Library / Leadership & Communication / Made to Stick
16 key learnings from Chip and Dan Heath's guide to making ideas memorable: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional Stories. Each takes about 40 seconds to read. Swipe, use the arrows, or your keyboard.
All 16 learnings · one per slide
Chip Heath and Dan Heath, in bytes
16 key learnings on why some ideas stick and others die, and the six principles behind sticky messages.
Learning 1 · Introduction
The idea
Stories like the 'kidney heist' legend spread without effort because they're simple, surprising, concrete and emotional.
The question
Why can't important ideas, like a strategy or a lesson, travel as well?
In real life
Staff remember an office rumour word for word, but not the company values on the wall.
Try this
Think of an idea that stuck with you for years. List what made it memorable.
Learning 2 · Introduction
From the book
In a study, people tapped well-known songs on a table. Listeners guessed about 1 in 40; tappers expected 1 in 2.
The idea
Once we know something, we can't imagine not knowing it, so we explain too abstractly.
In real life
An expert's 'quick summary' of a new process leaves new joiners confused.
Try this
Test your message on someone outside your field before you send it.
Learning 3 · Chapter 1
The idea
Simple means stripping an idea to its most important core, not dumbing it down.
From the book
The army uses 'commander's intent': one clear statement of what a mission must achieve if plans fall apart.
In real life
A project brief that says 'Close the books in five days without errors' guides hundreds of small choices.
Try this
Write your message's core in one sentence of fewer than 15 words.
Learning 4 · Chapter 1
From the book
Southwest Airlines framed its strategy as 'THE low-fare airline', which settled decisions like whether to serve chicken salad on flights.
Why it works
A simple core helps people decide without asking you.
In real life
A team motto like 'Customers hear from us first' tells staff to call before sending bad news by email.
Try this
Turn your priority into a test question people can use to decide.
Learning 5 · Chapter 2
The idea
Surprise grabs attention: break people's expectations about what comes next.
From the book
A journalism teacher gave a dull news lead, then revealed the real point: 'There will be no school next Thursday.'
In real life
A safety talk that starts 'Most accidents here happen on the stairs, not the machines' wakes people up.
Try this
Find the part of your message that contradicts what people assume, and lead with it.
Learning 6 · Chapter 2
The idea
Curiosity comes from a gap in knowledge. Open a gap, then fill it, to hold interest.
From the book
Good teachers and storytellers pose a mystery first, then reveal the answer.
In real life
A sales review that opens with 'One region doubled sales with no extra budget. Here's how' keeps the room listening.
Try this
Begin your next presentation with a question your audience wants answered.
Learning 7 · Chapter 3
The idea
Concrete language, with things people can see, touch or picture, is easier to understand and remember.
From the book
Aesop's fables, like the fox and the 'sour grapes', have survived thousands of years because they're concrete.
In real life
'Improve customer service' fades; 'Answer every email within four hours' sticks.
Try this
Replace one abstract word in your message with a specific example.
Learning 8 · Chapter 3
The idea
The more hooks an idea has to senses and experiences, the better it sticks, like Velcro.
From the book
Teachers who used concrete examples helped students grasp abstract maths faster.
In real life
Explaining compound interest with a real savings example beats showing the formula.
Try this
Add a sight, a sound or a number to your next explanation.
Learning 9 · Chapter 4
The idea
Credibility can come from vivid details and from statistics made human-scale.
From the book
The authors show statistics are more powerful when compared with something familiar.
In real life
Saying 'This waste equals a full truck of paper every week' beats '30 tonnes a year'.
Try this
Restate one big number in terms people can picture.
Learning 10 · Chapter 4
The idea
One strong example can prove a whole claim, as in 'If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere'.
From the book
A company that safely shipped high-value goods for a famous client won others' trust.
In real life
'We run payroll for a 50,000-employee bank' convinces a small firm you can handle theirs.
Try this
Find your single most convincing example and lead with it.
Learning 11 · Chapter 4
The idea
Let people test a claim for themselves rather than taking your word.
From the book
Ronald Reagan asked voters: 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?'
In real life
Offering a free trial lets customers check your claims directly.
Try this
Turn a claim into a question your audience can answer from their own experience.
Learning 12 · Chapter 5
From the book
In a study, people gave more to help one starving girl, Rokia, than when given statistics about millions in need.
The idea
People care about individuals more than numbers.
In real life
A charity appeal featuring one child's story raises more than a chart of global hunger.
Try this
Tell the story of one person affected by your idea.
Learning 13 · Chapter 5
The idea
People act on what fits who they think they are, not just on self-interest.
From the book
Texas's 'Don't mess with Texas' anti-litter campaign appealed to pride, not fines.
In real life
'Our team doesn't ship sloppy work' motivates more than reminders about penalties.
Try this
Frame your request around who your audience wants to be.
Learning 14 · Chapter 6
The idea
Stories work like flight simulators: they let people rehearse how to act.
From the book
Nurses learned from colleagues' stories about subtle warning signs in patients.
In real life
Sharing how a colleague calmly handled an angry client teaches more than a policy document.
Try this
Collect three short stories that show your values in action.
Learning 15 · Chapter 6
From the book
Subway's ads featured Jared, a student who lost a lot of weight eating its sandwiches; the story did far more than claims about calories.
The idea
Look for powerful stories that already exist rather than inventing new ones.
In real life
A customer's thank-you email can become your most persuasive case study.
Try this
Ask your team: what's a story a customer told us recently?
Learning 16 · Epilogue
The idea
Use the checklist: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories.
Why
Most ideas need only a few of these to improve dramatically.
In real life
Before a town hall, a manager checks the talk against the six principles and rewrites the opening.
Reflect
Which principle is your message missing?
All 16 learnings complete
Sticky ideas are designed, not lucky. Which message of yours needs to stick better?
Summaries are written in my own words for learning. Read Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (2007) for the full stories. More Books in Bytes
