Made to Stick

Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

By: Chip Heath, Dan Heath

Narrated by: Charles Kahlenberg

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The instant classic about why some ideas thrive, why others die, and how to make your ideas stick.

“Anyone interested in influencing others—to buy, to vote, to learn, to diet, to give to charity or to start a revolution—can learn from this book.”—The Washington Post

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.

©2006 Chip Heath and Dan Heath (P)2007 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Made to Stick summons plenty of brain science, social history, and behavioral psychology to explain what makes an idea winning and memorable—and the Heaths do the telling with beautiful clarity.”—The Christian Science Monitor

“Utterly compelling.”—Los Angeles Times

“Surprising and provocative.”—The New York Sun

Content, Yes. Narrator, No

I am only 35 minutes into this thing and it has taken me 90 minutes to listen to it. The ideas are great and worth rewinding to, but I should have to. The voice of the narrator is so droning and dry, it lulls me to inattention. It is like a monotone unexpressive version of the action movie preview narrator. I think a more Ira Glass type figure would express these ideas in a more natural voice. This may be the most painful, yet worthwhile experience in a while.Print is starting to look really good right about now.

life changing?

one of those few books that changed my mind maybe my career. will listen again and again.

Too Many Stories to Stick

What did you like best about Made to Stick? What did you like least?

I like the basic idea on how to make something stick. I like the use of stories in explaining things. But I think the authors take it too much, with too much stories that and the end of the book most of the stories are not that memorable anymore.

What could Chip Heath and Dan Heath have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I would think to make it 'simpler' and choose only the most memorable stories.

Which scene was your favorite?

My most memorable story is about the commander intent that drives the army when the plan becomes obsolete.

Who do you think would benefit most from listening to Made to Stick?

Marketing people, senior management, public speaker.

Great book!

I liked the book a lot, it made sense. It was more lengthy than I think it needs to be honestly but it's a solid book!

Eye-opening, you’ll be able to apply this knowledge every day!

Every chapter, every story in this book is full of ideas you can apply in many aspects of your life, from work to relationships.

Excellent book!

If you are a parent, teacher, business leader, or just want to communicate ideas better, this book is for you. Do you have a teacher you remember as riveting, and exciting? Or one whose classes were always a struggle to stay awake through? this book unlocks the mystery of why that is and how you can be engaging as you share ideas. I will definitely listen to this book again. The narration is very good too.

superb book

strongly recommend it for all who are focused on branding self or companies or brands.

Simply amazing very informational just great

I forced all of my teammates to read this book with one word it’s amazing. I don’t think I will be able to make this comment stick. But if you are into any business. You have a lot to learn from this book.

Insightful!

This is a brilliant and insightful book! Clever, funny in spots and full of useful information. I've listened to it twice.

second time reading the book was great

huge fan of this book and love the narrator and the pace of audio. read this book before, but second time around it definitely seemed to catch me at the right time.