Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath
Want to know why some ideas stay around, and others die a quiet, painful death? Well, the Heath brothers are the ones to explain the difference. Using anecdotes as disparate as urban legends (remember the “organ theft” ring?), the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” blockbusters, and the movie popcorn brouhaha over saturated fats, Heath and Heath break down and analyze stories that work – and those that don’t – to give readers a better chance of making their own ideas stick.
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Whether you’re an independent direct salesperson, the leader of a small religious congregation, or an online entrepreneur, the authors’ findings will help you present your own ideas in a more effective manner. Some of their suggestions for sticky ideas:
- Make it simple. A confused mind does nothing.
- Make it unexpected. Think about surprising people, like the guy who loses 100 lbs. eating Subway sandwiches.
- Make it concrete. The more you’re able to ground your ideas in someone else’s reality, the more they’ll stick.
- Make it credible. Statistics, graphics, before-and-after photos all help make your claims or story more believable.
- Make it emotional. We like logic, but we like emotion more. In fact, some experts argue that most decisions are made emotionally. Appeal to logics AND emotions.
- Make it a story. Ever since our ancestors gathered around campfires and shared stories of vanquishing saber-tooth tigers,, we have loved stories. Stories are easy to relate, easy to remember, and thus are stickier.
Using their framework and suggestions, anyone – a business person or an elementary school teacher – can create stories and ideas that stick.