Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

SUCCES(s): Simple - Finding the core of your idea Unexpected - Only by breaking peoples schemas do you get to build new ones Concrete - Avoiding the abstract, and 'the Curse of Knowledge' helps things stick Credible - Your message must be believable, and here are ways to make it so... Emotional - Emotion gets people to act, how to create emotion... Story -...more

SUCCES(s): Simple - Finding the core of your idea Unexpected - Only by breaking peoples schemas do you get to build new ones Concrete - Avoiding the abstract, and 'the Curse of Knowledge' helps things stick Credible - Your message must be believable, and here are ways to make it so... Emotional - Emotion gets people to act, how to create emotion... Story - Stories are much more memorable. All that sound like common sense? I challenge you to find anyone actually using this in your company! One of the most significant books I have ever read!!   hide

Words. Ideas. Everyday we utters a great many words and spreads tons of ideas. The majority of out mental tidbits are just for fun, but sometimes, there are actually things that we want people to remember, to learn, to recall in moments of their lives. This feeling is especially true for teachers, mentors, parents, marketers, or even caring friends. "Made to stick" has collected...more

Words. Ideas. Everyday we utters a great many words and spreads tons of ideas. The majority of out mental tidbits are just for fun, but sometimes, there are actually things that we want people to remember, to learn, to recall in moments of their lives. This feeling is especially true for teachers, mentors, parents, marketers, or even caring friends. "Made to stick" has collected numerous samples of how ideas can stick, and when they can't. A formula of SUCCESs (simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, stories) that is easy to follow as a litmus test to our messages and ideas. If we really care enough about the message we communicates to people, we would probably care enough to learn to make it stick. An amazing book, this is.   hide

What these guys say makes so much sense and is important for people who do what I do, of course, but also for anyone who has a message to get across. I was a little disappointed because this book doesn't have much more than I heard when I attended a talk one of the authors gave a month or so ago.

This book breaks down in simple terms why ideas, slogans and products make it in the world. It exposes the human condition to what draws us to get excited and listen to an idea. Anyone who finds marketing exciting or is planning to start their own business or take their product to market should read this book!

Great book, insightful tips (backed up by studies) on what makes ideas stick. Features of sticky ideas include: simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional and built around good stories. Why do bible proverbs stick forever? Why does "It's the economy, stupid (Clinton) stick? And remember, "where's the beef?" (Wendy's). These and dozens of...more

Great book, insightful tips (backed up by studies) on what makes ideas stick. Features of sticky ideas include: simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional and built around good stories. Why do bible proverbs stick forever? Why does "It's the economy, stupid (Clinton) stick? And remember, "where's the beef?" (Wendy's). These and dozens of other examples show you what make a sustainable idea--one that grabs people's attention, and often leads to action.   hide

At last I came across a book which tells, how to put words so that people pay attention. How to speak so that audience remember your words long after. What is the best way to 'tell others' so that your idea stick with their mind. With the SUCCESs principle the author duo have put forward the theory of Stickiness. A communication retard like me learned a lot from this work of Heath...more

At last I came across a book which tells, how to put words so that people pay attention. How to speak so that audience remember your words long after. What is the best way to 'tell others' so that your idea stick with their mind. With the SUCCESs principle the author duo have put forward the theory of Stickiness. A communication retard like me learned a lot from this work of Heath brothers.... really i learned a lot. This pop psy book is not just for copyrighting folks, but everyone who cares to convey his idea clearly across every single brain must fallow this book for good.   hide

Working these days does not mean just do and expect results. Often times, we have to collaborate and work with others. Through constant negotiation, certain perspectives are shared and even compromised. How to do that is the challenge. Just like education now, which increasingly becoming a shared and interactive learning process between the teacher and student. This book "Made to Stick" by...more

Working these days does not mean just do and expect results. Often times, we have to collaborate and work with others. Through constant negotiation, certain perspectives are shared and even compromised. How to do that is the challenge. Just like education now, which increasingly becoming a shared and interactive learning process between the teacher and student. This book "Made to Stick" by brothers Chip and Dan Heath (Random House, NY, 2007) shares 6 principles that will help to make one's message.. stick. They are: Simple - Don't lose the core message when we are trying to convey a message. Sometimes, we overload with too much information that the original intent is obscured. Very true. The authors used Palm CEO, Jeff Hawkins' example of keeping the first Palm Pilot only good at doing 4 things very well, without cluttering it. Similar to the original iPod too, while its competitors were stuffing all sorts of function in their products. Unexpected - Try and break the routine. I remember flying from Madison to Chicago when the flight attendant was demo'ing the safety drill. It was a small plane and short flight, so there wasn't any video. The attendant actually made it quite memorable with some light-hearted jokes. Just like how the authors related one such example in the chapter. Also, try and create a cap of curiosity, so that others will want to explore more. Concrete - Some facts, actual experiences or simulations will help people remember. When teaching, it's really rather useless if we only focus on facts. How and why these facts relate to the actual world makes remembering and understanding them more real and lasting. When setting goals, it helps when there are clear and measurable targets to work towards. Like KPIs ya? Credible - Most of the times, we have to walk the talk in order to convince others. Remember, it all starts with the one in power or authority? Other than that, statistic and information presentation will help others to understand the details. Also, sometimes, it's also useful for the audience to test the credibility of the information, to boost one's credibility further. Emotional - After letting others believe you (in Credible), it's also important that others care for what you are trying to inform them. By helping them to relate and associate themselves help to engage them more. One can also appeal to self-interest (Think about what this can do to you..) or identity (Use this, and you will be like me!). Stories - Actual real examples and experience will make the learning stickier. Let the audience go through a simulation. Use the stories from the simulation as learning opportunities. Also stories can be used as inspiration, giving them a challenge, a way to connect and create a new way to think. An instruction can be given with a story, instead of a bullet list. With these six principles, when we present, teach etc.. * we need to make people pay attention by using some unexpected * let them understand and remember what we say by giving them some concrete information not abstract ideas; * make them believe and agree by giving them credible * make them care by appealing to them emotionally; * and then empower them to act by letting them share stories or go through a simulation; * simple is an essential principle for all the others. (pg. 253-7) Not just in education, when we present ideas, or when doing a presentation, these principles are very applicable. These are good reminders for those who are in a position to effect changes. Sometimes, it's not just the content, it's how we present it that matters. That's what this book's subtitle "Why some ideas survive and others die?" trying to bring across.   hide

Every marketing person I know has read this. It's good actually, and I enjoyed it. The only problem is...2 months later, I don't remember much about it. All I remember is that I liked it and the cover is memorable. I just took a two day course at UBC, on marketing, and of course they touted the book. I nodded like a good monkey, because I remember thinking: gee, this is really well...more

Every marketing person I know has read this. It's good actually, and I enjoyed it. The only problem is...2 months later, I don't remember much about it. All I remember is that I liked it and the cover is memorable. I just took a two day course at UBC, on marketing, and of course they touted the book. I nodded like a good monkey, because I remember thinking: gee, this is really well written, these guys really know their stuff.The problem is, I can't remember anything applicable that I got from the book. Not much seems to have...stuck. Surely that's just me...I should probably read it again.   hide

Whether you’re a CEO or a full-time mom, you’ve got ideas that you need to communicate: a new product coming to market, a strategy you want to sell your boss, values you are trying to instil in your children. But it’s hard – fiendishly so – to transform the way people think and act. Mark Twain once observed, “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get...more

Whether you’re a CEO or a full-time mom, you’ve got ideas that you need to communicate: a new product coming to market, a strategy you want to sell your boss, values you are trying to instil in your children. But it’s hard – fiendishly so – to transform the way people think and act. Mark Twain once observed, “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” His observation rings true: Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus public-health scares circulate effortlessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas – businesspeople, teachers, politicians, journalists, and others – struggle to make their ideas “stick.” Made to Stick is a book that will transform the way you communicate ideas. It’s a fast-paced tour of success stories (and failures): the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who drank a glass of bacteria to prove a point about stomach ulcers; the charities who make use of the “Mother Teresa Effect”; the elementary-school teacher whose simulation actually prevented racial prejudice. Provocative, eye-opening, and often surprisingly funny, Made to Stick shows us how we can apply these rules to making our own messages stick.   hide