

Rio Hondo College Math & Science Center Tutor, Mathematics major at Rio Hondo College in Los Angeles
The take-home message — Rather than relying on data to drive change, appeal to the heart by telling human stories, and by helping people visualise the change that’s needed. If in doubt, follow the SUCCESs principles outlined by Chip and Dan Heath in their fantastic book, Made to Stick. Tell Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional Stories.
If you want to change people’s minds, you have to convince their heart first. Our hearts respond to stories of specific people — which is why successful charities get you to sponsor one child, rather than a whole community. Our hearts also respond to the concrete rather than the abstract — in other words, we need to be ab…