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

Could be more actionable, but great to listen to!

It is great to listen to this book because they paint pictures with words and use lots of examples. This way the abstract subjects really 'stick'. The only thing is, once the book is finished, you think; Okay, now what? So it could be more action oriented. But over all very happy with it. I ordered the paperback as well to extract more action points. Because when you listen to this book in the car, you get good ideas, but can't write them down.

I can really recommend this book to anyone that wants his or her point to come across and who wants to make it stick. Business owners, managers, preachers, teachers will all benefit tremendously from this book.

Essential

Every human being with a job must give it a listen. They may laugh at my suggestion, but when they apply...

Priceless info that I will always go back to...

Timely wisdom for the teacher to the entrepreneur. This is an absolutely priceless book that's worth the investment of both time and money!

insightful book with memorable stories

This book gave some great Insight on effective marketing. It reminds me of a time when,,,

Already trying to reframe my ideas

Much of the book seems like common sense, yet I think most people, myself included, often forget to use these tips and tools in making our ideas more relevant and engaging.

Thoroughly good book and would recommend to all, not just those involved in marketing/advertising.

Packed with useful content and formatted brilliantly

This book is packed with helpful ideas and many examples from many industries. I've learned more actionable concepts from this book than from any nonfiction book I've read in recent years.

Loved the Message

Chip & Dan Heath give great insight in how to build your message to make your brand sticky. I felt it was easy to understand, flowed intelligently, had great examples to help you craft a similar version for your business, and the narration was not overly dramatic or choppy (as Charles Kahlenberg was in "Switch"). You do have to listen a few times to get all of the ideas, or listen during quiet times with pen and paper at your side. You will find gold. My biggest take-away is to craft my message toward "YOU". Not what I can do for you, but by putting YOU into the picture repeatedly showing YOU the benefits & difference YOU will receive by coming to my company. I now count the number of times I use YOU in my message. :)

good ideas to make impact with a message.

I read the book and then listen to the audio both are very good some very good ideas and how to make your core message impactful.

It Stuck

This was one of my first forays into audible books and it was well worth it! I learned alot and found it enjoyable in the process. Though there are alot of stories, they make the subject matter interesting and help you to realize how some of their ideas can be incorporated into your own professional career. A must read, err, hear book!

Very good material!

The book is well written and gives a lot of insightful examples. I definately recommend this book to someone who wants to learn how to make an impact in your environment.

At first I hesitated to buy this book. After listening to it for about an hour, I began learning new stuff and seeing things differently.

It's a must buy if you want to learn new communication skills.