Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
One book, placed in its field — what Chip Heath, Dan Heath's book gets right, where it goes further than the rest, and what the rest of the field adds.
Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide · coachingleader.guide/guides/profile-made_to_stick
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Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
One book, placed in its field — what Chip Heath, Dan Heath's book gets right, where it goes further than the rest, and what the rest of the field adds.
Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide · coachingleader.guide/guides/profile-made_to_stick
The problem
Idea Stickiness erodes when it is left to instinct instead of method.
You were taught the moves piecemeal, never the whole model.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
The model
- 01Finding the Core
- 02Simplicity (Core + Compact)
- 03Unexpectedness
- 04Concreteness
- 05Credibility
- 06Emotional Appeal
- 07Story Use
- 08Curse of Knowledge
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 1 of 5 · Finding the Core
The core is what you would keep if forced to discard 90 percent of your message.
Misconception
Practitioners believe finding the core means summarizing everything they know into a shorter version.
Reality
The core is not a compression of all points but a ruthless selection of the one point that, if omitted, makes the rest meaningless. Prioritizing forces you to sacrifice valid, useful information—that sacrifice is the work.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 2 of 5 · Simplicity (Core + Compact)
Simple = core + compact; drop either half and the idea stops sticking.
Misconception
People equate simplicity with brevity, assuming the shortest message is the simplest.
Reality
Simplicity requires core AND compact together; a short message that has lost its essence is a sound bite, not a proverb. The Golden Rule is short precisely because it packs profound guidance into transferable form.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 3 of 5 · Unexpectedness
Surprise the guessing machine on purpose, then repair it around your message.
Misconception
Practitioners think unexpectedness means being flashy, gimmicky, or shocking for its own sake.
Reality
Surprise works only when it breaks a schema the audience actually holds and then repairs it around your core—random shock breaks the guessing machine but leaves nothing behind. Attention that isn't wired to your point is wasted.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 4 of 5 · Concreteness
Concrete language lets many people build the same mental picture from the same words.
Misconception
Experts assume that abstract, high-level framing signals sophistication and that concrete detail is for beginners.
Reality
Abstraction is what experts drift into because they've forgotten the concrete cases underneath it; novices have no such shortcut and need the sensory detail to build understanding. Concreteness is the language everyone can decode identically.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 5 of 5 · Credibility
Vivid concrete detail makes claims feel firsthand and therefore credible.
Misconception
People assume credibility comes only from citing authorities, big numbers, and impressive credentials.
Reality
Statistics persuade by illustrating relationships, not by their magnitude, and a single vivid Sinatra-Test example ('if I can make it there') can beat a mountain of data. The most powerful device is often a testable credential that invites the audience to check for themselves.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
A framework to use
The SUCCESs Framework for Crafting Sticky Ideas
This framework is part of the full guide. See the guide →
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
The cheat sheet
- Finding the CoreThe core is what you would keep if forced to discard 90 percent of your message.
- Simplicity (Core + Compact)Simple = core + compact; drop either half and the idea stops sticking.
- UnexpectednessSurprise the guessing machine on purpose, then repair it around your message.
- ConcretenessConcrete language lets many people build the same mental picture from the same words.
- CredibilityVivid concrete detail makes claims feel firsthand and therefore credible.
- Emotional AppealPeople care about one; they analyze the many.
- Story UseSimulation lets a story teach behavior, not just convey a moral.
- Curse of KnowledgeYou cannot un-know what you know, so you must actively simulate ignorance.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Sources
- Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die — Chip Heath, Dan Heath
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide