Made to Stick

The two gentlemen in this picture are the Heath brothers.  Chip and Dan Heath to be more specific.  I met them briefly on this chilly February evening at a bookstore where they were promoting their first book—Made to Stick.  They hosted a quick chat and signed some books (I bought a copy on the spot and got it signed).  This post obviously is not a book review as I haven't read their book yet—but bear with me...

Why was I there?

I opted to skip coming home and seeing Chip and Dan in person primarily because of this, this, and this.   And it was worth the detour.  The first thing I noticed while taking my seat, was that the small audience at the bookstore was surprisingly diverse in age.  There were folks in their 20s right up to folks in their 60's and 70s (and even a couple of toddlers!).  The next thing I noticed was how effective their communication and storytelling was especially to this group of people ranging in ages.  There's a lesson here for all aspiring writers and communicators (connecting with your audience regardless of age or background).

Ironically, this is the core subject matter outlined in their book—getting ideas to stick.  Much of what they discussed in the bookstore had to do with the use of effective storytelling in our messages in order to get them to stick—to resonate and become memorable.  This is how they outline the key traits of sticky ideas:

Simple
Unexpected
Concrete
Credible
Emotional
Stories

The book actually begins with the well known urban legend of the "Kidney Thieves"—making the point that successful urban legends contain these qualities.  As I watched and listened to the brothers speak and entertain questions—I couldn't help but think about Roger von Oech's headline to his related post:

"Chip Heath: the Next Malcolm Gladwell?"

And while I don't have the answer to the suggestive headline—I will say that Chip does appear to have "it".  What is "it"?  "It" is hard to describe, but you know "it" when you see "it" and he's got it.  I'm looking forward to digging into the book.

Comments

[Greg Verdino]

D - I'm halfway through the book and it's definitely worth the read. Dem Heath brothers are two smart dudes and this book should be the "Freakonomics" of 2007 (ya know, that insightful if slightly nerdy business book that even normal people read.) Really good stuff - and it is forcing me to rethink everything from how I write blog posts to how I put presentations together. Heck, I may even have to go back and rewrite presentations I've ALREADY GIVEN. GV

[Jamey]

You're right with how Chip has "it". I had lunch with them earlier in the day in Milwaukee and the 800CEORead LeaveSmarter program. It was the same situation, a diverse audience and they were able to engage the entire group of about 40 for an hour. I had the pleasure of sitting with them at lunch and I'm confident we'll see some very interesting material from Chip and his brother in the future. Back to the book...

[Lewis Green]

David,

I am about halfway through the book. It is an excellent read and should be a part of the MarketingProfs book club reads. Just a suggestion CK.

[DA]

"It is an excellent read and should be a part of the MarketingProfs book club reads. Just a suggestion CK."

LOL,

I love how we're communicating via comments. OK, CK—you heard the man, maybe this should be in the book club? First chapter has been great.

Chip and Dan, hope you're paying attention—you've been getting some quality buzz and the blogosphere's been part of it. That's how I found out about you in the first place and no doubt many others will as well.

I'm sure we'll hear more about the book in a number of forums.

And Verdino—you never told me what a good read it was and how it's impacted your thinking. See my last post about sharing! ;)

[CK]

Hi all: Chip and Dan have already been sent a note...funny thing, they were sent a note the night before DA posted this so DA's BSP premise (Blogger Sensory Perception) must be working in full-force. I'm hoping they'll do a segment with us come April/May...right after this current Feb/Mar segment (that launches Tuesday!). Also, Kris Hoet of Cross The Breeze recommended this for the Club a month ago and Nedra Weinrich at Spare Change posted a most excellent review.

I listen to you bookworms...now we just need Chip and Dan to say "yes!". How can they say no to you guys? Plus I've already thought of the most creative campaign to promote the segment (but that's a surprise :-).

[DA]

Ahhhhh... gotta love the BSP.

Well CK, let us know if you get them and be sure to let them know what an influential medium the social network can be (especially given the subject matter of their book).