Summary

Made to Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath, explores the art of crafting memorable and influential ideas by outlining six key principles: Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions, and Stories (SUCCESs). Through engaging examples and stories, the book demonstrates how to apply these principles to create “sticky” ideas that leave a lasting impact. By overcoming the “Curse of Knowledge” and employing the SUCCESs framework, readers can improve their communication skills across various fields and contexts. Made to Stick offers practical guidance, backed by research, to help anyone create and share ideas that resonate with their audience.

The SUCCESs Framework

The authors identify six key principles, encapsulated in the acronym SUCCESs:

  1. Simplicity: Aim for simplicity and conciseness. Distill the core message down to its essential elements, making it easy for people to understand and remember.

    • Example: Using “jaws in space” to describe the high-concept movie “Alien”

  2. Unexpectedness: Capture attention by surprising your audience. Use unexpected information or stories to break through the noise and create a memorable impression.

    • Example: The “Kidney Heist” legend, where a man wakes up in a bathtub full of ice and his kidneys removed.

  3. Concreteness: Use vivid, tangible language and examples to convey your ideas. Abstract concepts are harder to remember, so anchor your message in relatable, concrete terms.

    • Example: The “Velcro Theory of Memory”, where an idea that has more sensory details or concepts are more likely to stick in people’s minds. A robbery description that vividly describes the stolen goods, the suspect’s appearance, and location are more memorable than an abstract description.

  4. Credibility: Enhance the believability of your message by providing credible sources, statistics, or testimonials. Leverage internal credibility, such as personal experience, as well as external credibility from authorities or experts.

    • Example: The “Sinatra Test”, named after Frank Sinatra’s lyric “If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere”, referring to New York. Provides the example of a chef that earned his credibility by working at a prestigious restaurant in NYC.

  5. Emotions: Tap into emotions to create a deeper connection with your audience. Messages that evoke strong feelings, whether positive or negative, are more likely to be remembered and acted upon.

    • Example: The story of Jared Fogle, of Subway fame. His personal story connected with people on an emotional level, making the advertising campaign more memorable and impactful.

  6. Stories: Use storytelling to engage your audience, make your ideas more relatable, and facilitate learning. Well-crafted stories help people visualize, understand, and remember your message.

    • Example: A story about a Nordstrom salesperson that accepted a returned set of tires, even though the store doesn’t sell tires. The story illustrates the company’s commitment to exceptional customer service.

The curse of knowledge

The “Curse of Knowledge” is a central concept in Made to Stick. It refers to the cognitive bias where individuals with a certain level of knowledge or expertise struggle to imagine what it’s like to not possess that knowledge. As a result, they often have difficulty communicating their ideas to those with less knowledge, using jargon or abstract concepts that are hard to understand. This is why those who have just learned about a topic are often the best teachers.

Overcoming the curse of knowledge is key to creating sticky ideas. The book has some recommendations:

  • Simplify your message
  • Use analogies and examples. Tap into schemas that are already familiar to the audience
  • Test your message on a small group that represents your target audience
  • Adjust your language and level of detail based on the audience

What I liked

“Made to Stick” provides a wealth of actionable advice and engaging examples. The book is well-structured, with a clear layout of the SUCCESs framework and each component of it. The principles are supported by research and real-world case studies, lending them credibility. Anyone whose job involves effectively communicating ideas can benefit from reading this book.

What I didn’t like

This is another book that could have been summarized in just a couple of pages, which is what I will attempt to do below. The book is filled with stories that elaborate on the key principles, but it doesn’t really explain why these principles are so effective. Instead, it repeats examples where they have been effective.

My Rating: 3/5