Made To Stick

This is my latest read - Made To Stick. An excerpt of this book was published in one of John Maxwell's leadership e-newsletter (of which I subscribe to) and the book was in one of his top list of highly recommended readings for this month.

Well, what drew my attention to it was the unveiling of the famous Kidney Heist hoax - one of the classic urban legends of the century. There are many versions of it but all of them share 3 core elements - (1) the drug drink, (2) the ice-filled tub, and (3) the kidney-theft punch line. If you were to read the story once, put it aside, take an hour long break and then relate it to a friend (without re-reading it), chances are you will get most of the facts right. It paints such a vivid picture in your mind, you can visualise the gruesome scene and grimace at the pain of having one of the victim's kidneys removed.

Why so?

Because the Kideny Heist tale is a story that STICKS. Urban legends, conspiracy theories and bogus public health scares circulate effortlessly because their originators knew how to make their ideas "stick". Why do some ideas thrive while some others die?

Made To Stick talks about how you can be effective in communicating ideas that... well, stick. Yes, embedded and entrenched in the minds of consumers. Whether you're delivering a speech, relating an inspirational story, telling a joke, selling a product, making a presentation or breaking through the advertisement clutter, you can apply the "sticky tape" principle anywhere.

Talking about advertisements that raises eyebrows, take a look at this one:



Interesting eh?


What sticky idea have you thought about today that could make a difference in the world?


Fishmonger