Made to Stick

Why do some ideas stick while others fade into oblivion? 'Made to Stick,' by Chip and Dan Heath, breaks down the psychology behind what makes certain ideas memorable and influential. Through a blend of storytelling, real-world examples, and scientific research, the authors reveal the six core principles that make ideas 'sticky': Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions, and Stories (SUCCES). Chip Heath, a professor at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, and his brother Dan, a senior fellow at Duke University's CASE center, pool their expertise to make this a must-read for anyone looking to communicate more effectively. The book's insights are invaluable for educators, marketers, business leaders, and anyone who wants their ideas to resonate and be remembered.

Key Ideas:

1. The Curse of Knowledge: The Curse of Knowledge explains the difficulty experts face in conveying information to novices because they forget what it's like not to know something. For example, in the 'tappers and listeners' experiment, tappers couldn't understand why listeners couldn't identify the songs they were tapping, illustrating the communication gap created by this curse. The Curse of Knowledge underscores the need for simplicity and empathy in communication. 'Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has cursed us.'

2. Power of Storytelling: Stories are a potent tool for making ideas memorable and engaging. The book highlights that firefighters share stories after each fire to learn from experiences, effectively multiplying their expertise. Stories act as mental flight simulators, preparing us for similar situations in real life. 'Hearing stories acts as a kind of mental flight simulator, preparing us to respond more quickly and effectively.'

3. Essential Simplicity: Simplicity involves identifying the core message and stripping away the non-essential details. The book cites examples like James Carville's 'It's the economy, stupid' from Clinton's 1992 campaign, which emphasized focusing on a single clear message rather than being bogged down by multiple points. 'If you say three things, you don’t say anything.'

4. The Power of Concrete Details: Concrete details make ideas easier to grasp and remember. For example, comparing movie theater popcorn's saturated fat content to multiple high-fat meals makes the health message more impactful. 'A medium-sized “butter” popcorn at a typical neighborhood movie theater contains more artery-clogging fat than a bacon-and-eggs breakfast, a Big Mac and fries for lunch, and a steak dinner with all the trimmings—combined!'

5. Emotional Connection: Emotions are crucial for making ideas stick and motivating action. The story of the Truth campaign, which evoked teenagers' anti-authority feelings to combat smoking, is an example. 'Feelings inspire people to act.' The book emphasizes crafting messages that resonate emotionally to enhance engagement and memorability.

6. Unexpectedness: Surprise grabs attention and breaks patterns, making information more memorable. Karen Wood's humorous safety announcements on a flight exemplify this by transforming a mundane message into an engaging one. 'The most basic way to get someone’s attention is this: Break a pattern.'

7. Vivid Comparisons and Proven Examples: Using vivid comparisons, like the danger comparison between deer and sharks, and proving reliability through challenging scenarios as per the 'Sinatra Test', like Safexpress's delivery during the release of the fifth Harry Potter book, helps in making statistics relatable and proving credibility. 'If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.'

Practical Tips:

1. Avoid Knowledge Assumptions: Combat the Curse of Knowledge by simplifying and empathizing with your audience. Try to put yourself in their shoes and strip your message down to its core essence.

2. Tell Engaging Stories: Use relatable and emotional stories to illustrate your points. Storytelling helps your audience better understand and remember your ideas.

3. Make Messages Concrete: Incorporate specific, vivid details into your message to make it more relatable and memorable. Use analogies and examples that align with your audience's experiences.

4. Create Emotional Appeals: Craft your messages to evoke emotions. Use personal stories or vivid imagery to make your message more engaging and motivating for your audience.

5. Utilize Surprising Elements: Introduce unexpected elements to grab your audience's attention. Incorporate novelty or surprise to make your message stand out and be remembered.

Key Quotes:

• A sticky idea is one that’s more likely to change how your students think and act.

• Ideas need to be 'sticky' to be effective. Sticky ideas are understandable, memorable, and impactful in changing thought or behavior.

• If you argue ten points, even if each is a good point, when they get back to the jury room they won’t remember any.

• Naturally sticky ideas are full of concrete images—ice-filled bathtubs, apples with razors—because our brains are wired to remember concrete data.

• Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has cursed us.

• If your strategy doesn’t have stories that convey it, that should be a warning flag about your strategy—it may not be sufficiently clear to influence how people act.

• Our function would be like a little machine: You feed in a temperature (say 85 degrees) and out pops the rate of chirping (say sixty chirps per minute).

• The most basic way to get someone’s attention is this: Break a pattern.

• The less we rely on the actual numbers, the better.

• Testable credentials can provide an enormous credibility boost, since they essentially allow your audience members to try before they buy.

• Avoiding inert strategies: The most common refrain in strategic communication is repetition, repetition, repetition. Keep repeating the strategy, again and again, until it finally sinks in.

• Surprise acts as a kind of emergency override when we confront something unexpected and our guessing machines fail.

• Feelings inspire people to act.

• We are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions.

• A good story is better than an abstract strategy statement.