Made to Stick: Why some ideas take hold and others come unstuck by Chip Heath, Dan Heath
This book went straight onto my recommended list. Like in the first chapter – it’s that good.
It’s based around (as the title suggests) ideas that stick and they cover it incredibly well via this handy acronym for sticky ideas:
SUCCES (no last s)
Simple
Unexpected
Concrete
Credible
Emotional
Stories
Chip and Dan discuss each of the areas, how they work, how to apply and even provide handy case studies. I won’t go into the thoughts behind each and every area (no, you need to read the book!).
But I will share five of the quotes that stood out for me
(the below are all quotes directly from the book)
1. “Research shows that people are more likely to make a charitable gift to a single needy individual than to an entire impoverished region. We are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions.”
2. “The most basic way to get someone’s attention is this: Break a pattern.”
3. “We trust the recommendations of people whom we want to be like.”
4. “Abstraction makes it harder to understand an idea and to remember it. It also makes it harder to coordinate our activities with others, who may interpret the abstraction in very different ways. Concreteness helps us avoid these problems.”
5. “Mysteries are powerful, Cialdini says, because they create a need for closure. “You’ve heard of the famous Aha! experience, right?” he says. “Well, the Aha! experience is much more satisfying when it is preceded by the Huh? experience.”
Want to read more? The book is here.
Also… I suggest you print out this bad boy and gaze as it next time your developing a zany idea!
Happy reading,
C x
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