A few years ago, while promoting his book, Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too Far, Dr. Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center, took several cantaloupes to one of his presentations. Setting the cantaloupes on the table in front of him, Dr. Offit explained that the vitamin C supplements that people take contain more than 16 times the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), and to get the same amount of vitamin C, a person would need to consume eight cantaloupes. His point was that while we need vitamins, the quantities supplied in supplements are both unnatural and unnecessary. I suspect the people in the audience that day remember Dr. Offit’s point, and the authors of the book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, would likely agree. Brothers, Chip and Dan Heath, published this book in 2007, and while the book is not recent, it is useful, especially for people whose professions require them to communicate ideas.
Back to the cantaloupes
Dr. Offit’s demonstration was likely memorable because it met several of the criteria outlined by the authors. Using the acronym SUCCESs, the authors described why some ideas are more memorable than others: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Stories.
In separate chapters, the authors used examples to describe each of these criteria, how to consider them, and why they are important for making ideas stick.
In brief:
- Simple refers to determining the core idea of the message and how to share it.
- Unexpected refers to using relevant but unanticipated ways to both get and hold attention.
- Concrete refers to presenting ideas in ways that are relatable and easy to understand.
- Credible refers to giving information in a way that is convincing or easily tested.
- Emotional refers to making people care about your message.
- Stories not only offer a way to accomplish some of the aforementioned characteristics, but they are also memorable and can inspire people to act.
Beyond the cantaloupes
The authors included a plethora of examples — many of which readers likely recall (remember the “Subway diet”?), but they also offered “clinics” throughout the book, so that readers could consider particular ideas more deeply. Likewise, the book included discussions for applying the concepts to businesses and education as well as how to “unstick” ideas (Hint: You can’t, but they still offer useful suggestions.). A summary guide was also included for quick reference.
Contributed by: Charlotte A. Moser
A few years ago, while promoting his book, Overkill: When Modern Medicine Goes Too Far, Dr. Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center, took several cantaloupes to one of his presentations. Setting the cantaloupes on the table in front of him, Dr. Offit explained that the vitamin C supplements that people take contain more than 16 times the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), and to get the same amount of vitamin C, a person would need to consume eight cantaloupes. His point was that while we need vitamins, the quantities supplied in supplements are both unnatural and unnecessary. I suspect the people in the audience that day remember Dr. Offit’s point, and the authors of the book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, would likely agree. Brothers, Chip and Dan Heath, published this book in 2007, and while the book is not recent, it is useful, especially for people whose professions require them to communicate ideas.
Back to the cantaloupes
Dr. Offit’s demonstration was likely memorable because it met several of the criteria outlined by the authors. Using the acronym SUCCESs, the authors described why some ideas are more memorable than others: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and Stories.
In separate chapters, the authors used examples to describe each of these criteria, how to consider them, and why they are important for making ideas stick.
In brief:
- Simple refers to determining the core idea of the message and how to share it.
- Unexpected refers to using relevant but unanticipated ways to both get and hold attention.
- Concrete refers to presenting ideas in ways that are relatable and easy to understand.
- Credible refers to giving information in a way that is convincing or easily tested.
- Emotional refers to making people care about your message.
- Stories not only offer a way to accomplish some of the aforementioned characteristics, but they are also memorable and can inspire people to act.
Beyond the cantaloupes
The authors included a plethora of examples — many of which readers likely recall (remember the “Subway diet”?), but they also offered “clinics” throughout the book, so that readers could consider particular ideas more deeply. Likewise, the book included discussions for applying the concepts to businesses and education as well as how to “unstick” ideas (Hint: You can’t, but they still offer useful suggestions.). A summary guide was also included for quick reference.
Contributed by: Charlotte A. Moser