Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Would I recommend ‘Made to Stick?’
Absolutely, I’d recommend it! It’s a five-sticky book (where a five-sticky rating is the top score) on Application, Ideas, as well as style.
Application:
It’s a five-sticky on the application score, because each chapter gives you a ‘clinic’. This ‘clinic’ is not just a very good summary of what you’ve just learned, but can also test your abilities–and measure them against the concepts. And there’s a rating system for ’stickiness’ in the ‘clinic’ itself. So you can go ‘duh’ when you realise, what you could have done to make the communication a little stickier–and didn’t.
Ideas:
It’s hard to turn too many pages in this book without getting a bucket-load of ideas. This book is packed to the brim with real examples, and well-told stories. And it’s quite easy to connect the concepts to your own business. And once you’ve made the connection, the ideas start to flow. I ended up with 48 stickies. 
And read the book three times. And yes, I’d read it a fourth time, just to mop up what I didn’t see on the first three passes. So heck, ideas just flow. Which is why the ideas get a five-sticky too!
Style:
Many books have ideas. And applications. Few have an inherent style. Ok, so style is kinda subjective, but I couldn’t put the book down. And I started reading it at 2am. It kept me absorbed. A thriller couldn’t have done much better! Ahem, a five-sticky on that too!
Kinda summed up on this brown paper bag
Click image to see bigger picture of this brown paper bag
My Biggest Insight
Story telling is dramatic. We all know that. But this book tells you a story on literally every page.
And then underlines how the story links up to the concepts that are being taught in the book. If there’s one thing I’ve got that would make this book worth the read, it’s the importance of story-telling vs. cold analytical facts; That figures aren’t a patch on story-telling; That testimonials don’t work their magic without the story behind the testimonial.
That when facts meet stories in the boxing ring, stories come out champions every single time.
Some of the powerful concepts in this book (and how you start applying them today): (Note: The links go to similar-kinda Psychotactics articles.I’ll add more links as I write more articles.)1- Break the pattern: How to get the attention of the customer.
2- The Curse of Knowledge: Ah, the term says it all-but distraction helps
3- The low-fare airline: The ability to cut through the crap.
4- No school next Thursday: What does it really mean?
5- Disco lights on the floor: The Southwest girl with a sense of humour.
6- It’s the Economy, Stupid! - One Idea, not three!
6- Sour grapes: Sour. Not sweet. That’s concrete.
7- Stephen Covey’s description of a football team (ok, ok, soccer): Bringing abstraction to life.
8- Don’t Mess With Texas: Is your advertising being wasted? Memorable messaging
9- Shop talk at Xerox: Geek talk ain’t always Greek
Where To Get This Book (Nope, this ain’t an affiliate link)
At Amazon.com : ‘Made to Stick’
- Author: Chip and Dan Heath
- Publisher: Random House (January 2, 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1400064287
- ISBN-13: 978-1400064281
- Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
Welcome to the blogging world!
Genius.
And so worth modeling on a individual post level.
All in one swoop you’ve leveraged the popularity of the title AND the credibility of the authors.
Genius.
Best review I’ve seen in a while. Probably in forever. You certainly convinced me to go out and buy it. I’ll be adding it to my Amazon wishlist right now.
Hi Sean
I just received your mail about stickybusinessbooks, and when I see anything about business books… well, I’m here :o)
This blog has been bookmarked.
I started reading Made to Stick on Wednesday - looking forward to it.
Great idea this, Sean. Will check in often.
See ya
Colin
Great review. Glad to see Sean in the bloggin’ world. Love the brain audit, and just about everything else I have been able to get my hands on from Sean…So I will check these out as well.
Great choices for your first two books. Have them both, and reading about them now, I realize I need to go back and read them again to help with more ideas for a project I’m launching. All these books….
Sean,
Great job of distilling the lessons of the book down into manageable chunks of reading.
I love this new review format you’ve created. I think the only thing I would change would be the sub-header of “My Biggest Learning”. Would change that to something like “My Biggest Insight” or “New Thing I Learned” because “My Biggest Learning” just doesn’t roll off the tongue and it’s a rather clunky phrase.
Otehr than that, great job! Can’t wait to read more reviews!!!
Kudos~
Michael D. Walker
www.ThorneSmith.net
What a fantatstic ” at least I think so ” review
about a book I had no idea existed - until coming
across this post.
Cheers Sean
Good reviews Sean. And the brown bag maps good. Check Tony Buzan’s book and your maps will be a lot better. I will continue reading your reviews.
Sure Michael: Will change that terminology to “My Biggest Insight” –
Hi Sean,
I feel honored that you read my feedback and used the “My Biggest Insight”. I’ve been a avid reader of your stuff since I first encountered your illuminating posts on the SBI forums.
You mentioned reading 10 books a month or some such rapid pace. Would I be correct in guessing you utilize the PhotoReading process? Just curious given that and the mind mapping of the books.
Again, congrats on a terrific reworking of the book review concept.
Michael
I do own the Photoreading course, but actually didn’t go through with implementing it. No, the secret is much simpler. I don’t watch TV (so that saves me about 3 hours in a day). And I wake up at 4am (as you probably know). Six hours a day can cover a lot of reading ground.
Promising reviews, have to get both books, too.
A few weeks ago finished Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point - was exposed to “stickyness factor” for the first time and I think these will be the next step towards understanding more…
Agree with Michael: terrific reworking of the book review concept! Waiting for the next reviews.
Risto
Bought the book a few weeks ago and only started it this morning on a bus trip. Boy, I’ve never had a bus trip go so quickly! I’m half way through already . A great recommendation and the brown paper bag summary is super too!
Alan