Made to Stick

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by Chip & Dan Heath

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER.

The instant classic about why some ideas thrive, why others die, and how to improve your idea’s chances—essential reading in the “fake news” era.

Mark Twain once observed, “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” His observation rings true: Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus news stories circulate effortlessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas—entrepreneurs, teachers, politicians, and journalists—struggle to make them “stick.”

In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier, such as applying the human scale principle, using the Velcro Theory of Memory, and creating curiosity gaps. Along the way, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds—from the infamous “kidney theft ring” hoax to a coach’s lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony—draw their power from the same six traits.

Made to Stick will transform the way you communicate. It’s a fast-paced tour of success stories (and failures): the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who drank a glass of bacteria to prove a point about stomach ulcers; the charities who make use of the Mother Teresa Effect; the elementary-school teacher whose simulation actually prevented racial prejudice.

Provocative, eye-opening, and often surprisingly funny, Made to Stick shows us the vital principles of winning ideas—and tells us how we can apply these rules to making our own messages stick.

Our thoughts on Made to Stick

Chip & Dan Heath research the "stickiness" of ideas. This is a concept that builds on Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point — why do some ideas stick in the mind, while others don't? In Made to Stick, you'll learn what makes some ideas more effective than others. Equally important, it provides insight into the real power of bad ideas and why they stick, despite being wrong. And how to avoid these traps.

Think of this book as a self-help book for your ideas. Chances are, if you've read this far, you have a lot of ideas and information swirling around in your head. It can be hard to pin them down and figure out what's good, and why they're good. Made to Stick will help you thin your ideas down to an essential few and pull them apart to decide what to focus on. Simplicity is the key.

Heaths' framework will help you as a designer to focus on the highest-impact ideas and to better communicate with your target audience. Invaluable skills when designing user experiences.

“It will join The Tipping Point and Built to Last as a must-read for business people.” —Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start 2.0

Our favourite quote from Made to Stick

The most basic way to get someone's attention is this: Break a pattern.

11 recommendations for Made to Stick

11 recommendation for Made to Stick

Book Summary

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The most basic way to get someone's attention is this: Break a pattern.

— Chip & Dan Heath, Made to Stick