Six Principles of Sticky Idea

An excerpt from the book Made to Stick:

“Principle 1: Simplicity…Proverbs are the ideal. We must create ideas that are both simple and profound. The Golden Rule is the ultimate model of simplicity: a one-sentence statement so profound that an individual could spend a lifetime learning to follow it.

Principle 2: Unexpectedness…We need to violate people’s expectations. We need to be counterintuitive…We can use surprise…we must generate interest and curiosity.

Principle 3: Concreteness…We must explain our ideas in terms of human actions, in terms of sensory information…Naturally sticky ideas are full of concrete images.

Principle 4: Credibility…When we’re trying to build a case for something, most of us instinctively grasp for hard numbers. But in many cases this is exactly the wrong approach.

Principle 5: Emotions…make them feel something…research shows that people are more likely to make a charitable gift to a single needy individual than to an entire impoverished region.

Principle 6: Stories…Research shows that mentally rehearsing a situation helps us perform better when we encounter that situation in the physical environment. Similarly, hearing stories acts as a kind of mental flight simulator, preparing us to respond more quickly and effectively.” P. 15 – 18