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–business people, teachers, politicians,
journalists, and others–struggle to make their ideas “stick.”
Why do some ideas thrive while others die? And how do we improve the chances of worthy ideas? In Made to Stick, accomplished educators and idea collectors Chip and Dan Heath tackle head-on these vexing questions. Inside, the brothers Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier, such as applying the “human scale principle,” using the “Velcro Theory of Memory,” and creating “curiosity gaps.”
In this indispensable guide, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds–from the infamous “kidney theft ring” hoax to a coach’s lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony–draw their power from the same six traits.
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 the vital principles of winning ideas–and tells us how we can apply these rules to making our own messages stick.
Why do some ideas thrive while others die? And how do we improve the chances of worthy ideas? In Made to Stick, accomplished educators and idea collectors Chip and Dan Heath tackle head-on these vexing questions. Inside, the brothers Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier, such as applying the “human scale principle,” using the “Velcro Theory of Memory,” and creating “curiosity gaps.”
In this indispensable guide, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds–from the infamous “kidney theft ring” hoax to a coach’s lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony–draw their power from the same six traits.
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 the vital principles of winning ideas–and tells us how we can apply these rules to making our own messages stick.
(from the jacket)
I confess . . . I read this book a few years ago. However, I chose this one first to demonstrate how we'll do the blogging (come summertime, when people aren't so insanely busy). The main entry is from the book. People can post comments after reading the book and engage in some dialogue. Here's my response to the book from 1/3/10:
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating book! I heard about it on Doug Johnson's Blue Skunk Blog, and am so very glad I got it. These brothers have studied why some ideas (like urban legends and good marketing campaigns) "stick" in people's memory and why other ideas don't (like so much of what is shared in businesses, classrooms, etc.!).
Sticky ideas follow the "SUCCESs" checklist: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional Stories. I'll recommend this one to my principal. I'd love to see this as an all-school read (the way Sue had us do at NP). Fascinating book!
Great book on creating and finding ideas that will make your message "stick". Think "Where's the beef" commercials!
ReplyDeleteThe book gives you a good understanding of SUCCESs, with examples to assist with understanding.
Another aspect that the book touched on was the Army's use of the "Commander's Intent": "If we do nothing else during tomorrow's mission, we must _____________________. The single, most important thing that we must do tomorrow is _______________." I plan on changing this to assist with everyday teaching: "If I teach nothing else during tomorrow's class, I must teach __________________. The single, most important concept that I must get across tomorrow is __________________."