How To Choose a Topic for Your Next Article in 5 Minutes

Now that you're a member of Fast Company Executive Board, you've got the FastCompany.com readership on lock. You just need to figure out what you want to say.

No problem. Below we've provided a list of 20 ideas for your next article. Just scan through, grab whichever one resonates for you today, and start sharing your expertise. 

1. Describe a blockbuster professional challenge you've faced. What can others learn from this?
2. What are the best ways to keep your team engaged?
3. What is the most useful advice about innovation (or another topic) you’ve heard? How do you apply it?
4. Technology moves fast, and it's easy for people to get mistaken ideas about new developments. What's one misconception you can debunk?
5. How do you conduct market research? What's something you have learned from this method?
6. What effect is X [insert a recent technological development] having on your company or industry? How should readers deal with it?
7. What are the top three (or five) trends shaping your industry today?
8. What are the most important qualities a new hire in your field should possess? Do the qualities differ by job function?
9. Customer service, customer outreach, customer experience — what are the best practices you or your business engage in to keep people coming back?
10. How does your business engage in social good initiatives, support community efforts, or partner with local organizations? Why does this make sense for you, and how might others implement similar programs?
11. What game-changing technology has recently affected you or your customers, and how have you pivoted?

1. On what subject do you disagree with other tech leaders? Why?
2. What tips can you offer for transitioning a brilliant idea from the drawing board into reality?
3. Describe a lesson you've learned from an industry other than tech and applied to your work, or a lesson from technology that would apply well in other fields.
4. Think of a business decision you made that you would make differently now, and explain why.
5. How does marketing [or sales, or human resources, or any other thing] differ for tech companies versus other businesses?
6. Consider your last "eureka!" moment. What steps led to the creative breakthrough? How can others follow a similar path to innovation?
7. Describe one of your core business strategies, how it works for you, and why others should adopt it.
8. Have you implemented a business strategy that you heard on a podcast or read on a blog lately? Would you recommend it to others? Why or why not?
9. What are the considerations for building a sales or marketing campaign around a technological development?

Spend a few minutes brainstorming on one or more of these prompts, and you'll find a list of article ideas specific to you and your expertise. Fast Company Executive Board members, submit your draft here to get editorial feedback whenever you're ready; editors are standing by to help polish your article for publication.