What causes some ideas to flourish while others fade away? And how can we enhance the likelihood of valuable ideas gaining traction? One of the most captivating reads I encountered this year is Chip and Dan Heath’s “Made To Stick” — a brisk exploration of successful idea narratives. Given the common struggle many of us face in effectively conveying ideas and ensuring their impact, I’d like to share the key principles of effective idea dissemination that I gleaned from this book.
Chip and Dan Heath present 6 attributes that render ideas sticky, encapsulated within the mnemonic: Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Stories (SUCCES).
Simplicity: Simplicity is attained when an idea is distilled to its essence, focusing on its fundamental elements. Simple doesn’t necessarily mean brief (though brevity aids), but rather emphasizes highlighting the core essence.
Unexpectedness: Successful ideas defy the mundane and ordinary, capturing attention by deviating from the norm. Once engaged, sticky ideas sustain interest by fostering curiosity, compelling us to explore further.
Concreteness: Ideas must be conveyed using tangible sensory details. This is where much of business communication falters. Speaking concretely ensures universal understanding of the idea across the audience.
Credibility: Sticky ideas provide compelling reasons to believe in their validity (even if not entirely accurate). While statistics are valuable, they often lack tangibility. Personal experiences also lend credibility. Ideas open to scrutiny tend to be more dependable.
Emotion: Engage your audience by evoking an emotional response to your idea. Sticky ideas resonate on a subconscious level, appealing to our desires, aspirations, and self-image. Human connections are more compelling than abstract concepts.
Storytelling: Stories ignite our imagination, broadening our perspective by inviting us into diverse realms of thought and emotion. In addition to fulfilling other stickiness principles — offering surprises, concrete details, and emotional resonance — stories serve as virtual playgrounds, allowing us to draw our own conclusions.
Principle 1: Simplicity
To achieve success, the initial step is clear: Keep it simple. This doesn’t imply dumbing down; rather, it involves identifying the essence of the idea. “Finding the core” means distilling an idea to its most crucial essence. This requires eliminating extraneous elements and even important ideas that, while significant, aren’t the most crucial. The skill lies in mastering the art of exclusion.
In a courtroom, if a lawyer presents 10 points, they might not all be remembered. Thus, the lawyer must emphasize the most pivotal point that could sway the case in their favor.
An abundance of choices often leads to decision paralysis, as it’s not always clear what’s best. Core messages aid decision-making by reminding people of what truly matters, guiding their choices.
Arguably the simplest of all sticky ideas is Einstein’s E = MC², encapsulating the complexity of the universe and the enigma of relativity in just five characters and symbols.
Apart from being core, simple messages also need to be concise. This may seem obvious: we understand that sentences trump paragraphs, and simple words are preferable to complex ones.
The challenge lies not in discarding unimportant elements, but in trimming the important yet non-essential aspects — distilling to the core idea.
Principle 2: Unexpected
Effective communication hinges on first capturing attention and then maintaining it.
Humans naturally gravitate towards patterns, which they quickly adapt to. Consequently, breaking these patterns is key. Familiar sounds or smells often go unnoticed until something disrupts them.
An effective strategy for making ideas stick is as follows:
Identify the central message — find the core;
Highlight what’s counter-intuitive about the message — what are its unexpected implications? Why isn’t it occurring naturally?
Present the message in a manner that disrupts your audience’s predictive patterns. Once their predictions fail, help them refine their understanding.
Surprise grabs attention by defying expectations, prompting us to think and engage. Unexpected ideas stick because surprise compels attention and cognition, embedding these events in our memory.
However, surprise loses its impact if it’s merely gimmicky. True surprise is unpredictable but sensible upon reflection. It piques curiosity when we perceive a gap in our knowledge, compelling us to seek answers and sustaining our attention.
Principle 3: Concreteness
Among the six characteristics of “stickiness” delineated in this book, concreteness is arguably the most straightforward to grasp and apply.
The potency of concreteness is exemplified by the enduring popularity of Aesop’s fables, which have resonated with humanity for some 2,500 years. These tales vividly embody concreteness. For instance, the story of the fox and the grape concludes with the fox dismissing out-of-reach grapes as likely sour — thus the phrase “sour grapes,” found in countless languages. This offers a tangible image that endures, unlike the less tangible phrase “don’t be such a bitter jerk when you fail.” The latter lacks lasting impact as it’s devoid of concrete imagery.
An idea becomes concrete when it can be perceived or described through the human senses. A V-8 engine is concrete; “high-performance” is abstract. Concrete concepts are more memorable. Studies reveal that people recall concrete nouns more readily than abstract ones: “bicycle” over “justice” or “personality.”
The principal distinction between an expert and a novice lies in the expert’s capacity to view things abstractly. For instance, consider the contrasting perspectives of a judge and a jury: while the jury perceives concrete trial details, the judge interprets them in terms of legal precedent and historical lessons. Novices see concrete details as discrete entities; experts discern them as symbols of patterns.
Moreover, concreteness fosters alignment by elucidating objectives. Even experts benefit from clarity. Take, for instance, a software startup aiming to create “the next great search engine.” Within the startup, two programmers possess nearly identical skill sets. However, their interpretations of “the next great search engine” diverge: one prioritizes comprehensiveness, while the other emphasizes speed. Their efforts won’t fully synchronize until the goal is rendered concrete.
Principle 4: Credibility
What engenders belief in ideas? Often, it’s based on authority figures — parents, traditions, experts, and the like. But what if such authoritative figures are unavailable? This chapter explores how to establish credibility in their absence.
Several strategies are suggested: (1) Leveraging anti-authority, (2) Utilizing concrete details, (3) Employing statistics, (4) Applying the Sinatra Test, and (5) Utilizing testable credentials.
Anti-authority: For instance, highlighting a dying smoker’s experience to underscore the hazards of smoking. Similarly, consider the scientist who validated his theory about bacteria causing ulcers by ingesting the bacteria himself.
Details: In the absence of external authorities, the message itself must convey credibility through internal coherence. Extensive knowledge of details often serves as a proxy for expertise. For instance, potential jurors were more inclined to grant custody when presented with copious details, even irrelevant ones like a child’s toothbrush type.
Statistics: While a common method for making a point, statistics must be used judiciously. They should illustrate relationships rather than just numbers, serving as input rather than output.
The Sinatra Test: Analogous to Frank Sinatra’s song “New York, New York,” which suggests that success in New York signifies success anywhere, this test identifies a singular case that bolsters the credibility of an idea.
Testable Credentials: This encourages consumers to validate the idea independently. A prime example is Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef” campaign, prompting consumers to compare burger sizes themselves.
Principle 5: Emotional Appeal
How do we elicit an emotional response to our messages? The good news is that we don’t need to manufacture emotion from nothing. One effective method is to establish a connection between something the audience doesn’t care about and something they deeply value.
What matters most to people? Themselves. It’s no surprise that invoking self-interest is a reliable way to garner interest.
To make people care about ideas, we can:
Shift from Analytical Thinking: We evoke empathy for specific individuals or demonstrate how our ideas align with existing concerns or appeal to their self-interest. Additionally, we appeal to their identities, not just as they are presently, but as they aspire to be.
Utilize Associations: A fundamental method to evoke care is by linking something they’re indifferent about with something they value. This tactic of association is innate to us all.
Self-Interest: Another approach is to appeal directly to self-interest. A common mistake is focusing on features rather than benefits. For example, highlighting having the “best seed” rather than the resulting “best lawn” that individuals truly desire. Often, people shy away from addressing self-interest, but an appeal using “you” specifically is notably more effective.
Identity Appeal: It’s crucial not to narrowly define self-interest; intangibles like self-esteem or a sense of duty can also motivate. Decisions are often made based on identity rather than a rational weighing of pros and cons, as individuals consider questions like “Who am I?” and “What is expected of me in this situation?”
Principle 6: Narrative
It’s widely acknowledged that a compelling story is highly memorable. A compelling story inspires action.
A key to making an idea stick is to frame it as a narrative. Stories engage listeners’ imaginations, embedding the idea in their minds.
Crafting a story can be challenging. The authors identify three primary story archetypes:
The Challenge Plot: This involves overcoming obstacles, such as the classic underdog story or triumphing over adversity through sheer willpower.
The Connection Plot: These stories revolve around individuals bridging divides, whether racial, class-based, or other, fostering social cohesion and empathy.
The Creativity Plot: This narrative centers on innovative problem-solving or breakthroughs in thought processes.
Stories help overcome the Curse of Knowledge. Instead of simply stating “Keep the lines of communication open” when discussing problem-solving, individuals recall their own experiences, struggles, and lessons learned. Sharing these stories effectively communicates the message.
Moreover, stories often inherently meet other criteria for stickiness: they are typically concrete, emotional, and unexpected. However, ensuring they remain simple enough can be a challenge.
These principles outline traits shared by sticky ideas, making them more likely to resonate and be remembered. Embrace these rules to ensure your messages “stick” with your audience.
