Future studies, right up until the industrial age, were primarily driven by trends and probabilities – the task was to adapt and integrate. The new era of Digitality (digital + reality), however, opens up an entirely different approach: one based on possibilities, rather than probabilities. Max represents this new school of futures thinking. He demonstrates how we can rethink the way we view the world – letting go of industrial-era narratives and instead shaping the future through our own unique set of possibilities, whether as individuals, companies or entire regions. To do this, we don’t need to “transform” or attend a “change workshop”. We simply need to learn how to recognise possibilities in our everyday lives – and even build our own possibility-matrices as practical tools. What’s essential is a positive mindset. We need clear values that we truly want to live by – and then use technology as an amplifier. So how do we move from German Angst to a German Future? How can we spot potential opportunities in our daily lives to take a more active role in shaping …

How the Future Shapes Our Lives – and How Our Lives Shape the Future. 64 pages in a pocket-sized format. That’s all it takes to explain the possibilities of the future—and how we can shape them. Or as Max puts it: “Sure, you could write 640 pages on the topic. But my idea was to create a book that everyone can carry in their pocket, read a few lines at a time, and then look at their own personal and professional life to see what new opportunities they have—and what they can do now to shape the future!” Order the book here – and in this case, the entire book price will be used to fund talks for students who otherwise couldn’t afford them. https://betterlivinggroup.sumupstore.com Max Thinius is Europe’s leading futurologist, and in this book, he illustrates how we shaped structural change during industrialization—and what we can learn from it to meaningfully shape the age of digitalization. He emphasizes the importance of positive thinking because only then can we transform the vast array of new …

What is a Futurologist? Futurologists are not the same as future researchers!Future researchers try to predict the future using data, statistics, and forecasting models. Futurologists, on the other hand, come from practice and include far more parameters in their considerations. They analyze which narratives have shaped past developments and why. They compare this with current societal culture and geopolitical dynamics—and instead of probabilities, they analyze possibilities. In other words, they explore how we can actively shape the future: This approach is also known as hermeneutic future research. For those who want to dive deeper: The Scientific Approach of Hermeneutic Future Research Future as an Interpretable Narrative Field 1. Max’s Core Idea Traditional future research often works with data models, trends, and forecasts. However, the future is not just a linear projection of data—it emerges from cultural, social, and psychological meaning systems (also called narratives or stories). Hermeneutic future research takes a different approach:It interprets the future as a narrative field shaped by history, values, symbols, and societal discourse—combined with current possibilities. 2. Principles of Hermeneutic Future Research 📌 Future as NarrativeThe future is not just a collection of facts but a woven tapestry of ideas, perceptions, …

When we talk about the future, we often talk about how everyday life will change. That means: on the one hand, we “only” have the new technology, but it will be used in all areas of our lives. So not only in our everyday life, in our profession or in individual areas, but in all 17 areas of life at the same time. This seems frightening to many people, because if something changes everywhere …. But the opposite is the case, because there are many possibilities. This list should help to divide life into smaller units and to take a closer look at what new opportunities are opening up there and how these can be newly networked in the sense of a greater quality of life and economy for as many people as possible. But let’s just think about industrialisation. In order for it to take hold, we didn’t just need the steam engine (aka the internet today). We also needed trade unions that fought for social laws, for health insurance, sick pay … otherwise …

How does LEOH (the food retail online trade) work? Experience insights on how to establish a new category in retail. How do you get the idea to establish an online supermarket? What are the hurdles that stand in your way? How do you achieve a veritable learning curve among consumers, society, the media public? What are the key factors that make LEOH successful. And, oh yes, how does an online supermarket like this actually work in everyday life and what potential is there in business models and convenience for manufacturers, consumers and society in general? Many! Keynote / show – 45/90/120 min Contact Max welcome@maxthinius.de // +49 30 6130 90 41

Don’t be afraid of the future! Probably the most entertaining insight into the future, understandable for everyone. Max explains how the future actually works, why we sometimes panic (but don’t have to) and who actually shapes our future. He takes a trip into the world of intelligent refrigerators, new health care systems, smart technologies, self-driving cars in smart cities and wondrous developments promised for our smart everyday lives. He brings all this “smartness” together in an understandable way and shows us why the digital revolution will not overwhelm us in the end, but rather why it offers us all prospective opportunities. Keynote / Show – 90/120 min Thanks to SPRECHERHAUS® Nadin Buschhaus for the photo