SIMPLICITY
To strip an idea down to its core, we must be masters of exclusion. We must relentlessly prioritize.
UNEXPECTEDNESS
We can use surprise — an emotion whose function is to increase alertness and cause focus — to grab people's attention. But surprise doesn't last. For our idea to endure, we must generate interest and curiosity.
We can use surprise — an emotion whose function is to increase alertness and cause focus — to grab people's attention. But surprise doesn't last. For our idea to endure, we must generate interest and curiosity.
CONCRETENESS
Naturally sticky ideas are full of concrete images — ice-filled bathtubs, apples with razors — because our brains are wired to remember concrete data. In proverbs, abstract truths are often encoded in concrete language: "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush."
Naturally sticky ideas are full of concrete images — ice-filled bathtubs, apples with razors — because our brains are wired to remember concrete data. In proverbs, abstract truths are often encoded in concrete language: "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush."
CREDIBILITY
Sticky ideas have to carry their own credentials. We need ways to help people test our ideas for themselves — a "try before you buy" philosophy for the world of ideas.
Sticky ideas have to carry their own credentials. We need ways to help people test our ideas for themselves — a "try before you buy" philosophy for the world of ideas.
EMOTION
How do we get people to care about our ideas? We make them feel something. We are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions.
How do we get people to care about our ideas? We make them feel something. We are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions.
STORY
How do we get people to act on our ideas? We tell 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.
How do we get people to act on our ideas? We tell 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.
To summarize, here's their checklist for communicating a sticky concept: a Simple Unexpected Concrete Credentialed Emotional Story.
Sadly, for those who try to develop an idea like this, there is a villain. The villain is a natural psychological tendency that consistently confounds our ability to create ideas using these principles.
It's called the Curse of Knowledge.
