Book Review: Made to Stick

Have you ever wondered why you remember what you do? The authors have distilled the essence of “sticking” (remembering a message) into 6 principles (”SUCCES”):

1) Simplicity: One great idea stated (or displayed) well. A classic sticky message is a proverb (”A rolling stone gathers …” and “A bird in the hand is worth …”). The message is short, concrete, and wise.

2) Unexpectedness: Challenging your knowledge creates curiosity. A message that starts with a provocative question gets the reader invested in the message (”Which of these animals is more likely to kill you? A shark or A deer?”).

3) Concreteness: Nouns are remembered better than verbs. Showing something is much better than talking about it.

4) Credibility: Do you believe the messenger? The more details you provide, the more believable the message. Does the messenger personally know the benefit to the problem you’re solving?

5) Emotions: Do you care about the message? The message needs to focus on a specific (”concrete”) individual. Does the messenger really care about solving a problem?

6) Stories: We seldom remember facts. We remember stories. It’s how we’re wired.

Crafting a message that uses these values is not trivial. You need to make sure you have something worth remembering, something that matters to improving someone’s life. You need to pique interest and provide useful information.

Book Review: Made to Stick - To learn more about this author, visit Jay Hamilton-Roth's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

E-Mail | Print | More

Related Articles
The Article that became the Book: Tips for gaining Quick and Effective Knowledge using Breadth and Depth
	This article shows readers how to gain more knowledge in less time from some of the best books.
The Value of Amazon Reviews
	Have you ever noticed that customers can add their reviews to Amazon books? Many books never have a single review. You can add them and increase your own visibility in the marketplace and have many other benefits--l...
Dont Just Read Write
	If you're like me, you'll read an article, ebook, a physical book, etc. and think, "Wow, that's great stuff!" then let it lay, ending up doing nothing with this new information.
A guide to running and attending meetings
	Meetings are one of the most important things you can do when in business. Unfortunately all too often they can also be one of the least important things. A lot depends on how well they are organised, run and prep...
Empathy
	A flurry of unsolicited questions came in on Friday, including two "please review my blog" letters, and a "please review my book" package. (For the record, I'm totally useless at reviewing your blog, sorry.)

---

Related Forum Posts
	Re: What R U Reading now?
	What R U Reading now?
	Re: Top 50 Lists
	A "Must Have" for People Who Want to Learn to Prom
	Re: What R U Reading now?
	Book Review: Go It Alone: Do What You Do Best, Let Others do
	Promoting
	My reading log