Craft Memorable Presentations — Summary of “Made To Stick”

Apply these six principles, and watch your ideas stick!

Made to Stick (book cover)

Great ideas often go unnoticed, while strange rumors quickly become famous. This is the puzzle “Made to Stick” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath tackles.

Introduction

The authors start by sharing a familiar tale: the widespread panic among parents about the possibility of poisoned Halloween candy. You’ve probably heard stories about razor blades and poison hidden in kids’ treats, but what many didn’t realise is that these fears were based on nothing more than an urban legend.

Why do such stories spread like wildfire, and why are they so hard to debunk? The answer is that they are easy to remember, and people like passing them on.

Let’s illustrate this with a brief example featuring the legendary Steve Jobs. When Jobs introduced the first iPhone, he didn’t just present it as another mobile phone. Instead, he crafted a memorable narrative around it and said:

“Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone”

Those words created excitement. The audience didn’t remember a dry list of technical specifications; they remembered the promise of a revolutionary device.

When Steve Jobs said: “Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone”

The central idea here is that by making your ideas sticky — easy to remember and share — you can make them more effective and influential.

Simple

Simplicity is the key to making ideas stick. The more complicated the explanation, the more likely it is to be forgotten.

Don’t make your idea simpler by changing what it means, but make sure anyone can understand the main point.

A prime example of this is the art of creating captivating headlines, a skill that journalists master to capture readers’ attention and convey the essence of a full article in just a few words.

A bad headline can cause a brilliant article to go unnoticed.

Take, for instance, the famous British business Virgin Atlantic and its slogan, “More experience than our name suggests.” This short statement tells people that their airline is top-notch, despite the name that might seem otherwise. It’s an example of how a simple and catchy statement can stick in people’s minds, while a confusing explanation would be easily forgotten.

It is crucial to simplify complex ideas into short, memorable statements. This makes sure your messages are clear and remembered.

Unexpected

Our brains tend to operate on autopilot, ignoring familiar and expected information to save energy. But usually, when something unexpected happens, it grabs our full attention.

Think of routine pre-flight safety demonstrations. Passengers often tune out because they know the script. However, if a flight attendant were to break from the norm everyone would pay attention. If you haven't seen that hilarious video, I highly recommend you give it a go:

By presenting ideas in an unexpected or memorable way, you can ensure they get the attention they deserve.

Concrete

Ensure that an idea is easy to understand and sticks in memory.

People often use abstract terms when explaining things, assuming that others share their level of knowledge. An experiment showed that this can lead to misunderstandings.

To avoid this, it’s crucial to use concrete, understandable language and provide examples or vivid descriptions when communicating. Concrete terms are easier to grasp and more memorable.

Credible

Ideas are more likely to be accepted if they are considered credible. Credibility can be established in various ways.

• Experts supporting a story lend it credibility. Experts can be real, trustworthy people, not just those in lab coats.
• Realistic facts and figures can enhance credibility. Effective statistics provide a tangible reference point (avoid overloading with abstract statistics).
• Engaging the audience personally, such as asking direct questions, boosts credibility. People often trust their own judgment more than experts.

“Before you vote, ask yourself if you are better off today than you were four years ago”. — Ronald Reagen

Emotional

When aiming to encourage people to take action, whether it’s donating to a charity or supporting a cause, emotions play a more significant role than reason and statistics.

To illustrate this point, consider two approaches:

1. Facts and Figures: One approach is to present compelling statistics, demonstrating the magnitude of a problem, such as the number of starving children and daily death rates.
2. Emotional Appeal: showing a single child in need who could be saved through a donation.

Which approach do you think has more impact? The second one of course. If you are not convinced, think about the anti-smoking campaigns. Emotional triggers are very effective.

Stories

One effective way to make an idea memorable is by presenting it as a story. Stories engage the listener’s mind, allowing them to mentally experience and remember the idea more clearly.

Think about the success of Starbucks Coffee.

Starbucks tells a story of how they care about their coffee, from sourcing the best beans to roasting them to perfection. They also talk about their commitment to supporting coffee farmers and communities around the world.

This story is more than just a coffee shop. It’s about creating a place where people can connect, work, or relax. It’s a story that inspires people to enjoy their coffee at Starbucks, not just for the taste but for the whole experience.

Key takeaways

The core message of the book is that ideas can be crafted to stick. Stories, ads, and other sticky ideas share key traits that can be condensed into the acronym SUCCES.

• Simple: Get to the core of an idea to make it easy to understand.
• Unexpected: Grab people’s attention by surprising them with something new or unexpected.
• Concrete: Make sure an idea is clear and easy to remember.
• Credible: Make people trust and believe in your idea.
• Emotional: Help people feel why an idea is important.
• Story: Share an idea through a compelling narrative to make it relatable and memorable.

Ready to make your ideas stick?

Keep it simple, add a twist, make it crystal clear, earn trust, trigger emotions, and wrap it in a captivating story. Apply these six principles, and watch your ideas stick!

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