We Share Ideas Made to Stick Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

We Share Ideas chief

We Share Ideas What Sticks? Kidney heist –A myth Halloween candy tampering – A myth Movie popcorn –Real commercial, press picked up, stuck Sticky = Understandable, memorable, and effective in changing thought or behavior

We Share Ideas The “Stickiness” Factor The right people The “Stickiness” Factor The right context

We Share Ideas Stickiness Principles S imple – 1 idea vs. 10 U nexpected – Grabs Attention C oncrete -- Visual C redible – “Are you better off today?” E motional – They feel something S tories – Jared of Subway A Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credentialed, Emotional Story

We Share Ideas What Gets in the Way? The Curse of Knowledge Tappers & Listeners –It’s hard to be a Tapper – you have a tune playing in your head (that they don’t hear) We can’t imagine others don’t “know” –Consider: “Unlocking Shareholder Value” Unexpected? Concrete? Emotional? Story?

We Share Ideas What Gets in the Way? The Curse of Knowledge Experts understand things to the point of abstraction – conceptual knowledge They tend to explain things that way Novices don’t understand –Not Concrete –Not Simple –Not Sticky ? “Maximizing Return on Equity” ?

We Share Ideas Sticky vs. Abstract –Simple? –Unexpected? –Concrete? –Credible? –Emotional? –Story? Consider: Kennedy - “Put a man on the moon & return him safely by the end of the decade”

We Share Ideas Sticky vs. Abstract –Simple? –Unexpected? –Concrete? –Credible? –Emotional? –Story? Consider: Kennedy - “Put a man on the moon & return him safely by the end of the decade” Or? “Our mission is to become the international leader in the space industry through maximum team-centered innovation and strategically targeted aerospace initiatives”

We Share Ideas #1 - Simple Find the Core –Southwest – “The low fare airline” –Inverted Pyramid – most important at the top Force prioritization – If you say 3 things, you don’t say anything –“It’s the economy, stupid” –Don’t bury the lead

We Share Ideas Where’s the Lead? Kenneth L. Peters, the principal of Beverly Hills High School, announced today that the entire high school faculty will travel to Sacramento next Thursday for a symposium in new teaching methods. Among the speakers will be anthropoligist Margaret Mead, college president Dr. Robert Maynard Hutchins, and California governor Edmund “Pat” Brown.

We Share Ideas The Lead? “There will be no school next Thursday”

We Share Ideas #1 - Simple Share the Core –Simple = “Core” + “Compact” –Proverbs – Sound bites that are profound Bird in the hand (Aesop – 570 b.c.) Golden Rule “Names, Names, Names” – Small town paper –Visual proverbs: The Palm Pilot wood block –Existing Schemas: The Pomelo –A high concept pitch: “Alien” = “Jaws on a Space Ship” –Generative analogy: Disney’s “cast members.”

We Share Ideas #2 - Unexpected Get attention: Surprise –Southwest flight safety announcement –Break a pattern – Enclave Minivan (Ad Council) Click here for Video

We Share Ideas “This is your brain on drugs” –Break their guessing machine (on a core issue) – and then fix it –Avoid gimmicky surprise – make it “postdictable” –“The Nordie who…” Wraps a package from Macy’s Warms cars Refunds tire chains #2 - Unexpected Get attention: Surprise –Southwest flight safety announcement –Break a pattern – Enclave Minivan (Ad Council) Or? “Our mission is to provide the best customer service in the industry”

We Share Ideas #2 - Unexpected Hold attention: Interest –Create a mystery: What are Saturn’s rings made of? –The Gap Theory of Curiosity: Highlight a knowledge gap The news-teaser approach: “Which local restaurant has slime in the ice machine?” –Hold long-term interest: Sony’s “pocketable radio” and the “man on the moon.”

We Share Ideas #1 + #2 1.Identify the central message you need to communicate — find the core 2.Figure out what is counterintuitive about the message — i.e., What are the unexpected implications of your core message? Why isn’t it already happening naturally? 3.Communicate your message in a way that breaks your audience’s guessing machines along the critical, counterintuitive dimension 4.Once their guessing machines have failed, help them refine their machines

We Share Ideas #3 - Concrete Help people understand and remember –Write with the concreteness of a fable (Sour grapes) –Provide a concrete context: Asian teachers’ approach to teaching math (subtraction) –Put people into the story: Accounting class taught with a soap opera –Use the Velcro theory of memory: The more hooks in your idea, the better

We Share Ideas #3 - Concrete Help people coordinate –Drawings vs. Shop Floor: Find common ground at a shared level of understanding –Goals in tangible terms Our new plane (727) will fly 131 pax, MIA-LGA and land on Runway 4-22 (<5,000’) Vs: “The best passenger plane in the world” The “Pocketable Radio” –Create a common turf where people can bring their knowledge to bear The VC pitch and the maroon portfolio (tablet computing) –Talk about people, not data: Hamburger Helper’s in- home visits

We Share Ideas #4 - Credible Help people believe – citing authority –Ulcers are caused by bacteria –Flesh-eating bananas External credibility –Authority and antiauthority - Pam Laffin, smoker Click here for Video

We Share Ideas #4 - Credible Internal credibility –Convincing details: The 73 year old dancer –Make statistics meaningful Nuclear warheads as BBs (5,000) –The Human Scale principle – Covey Soccer Analogy 4 of 11 know which goal is theirs – only 2 care –Which is more dangerous – shark or deer? –The Sinatra Test: “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere” We handled Harry Potter and your brother’s board exams” –Testable credentials “Are you better off today?” “Where’s the beef?”

We Share Ideas #5 - Emotional Make people care –The Mother Teresa principle If I look at the one, I will act –People donate more to Rokia than to Africa 7-year old girl in Mali –Appeal to self-interest The “benefit of the benefit” that they can imagine themselves enjoying -- WIIFY –Maslow’s higher needs

We Share Ideas Maslow’s “Heirarchy”

We Share Ideas Why Study Algebra? Expert reasons –Communicating in symbols, math models of our world, relationships between variable quantities, etc. Internet reasons –Need to graduate, future math requires it, admission to college, creating a budget, etc. –Brother – sales rep for high-tech, now realizes Algebra was important Dean Sherman, math teacher: –You’ll never need this –Weight lifting – knock over defender, carry groceries, lift your grandchildren –Mental weight training – Develop logic to be a better doctor, lawyer, architect, prison warden, parent, etc.

We Share Ideas #6 – Stories Get people to act Simulation – Tell people how to act & inspire them –Key Plots Challenge – to overcome obstacles Connection – to get along or reconnect Creativity – inspire a new way of thinking –Springboard stories - see how an existing problem might change

We Share Ideas Stickiness Principles S imple – 1 idea vs. 10 U nexpected – Grabs Attention C oncrete -- Visual C redible – “Are you better off today?” E motional – They feel something S tories – Jared of Subway A Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credentialed, Emotional Story

We Share Ideas Made to Stick Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath