Imagine two friends playing a game where one of person taps out the beat of a song with their hand on the table. The other person has to listen to the beat and guess the song. It usually plays out like this:
Tap. Tap. Tap. “You know what song I’m tapping right? You’ve got to know. It’s so easy! Everyone know this.” “Urm… Taylor Swift?” “No man, not even close! How can you not know this song?”
As easy as it may sound, it’s nearly impossible to have someone correctly guess the song that you are trying to tap out. This is an example of “the curse of knowledge.” The curse of knowledge says that we tend to be overconfident in our ability to effectively communicate with others. To the person tapping, the song is obvious — but to the listener, it’s a complete mystery.
It’s easy to see how the curse of knowledge could be applied to an organization. How many times have you found yourself in an organization with absolutely clueless leadership thinking to yourself, “Man, these people are truly clueless. They just don’t get it.” The people at the top are tapping, but the people at the bottom aren’t getting it. How can we solve this disconnect? How can we be better communicators? How can we become better leaders?
Authors Chip and Dan Heath set out to answer these questions, and what follows is a remarkable piece of work. Made to Stick is full of case studies and stories that help illustrate ways to make your ideas more “sticky.” The principles they have found form the acronym S.U.C.C.E.S. Understanding and applying the S.U.C.C.E.S formula to your work can help kill “the curse.”
The S.U.C.C.E.S Model: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Want to get your ideas to spread? Authors Chip and Dan Heath say that by applying the following six principles, you can dramatically increase the effectiveness of your messaging.
Simplicity – How do you strip an idea to its core without turning it into a silly sound bite?
Unexpectedness – How do you capture people’s attention… and hold it?
Concreteness – How do you help people understand your idea and remember it much later?
Credibility – How do you get people to believe your idea?
Emotional – How do you get people to care about your idea?
Stories – How do you get people to act on your idea?
This is a quick simplification of the formula. The book is very detailed and gives multiple examples of how to apply these principles in effective ways. One example that really stands out is the story of Jared, the Subway guy. The book explains how the Jared story almost didn’t happen due to Subway corporate not seeing the value in it.
The authors say that there’s an “art of spotting” sticky ideas. Having an eye for human stories, and being able to push through good ideas when you see them is a skill set all in itself. Sometimes seeing sticky ideas is just as important as creating them.
Let’s Get Sticky!
Everything about this book is pure genius. These principles have the ability to transform a business. I thought I knew marketing, but this takes it to another level.
If you are starting up a key marketing campaign, you can run it through the formula to see where you have gaps. If you are trying to get everyone on board with the company vision, you can use the formula so make sure you and your employees are beating to the same song.
One of the biggest takeaways from this book is perhaps the simplest, yet most consistently overlooked marketing principle: know your customer, and tell them stories that speak to them.
Made to Stick is remarkable. If you don’t have it, go grab it. Better yet, buy multiple copies for your coworkers. Kill the curse and use this book to get your ideas to stick.
Want the Made to Stick formula for quick reference? Grab it Here.
Book rating: 10/10
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