Make Your Idea Stick
Ever had a great idea? One that is sure to be a huge success and
turn into fame and fortune? Of course you have...we all have ideas, some
are good and some not so much. This month's article, reflects on ways
to help make your great ideas stick.
So why do some ideas stick, while some don't? In the book, Made to Stick, Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Dieby Chip and Dan Heath, describes in great detail, concepts based upon research that lay out the foundation on just how to get your point across convincingly. This article encapsulates some suggestions from their book.
Once that wonderful idea pops into your head, how do you go about communicating it so your idea is interpreted and then acted upon? In order to communicate the idea effectively, we must first look at it objectively and boil it down to its core.
Today, in our fast moving society, people need to grasp concepts quickly... the simpler the idea, the better. A methodology outlined in Made to Stick, suggests we process our idea through the following acronym: S U C C E S. This is an easy one to remember since it is just one S short of the word success, which seems very appropriate since our objective here is to be successful in communicating our ideas.
The SUCCES Checklist
Once we have our great idea, how do we get people to care? Try subjecting the idea to the following checklist and see how well it does. Is your idea...
Simple
This should come as no surprise. Have we boiled the idea down to the core? Simple ideas just communicate quicker. Think of the Pet Rocks in the 1970s - who would of ever thought this would catch on? But let's be careful here, the core message still needs an element of relevance. In other words, in order for people to care, they must first understand the concept and it should fit into their individual schema of things.
Unexpected
We become so accustom to the everyday. Anything that we perceive that is out of the norm, catches our attention. Will your idea surprise your audience? As comedian George Carlin put it "If you nail two things together that have never been nailed together before, someone will buy it from you." It's that break from the mundane that grabs us. This tactic is great to use in headlines, visuals, speeches, presentations, etc. Try it, it works.
Concrete
Does your idea have substance? Will it hold water? An idea needs some basis of concreteness to stick. It must have an element in it that people can relate to. When John F. Kennedy said that "I envision the United States landing a man on the moon and bringing him home safely" in his speech to the Joint Session of Congress in 1961, that was a very concrete statement. We were already in a space race with Russia and emerging technology was developing quickly. Engineers in hearing this were inspired and went to work immediately trying to figure out how we could accomplish this dream. This was an idea that stuck and history proves it.
Credible
Is your idea believable? Does it come from a source that is credible? When JFK spoke about his lunar vision... it was a credible statement... after all, it came from a credible source, the President of the United States. When presenting your idea, make sure there is a credible piece of evidence or authority that can act as a point of believability.
Emotional
How do we get others to care about our ideas? Humans are emotional creatures. Every decision we make, whether we are aware of it or not, is based upon human emotion. If your idea appeals to the emotional side of someone, they are much more motivated to act. Organizations that raise funds for charities know this and are experts on appealing to the emotional nature of their donors. In fact, people are more likely to contribute to a single individual rather than a "cause."
Stories
Lastly, we all enjoy stories. Not only are they entertaining, they teach us. That is how we learn. When an idea embeds itself inside a story, they are more likely to be remembered and recalled. But most importantly, they inspire us to take action.
In conclusion, making your ideas stick can seem like a daunting task. But applying the SUCCES checklist can help communicate the idea effectively. If your idea is simple and is clear (core), you have a better likelihood that it will be remembered by your audience and acted upon.
So why do some ideas stick, while some don't? In the book, Made to Stick, Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Dieby Chip and Dan Heath, describes in great detail, concepts based upon research that lay out the foundation on just how to get your point across convincingly. This article encapsulates some suggestions from their book.
Once that wonderful idea pops into your head, how do you go about communicating it so your idea is interpreted and then acted upon? In order to communicate the idea effectively, we must first look at it objectively and boil it down to its core.
Today, in our fast moving society, people need to grasp concepts quickly... the simpler the idea, the better. A methodology outlined in Made to Stick, suggests we process our idea through the following acronym: S U C C E S. This is an easy one to remember since it is just one S short of the word success, which seems very appropriate since our objective here is to be successful in communicating our ideas.
The SUCCES Checklist
Once we have our great idea, how do we get people to care? Try subjecting the idea to the following checklist and see how well it does. Is your idea...
Simple
This should come as no surprise. Have we boiled the idea down to the core? Simple ideas just communicate quicker. Think of the Pet Rocks in the 1970s - who would of ever thought this would catch on? But let's be careful here, the core message still needs an element of relevance. In other words, in order for people to care, they must first understand the concept and it should fit into their individual schema of things.
Unexpected
We become so accustom to the everyday. Anything that we perceive that is out of the norm, catches our attention. Will your idea surprise your audience? As comedian George Carlin put it "If you nail two things together that have never been nailed together before, someone will buy it from you." It's that break from the mundane that grabs us. This tactic is great to use in headlines, visuals, speeches, presentations, etc. Try it, it works.
Concrete
Does your idea have substance? Will it hold water? An idea needs some basis of concreteness to stick. It must have an element in it that people can relate to. When John F. Kennedy said that "I envision the United States landing a man on the moon and bringing him home safely" in his speech to the Joint Session of Congress in 1961, that was a very concrete statement. We were already in a space race with Russia and emerging technology was developing quickly. Engineers in hearing this were inspired and went to work immediately trying to figure out how we could accomplish this dream. This was an idea that stuck and history proves it.
Credible
Is your idea believable? Does it come from a source that is credible? When JFK spoke about his lunar vision... it was a credible statement... after all, it came from a credible source, the President of the United States. When presenting your idea, make sure there is a credible piece of evidence or authority that can act as a point of believability.
Emotional
How do we get others to care about our ideas? Humans are emotional creatures. Every decision we make, whether we are aware of it or not, is based upon human emotion. If your idea appeals to the emotional side of someone, they are much more motivated to act. Organizations that raise funds for charities know this and are experts on appealing to the emotional nature of their donors. In fact, people are more likely to contribute to a single individual rather than a "cause."
Stories
Lastly, we all enjoy stories. Not only are they entertaining, they teach us. That is how we learn. When an idea embeds itself inside a story, they are more likely to be remembered and recalled. But most importantly, they inspire us to take action.
In conclusion, making your ideas stick can seem like a daunting task. But applying the SUCCES checklist can help communicate the idea effectively. If your idea is simple and is clear (core), you have a better likelihood that it will be remembered by your audience and acted upon.
A full service graphic design and marketing firm based in
Champaign, Illinois, specializing in brand development and
implementation.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rod_Roberts
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2:43 AM
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