Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Tags: #communication #psychology #marketing #ideas #storytelling
Authors: Chip Heath, Dan Heath
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Overview
This book is a practical guide to making ideas stick—making them understandable, memorable, and effective in changing thought or behavior. We wrote this book because we’ve spent years studying why some ideas succeed while others fail. One of us, Dan, worked in education, trying to figure out the best ways to teach complex subjects. The other, Chip, studied ‘naturally sticky’ ideas like urban legends and proverbs. We realized that we were both pursuing the same goal: understanding the principles of stickiness. This book shares what we’ve learned. We identify six key principles that make ideas sticky, summarized by the acronym SUCCESs: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Stories. Each chapter explores one of these principles, offering practical examples and advice for applying it to your own ideas. We also introduce the villain of our story: the Curse of Knowledge. The Curse of Knowledge is the natural tendency to forget what it was like not to know something. This makes it difficult for experts to communicate their ideas to novices, as they often assume too much knowledge on the part of their audience. Throughout the book, we offer strategies for overcoming the Curse of Knowledge and making your ideas stickier. This book is relevant to anyone who needs to communicate ideas effectively—managers, teachers, marketers, politicians, and even parents. We believe that by understanding the principles of stickiness, you can make your ideas more likely to succeed in the world.
Book Outline
1. SIMPLE
This chapter focuses on the importance of simplicity in making ideas stick. Simplicity doesn’t mean dumbing down an idea; it means cutting away unnecessary details to expose the core message. By prioritizing the most important element, we can make it easier for people to understand, remember, and act on our ideas.
Key concept: Simple = Core + Compact. To make an idea sticky, we have to find its core and communicate it in a compact way. The Army’s ‘Commander’s Intent’ is a perfect example of finding the core of a complex plan, by focusing on the desired end-state. Compact ideas, like proverbs, are powerful because they pack a lot of meaning into a small space. ‘A bird in hand is worth two in the bush’ is a great example.
2. UNEXPECTED
This chapter explores the power of Unexpectedness to make ideas stick. We are wired to notice things that violate our expectations. This ‘surprise’ grabs our attention and makes us more likely to remember the unexpected element. To hold people’s attention, we can use the element of mystery, building curiosity and a need for closure.
Key concept: The Gap Theory of Curiosity. Our curiosity is piqued when we feel a gap in our knowledge. We are drawn to mysteries, puzzles, and unexpected events because they create knowledge gaps that we instinctively want to fill. Think of the classic news teasers: ‘There’s an invisible chemical in your home—and it may be killing you right now!’
3. CONCRETE
This chapter highlights the importance of Concreteness in making ideas stick. Abstract ideas are hard to grasp, but concrete ideas are easy to visualize and remember. To make an idea concrete, we need to ground it in sensory details and use specific examples. Concreteness also helps people coordinate their actions.
Key concept: Concreteness is about making ideas tangible and relatable. It’s the difference between talking about ‘high-performance’ and a Nordie ironing a customer’s shirt. Concrete ideas are easier to understand, remember, and put into action.
4. CREDIBLE
This chapter explores the importance of making ideas Credible. To make people believe our ideas, we can draw on external sources of credibility, such as authorities or antiauthorities. We can also boost internal credibility by using vivid details, statistics on a human scale, and examples that pass the Sinatra Test.
Key concept: The Sinatra Test. An idea passes the Sinatra Test when a single example is enough to establish credibility in a given domain. For example, if your security firm has the contract for Fort Knox, you’re credible for any security job. ‘If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.’
5. EMOTIONAL
This chapter delves into the power of Emotions to make ideas sticky. While we may believe in an idea intellectually, we’re more likely to act on it if we care about it. To make people care, we can appeal to their self-interest, tap into their identities, and associate our ideas with emotions that already exist, such as sympathy, anger, or joy.
Key concept: The Mother Teresa Effect. Charities have long known that ‘If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.’ People donate more to a single, identifiable victim than to a larger, more abstract cause.
6. STORIES
This chapter emphasizes the power of Stories to make ideas stick. Stories provide simulation (knowledge about how to act) and inspiration (motivation to act). They help us understand cause-and-effect relationships, make sense of complex situations, and see how our actions can make a difference. We explore three basic plots: The Challenge Plot, The Connection Plot, and the Creativity Plot.
Key concept: Stories as Flight Simulators. Stories can act as mental flight simulators, preparing us to respond more quickly and effectively in real-life situations. They offer a safe space to learn from others’ successes and failures and to rehearse our own responses to potential challenges.
Essential Questions
1. What does it mean for an idea to ‘stick’?
Stickiness refers to an idea’s ability to be understood, remembered, and ultimately acted upon. It means cutting through the noise of daily life and leaving a lasting impact on the audience. Sticky ideas often exhibit a combination of traits, including simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotional appeal, and the power of storytelling. The authors argue that by consciously applying these principles, we can make any idea more likely to succeed.
2. What is the ‘Curse of Knowledge’ and how does it hinder communication?
The Curse of Knowledge is our tendency to forget what it was like not to know something. As we gain expertise, we become blind to the knowledge gaps of novices, making it difficult to communicate effectively. This explains why experts often struggle to explain their ideas clearly and why we sometimes find ourselves bored by presentations that should be fascinating. Overcoming the Curse of Knowledge requires conscious effort to simplify, make concrete, and find ways to bridge the knowledge gap with the audience.
3. What are the six key principles that make ideas stick?
The authors identify six key principles, summarized by the acronym SUCCESs: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Stories. Each of these principles acts as a lever to amplify an idea’s stickiness. Simple ideas are easy to understand and remember; unexpected ideas grab our attention; concrete ideas are relatable and actionable; credible ideas are believable; emotional ideas make us care; and stories help us simulate and inspire action. These principles can be applied to any type of communication, from business presentations to classroom lessons.
4. Why are stories such powerful tools for making ideas stick?
Stories are effective for several reasons: they act as ‘flight simulators’ for the brain, allowing us to rehearse for real-world situations. They help us understand cause-and-effect relationships and make sense of complex information. They also tap into our emotions, making us care about the outcome. By incorporating stories into our communication, we can make our ideas more engaging, memorable, and actionable.
Key Takeaways
1. Unexpected ideas are stickier when they generate insight.
Unexpectedness grabs attention, but for an idea to stick it must also be post-dictable, meaning the surprise makes sense in hindsight. This is achieved by targeting an aspect of the audience’s existing schemas related to the core message. When schemas are broken in a relevant way, it leads to insight and refinement of their understanding, making the idea more memorable and impactful.
Practical Application:
A software development team could use the ‘pocketable radio’ story to inspire their work on a new mobile app. By emphasizing the audacious goal of creating an app that fits in your pocket (both literally and figuratively) and challenges the team to push the boundaries of what’s possible, the story can foster a sense of excitement and motivation.
2. Concreteness makes ideas stickier by making them tangible.
Abstract ideas are slippery and hard to grasp, while concrete ideas are easier to understand, remember, and act upon. By using sensory language, specific examples, and relatable analogies, we can make abstract concepts more tangible, helping people visualize the idea and understand its relevance to their own lives.
Practical Application:
When designing a new feature, use concrete language and examples to demonstrate its value. Instead of saying “This feature will enhance user engagement”, create a user story with a specific scenario illustrating how the feature solves a tangible problem for a user, making the benefit clear and relatable to the development team.
3. Statistics are more effective when presented in a human-scale context.
Statistics, while credible, can be overwhelming and forgettable. Instead of focusing on the numbers themselves, we should use statistics to illustrate a relationship or concept. The ‘human-scale principle’ advocates for translating statistics into relatable terms, using analogies and comparisons that resonate with everyday experience, making the information more understandable and memorable.
Practical Application:
In a technical presentation, instead of overwhelming the audience with data, use the ‘human-scale principle’ to make statistics more meaningful. For example, translate complex metrics about system performance into relatable terms, like ‘The new algorithm can process a week’s worth of data in just one hour,’ creating a more intuitive understanding of the impact.
Suggested Deep Dive
Chapter: Chapter 6: STORIES
For AI product engineers, stories offer a valuable way to make complex technical concepts more relatable and to communicate the potential benefits of AI solutions in a human-centered way. The chapter offers practical guidance on identifying and using different story types for maximum impact.
Memorable Quotes
Chapter 1: SIMPLE. 34
“Finding the core” means stripping an idea down to its most critical essence. To get to the core, we’ve got to weed out superfluous and tangential elements.
Chapter 1: SIMPLE. 52
At one level, the idea of compactness is uncontroversial. Rarely will you get advice to make your communications lengthy and convoluted, unless you write interest-rate disclosures for a credit card company. We know that sentences are better than paragraphs.
Chapter 2: UNEXPECTED. 71
Naturally sticky ideas are frequently unexpected. If we can make our ideas more unexpected, they will be stickier. But can you generate “unexpectedness”? Isn’t “planned unexpectedness” an oxymoron?
Chapter 3: CONCRETE. 111
Using concreteness as a foundation for abstraction is not just good for mathematical instruction; it is a basic principle of understanding. Novices crave concreteness.
Chapter 5: EMOTIONAL. 175
Belief counts for a lot, but belief isn’t enough. For people to take action, they have to care.
Comparative Analysis
Made to Stick distinguishes itself from other communication books by focusing on the inherent ‘stickiness’ of ideas rather than just presentation styles. While works like “Presentation Zen” by Garr Reynolds emphasize visual clarity and simplicity, “Made to Stick” dives deeper into the cognitive psychology behind why certain ideas resonate and inspire action. It echoes the principles of clarity and conciseness found in Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style” but goes beyond grammar and style to analyze the conceptual structure of impactful ideas. The book’s emphasis on emotional connection and storytelling aligns with Nancy Duarte’s “Resonate”, but “Made to Stick” provides a more concrete framework for weaving those elements into communication. The book shares Gladwell’s interest in social epidemics from “The Tipping Point”, but rather than examining what makes social epidemics spread, “Made to Stick” focuses on crafting the message itself for maximum impact.
Reflection
“Made to Stick” presents a compelling case for the power of sticky ideas, but it’s important to remember that these principles are not a foolproof formula for success. While the SUCCESs framework provides a valuable toolkit, its effectiveness ultimately depends on how it’s applied. Skeptics might argue that some of the book’s examples are cherry-picked and that not all ideas can be made sticky. There’s also a risk of oversimplifying complex issues in the pursuit of simplicity. However, the book’s strength lies in its practical advice and its ability to make complex psychological concepts accessible. By understanding how our brains process information, we can become more effective communicators and create ideas that make a lasting impact. In a world overflowing with information, the ability to make ideas stick is more crucial than ever, particularly in fields like AI and technology where complex concepts need to be communicated clearly and compellingly.
Flashcards
What does the SUCCESs acronym stand for?
Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories
What is the ‘Curse of Knowledge’?
Our tendency to forget what it was like not to know something, making it hard to communicate with novices.
How can we make our ideas Simple?
Find the core message and communicate it concisely.
How can we make our ideas Unexpected?
Break a pattern, violate expectations, and create curiosity gaps.
How can we make our ideas Concrete?
Use sensory language, specific examples, and relatable analogies.
How can we make our ideas Credible?
Draw on authority, use vivid details, statistics, and testable credentials.
How can we make our ideas Emotional?
Appeal to self-interest, identity, and existing emotions. Tell stories that resonate.
Why are stories effective in making ideas stick?
Stories act as flight simulators for the brain, helping us simulate and inspire action.