I, along with a few other friends, just finished Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. It’s a NY Times bestseller and I really enjoyed it.
In short, the book addresses the communication gap that takes place when we are trying to teach others or communicate in ways that truly resonate with the minds of hearts of our audience. The authors are trying to address the “curse of knowledge” which comes when we forget what it was like to not know what we know.
They speak to 6 qualities that can help the “stickiness” of an idea and combat the “curse of knowledge”:
- Simplicity
- Unexpectedness
- Concreteness
- Credibility
- Emotional
- Stories
It was a motivating and easy read. A pastor friend of mine even told me it was the best “preaching” book he’s ever read because of its relevance and power in that arena. I found it really helpful to think through how I teach (now that I’m going to be doing a bit more of that) and how I do seminars and also how I fund raise and relate to ministry partners and donors. It’s a great book to help develop one’s “vision casting” skills. This book has so many simple and practical ideas that can influence so many areas of life that it really is a worthwhile read.
