Made to Stick

When giving instructions as a manager, or when speaking to groups, it is important to follow six principles.  All the statistics, charts, and graphs in the world won’t “stick” in people’s minds even close to the effectiveness of these principles.  And, that is our goal right—to say things in such a way that the listeners remember?

Chip Heath from the Business Graduate School of Stanford University and his brother and Dan Heath a former researcher at the Harvard Business School have documented these principles in their in depth studies on ”the stickiness factor” of getting audiences to remember what you say.

Principle 1:  Simplicity. Get your idea down to a one sentence statement

Principle 2.  Unexpectedness. Violate peoples expectations, do something they don’t expect.

Principle 3.  Concreteness. Make your idea clear.

Principle 4. Credibility. Get People to believe your idea.

Principle 5.  Emotions.  Get people emotionally involved in your idea.

Principle 6.  Stories.  Relate your ideas into stories people can connect to in their minds.  Use a narrative.

These principles can be remembered using the following mnemonic:  Succes.

I have found that fitting all these principles into my presentations and giving instructions has vastly improved my effectiveness.  It will for you too.

Source: Made to Stick by Chip Heath & Dan Heath Random House New York 2007.    

Rod Mattson May 2011