BOOK REVIEW 2011: IDEAS MADE TO STICK

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Jeffrey Newman

My book reviews last year were almost all fiction–my first love. This year, probably deriving from the pragmatic issues of our time, I read some non-fiction books, one of which stood out. It is WHY SOME IDEAS SURVIVE AND OTHERS DIE: MADE TO STICK by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. What the Heathi point out is that the way ideas are developed into workable concepts has a direct bearing on whether they are workable and sustainable. Here are some of the lessons: 1) Find the true core of the idea by stripping it down to its bear essence; 2) Show with clarity why the idea is new and better; 3) Use storytelling techniques to maintain the listener’s attention long enough to get the concept through; 4) Use concrete ideas to convey the messages; 5) Harvest evidence and data to support the idea in a well prepared way. So a small part of this book talks about how to spawn the great idea. It is more what to do once you have what seems to be a good one. It seems to me this is a book worth reading at a time when we must translate knowledge into workable concrete sustainable concepts.