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- Tiny minds, Gen Z slang, and 68 bits of unsolicited advice
Tiny minds, Gen Z slang, and 68 bits of unsolicited advice
A toddler’s take on learning, Gen Z lingo decoded, and timeless advice you’ll want.
Shachar Aylon & Mads Hanna
November 15, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
This week is curated by Mads Hanna, Brand Storyteller & Founder of curated compass. Here is what she has to say:
“So often I get caught up in obsessing over a client’s target audience, customer persona, ICP, customer avatar, or blah blah blah, but at the end of the day? We’re building for and speaking to humans. On the daily, my curiosity yanks me down rabbit holes that help me understand what humans find interesting, how they learn, and ultimately why they feel the way they feel.”
1. Tiny minds, big discoveries: what toddlers teach us about curiosity.
Right now I lead an intentionally child-free life, but when I spend time with kiddos, I’m always fascinated. This curious group of little people always find ways to teach me something.
A study from Johns Hopkins University reveals that toddlers, like adults, can evaluate possibilities and learn effectively from unexpected events. The study found that toddlers learn significantly from seemingly impossible events, because they prompt them to search for explanations that help them better understand the world. The hunger to learn and understand starts early and is a part of being human. How’re we going against the brand grain, and creating impossible or unexpected storytelling moments that encourage people to lean in and meaningfully engage?
Side note: this just crossed my TikTok feed this morning—watch these elementary school kids get their minds blown through one teacher’s ‘impossible’ school assembly presentation.
2. Good advice never gets old.
‘Tis the season to try not to fall asleep before 8pm and…start your EOY reflection. On the kiddo flipside, there’s so much to learn from our elders and how they look at the world with decades under their belt. Every December since 2020, I’ve replayed Kevin Kelly’s ‘68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice,’ his “birthday present” to the people. This kinda wisdom only comes from a co-founder who launched Wired magazine back in 1993.
As an entrepreneur, brand builder, and storyteller—I glom onto a new piece of advice each year that inevitably opens up the floodgates of curiosity within my own personal life and the work that I do.
3. Fluent in Gen Z.
GenZ. Oooooh GenZ. These youths always be teaching me something. If you, like me, want to better converse with this budding group of primary future purchasers—you’ve gotta start building the relationship now, and learn their language. Enjoy learning some 101 GenZ slang that has no doubt started to infiltrate your social feeds.
Me practicing with my partner at home: "Not trying to flex, but my mozzarella schnitzel slaps, no cap.” (Gotta start somewhere, right?)
Found something curious? Or maybe you want to be a guest curator for one of the next issues? Simply hit ↩️ reply.
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