal with, stated in one line the room will remember, with the evidence behind it.
How to read it
A trend. A call. Three moves.
A keynote that stops at the trends leaves the audience with a picture. The action map is the part that tells them what to do with it. Each trend gets the same three-part treatment.
02
The call
One instruction for the year ahead, written to be repeated.
03
The moves
Three things to start. Few enough to fit on one slide and to remember back at the office.
The action map · The Future in 5 Perspectives
Five perspectives. Five calls. Fifteen moves.
The brief asked for the future of the UAE seen through the economy, technology, sustainability, society and government. Each perspective ends on a “2025 strategy” slide. The words below are the words on the slides.
01 · The perspective
The economy
“Volatility is the new normal.”
A study of companies in downturns since the 1970s: 60% barely survived, 30% died and 10% became breakthrough performers.
The call
“Remain on an economic offence”
The moves
- Economic R&D
- Continued investment in critical technology
- Digitizing the economy
02 · The perspective
Technology
“It’s the era of acceleration.”
Time to reach a million users: Netflix 3.5 years, Instagram 2.5 months, ChatGPT 5 days.
The call
“Play on the AI tech offensive”
The moves
- AI gyms
- AI R&D
- AI collaborative global networking
03 · The perspective
Sustainability and the environment
“A story of the inevitability of science.”
The price of solar modules has fallen 99.6% since 1976. The first terawatt of solar took 22 years; the next two arrive within five.
The call
“Sustainability is the new business”
The moves
- New grid business model
- AI takes on a role in the smart grid
- Batteries at the heart of the future of energy
04 · The perspective
Society
“Generation next.”
Half the global population is under 25. 66% of Millennials and Gen Z are interested in starting their own business.
The call
“Double down on the UAE brand”
The moves
- Transform education models and future skills faster
- Groom the entrepreneurial mindset
- Future progress driven by UAE native values
05 · The perspective
Government
“Agile leaders lead fast nations.”
62% of citizens expect government services to be as fast as the private sector. 75% of government leaders say slow decision-making is a barrier.
The call
“Be fit for the future”
The moves
- The UAE as a global leader for future opportunities
- Future-oriented policies accelerating industry, human capital and fast trends
- New “future fit”, agile government business models
One level down
Under the calls, working lists.
Where the audience needs more than a headline, a perspective carries its own checklist. Two from this deck:
Under perspective 04 · Society
Future skills action plan
- Accelerate digital skills training
- Provide flexible funding and low-risk financial support
- Support sustainability-oriented initiatives
- Enhance mentorship and network-building platforms
- Establish experiential-oriented innovation
Under perspective 05 · Government
What do governments need to do?
- Enhance future-oriented decision making
- Provide “experiential sandboxes”
- Upskill the government workforce relentlessly
- Build a culture of accelerated decision making
The close · “So what do we do?”
Get out in front.
The last slide gathers the five perspectives into one list for the year ahead, and ends on Jim’s signature line: think big, start small, scale fast.
The keynote behind that line ↗- Translate fast-moving trends into opportunities with agile governance
- Encourage digital exploration through applied innovation
- Encourage “MGI” thinking: the Master of Government Imagination, Jim’s name for officials who see things differently and refuse to accept the status quo
- Invest in “experiential capital”
- Upskill and reskill
About this example
The keynote that was never given.
The session was withdrawn from the agenda on the day Jim was due to travel, so this deck was never presented. He later published it and told the story.
The keynote I never gave ↗The full deck (PDF, 69 slides, 85 MB) ↗- Built for the UAE Government Annual Meetings in Abu Dhabi, at the invitation of the Office of the Prime Minister
- The audience: about 700 senior officials from all seven Emirates
- The assignment: a 30 to 40 minute keynote on the future of the UAE from five perspectives
- Developed in October 2024 through rounds of review with the organizing team, who asked that every slide be clear, crisp and immediate
- 69 slides, designed for a very wide LED screen, which is why the slides here are so wide
Your action map
The same structure, built for your industry.
Typically 25–50+ hours of fresh research go into each keynote. The trends are the ones reshaping your sector, the calls are written for your audience, and the moves are the ones your leaders can start on.
Start with the challenge
What do you need your audience to do next?
Jim reads and answers every inquiry personally, usually the same day.