Professionally Speaking » Book Review: Made to Stick

Made to Stick is a must-read for anyone tasked with creating a message people will remember. A message that will stick. You might work on the Corporate Overview for a multi-billion dollar corporation. You might be an independent businessperson who just wants to write an advert people will remember. The challenges are the same. The issues you must face up to include:

The Curse of Knowledge

Happens when you’ve lose the ability, as an expert in your field, to realize how little someone who has never heard of your topic before will grok. You speak in abstractions, all they want is a concrete example. Here’s a case in point:

The mission of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer is to assure the effective management and financial integrity of Department of Energy programs, activities, and resources by developing and implementing and monitoring Department-wide policies and systems in the areas of budget administration, program analysis and evaluation, finance and accounting, internal controls, corporate financial systems, and strategic planning.

Office of the Chief Financial Officer, US Department of Energy

Will you remember that in the morning? Or in five minutes? No way.

Making things too complex

The Heath’s quote a factsheet on the dangers of sun exposure and take the time to craft an alternative message (p.40) that is much simpler. One that eliminates non-essential information. The core of the message is made interesting, unexpected even. Simple messages have a strong core and are compact. Proverbs such “A bird in the hand” are the ultimate in sticky, powerful messages that have spread across the world and survived down the ages.

Being boring and predictable

Repetitive messages can become boring. TV commercials are a case in point. As Roy H. Williams points out, you need to surprise the brain in order to break through the defense mechanisms we have that filters out the predictable.

Fuck!

See, like that Unexpected word. Of course, your challenge in the Multi-Billion Dollar Corporation is to write a memorable message that does not Fuck! with the customers. That’s why they pay the big bucks. And the Heath’s have answers to help.

Giving a message credibility gives it stickiness. Quoting external authorities, using details and testable challenges all work. Create emotional empathy for a specific individual and people will remember what you have told them.

Stories with compelling plot (ones that Challenge, or are Creative or make a Connection) stimulate and inspire the audience, and ensures they will remember what you’ve said.

For an idea to stick an audience must:

Pay attention – to the UNEXPECTED
Understand and remember – the CONCRETE
Agree and Believe – in the CREDIBLE
Care – EMOTIONALLY
Be able to act – on the STORY

Much of what this book has to offer is useful to speechwriters and professional speakers. Check it out.

Book Review: Made to Stick

The Curse of Knowledge

Making things too complex

Being boring and predictable

Fuck!

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