Book Review: Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive And Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

This book can change your life. 

Communication 101 or how to get people to remember your point of view.

Urban legends are life lessons in how to reach out to other people.

Three declarative statements... three leads to an article... three different yet valid ways that could very well be 'the one' to encourage you to read this book.

In Made To Stick, Chip and Dan Heath look at the ins and outs of why some ideas flourish yet others wither on the vine. Part human nature study, part history lesson and practical wisdom acquired by both experience and experiments, Stick examines how to make your idea stand out in a crowd. 

Before stopping right here, assuming that this book must be geared for those in advertising and that it is not for you, think again.  This book, which is an easy-to-absorb read and entertaining as well, is for anyone out there who has a concept that they want to share. Yes, those in publicity can benefit from Made To Stick - that's a given.  But we all have ideas; scientists, teachers, businessmen, journalists and even parents want to impart their life's knowledge to their offspring.  Their guidelines can help anyone achieve those goals.

The Heaths have put together six principles on what makes a concept 'sticky,' i.e. memorable. They are: Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions and Stories.  That's right, SUCCESs. 

To get these points across, it only takes one look at any of the many Urban Legends that, with the advent of our computer age, have taken on a life of their own. Stick  starts off with one such myth, the "Organ Thief" cautionary tale. This is the story that revolves around someone, typically a friend of a friend, who takes a step off of their morality path and pays for it in the end with the loss of a vital body part. It's simple: a guy walks into a bar. Unexpectedly, he's approached by a beautiful woman offering to buy him a drink. It is concrete and credible... even if you've never been in a bar, you surely must know at least one person who has. It evokes the fear that can arise from participating in even the most mundane of actions. It tells a story.

Article Author: tink

Formerly a Public Relations/Artist Development maven in the music biz, I
am now a freelance journalist specializing in the entertainment industry.
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