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Book 010 · Communication

Made to Stick

by Chip & Dan Heath

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The short version

Why some ideas survive and others die, revealing the six principles (SUCCESs) that make ideas memorable and shareable.

Category
Communication
Recommendation
Essential

Where it helps

Problems this book can help with.

  1. 01 Ideas that get forgotten immediately after sharing
  2. 02 Struggling to make complex concepts memorable
  3. 03 Messages that don't spread or stick
  4. 04 Relying on data alone to persuade
  5. 05 Curse of knowledge making communication ineffective

Main ideas

What I took from it.

  1. 01 Simple: find the core of your idea
  2. 02 Unexpected: grab attention with surprises
  3. 03 Concrete: use specific, tangible examples
  4. 04 Credible: help people believe
  5. 05 Emotional: make people care
  6. 06 Stories: get people to act through narrative

My review

Why I recommend it.

The Heath brothers analyze urban legends, proverbs, and successful campaigns to understand why some ideas stick. The SUCCESs framework provides a checklist for making any idea more memorable.

I recommend it for product communication: PRDs, strategy presentations, launch messages, and any idea that people need to remember later.