Ideas which are “sticky” draw from a common set of traits, which make them more likely to succeed, and this information can be used by anyone who wants to communicate in an effective and memorable way, according to Chip Heath and Dan Heath in their book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. The book provides a number of “idea clinics”, in which the same idea is presented in a non-sticky and a sticky manner, to illustrate how stickiness works.
The authors claim to have identified six principles which are at work in sticky ideas, and these are given by the acronym SUCCES: Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions, and Stories. While there is perhaps nothing dramatically unexpected about any of the listed principles, it is interesting to ponder why most communications do not meet the sticky criteria. The authors claim that this is the result of the Curse of Knowledge, in which a person who has knowledge is unable to remember what it is like not to have that knowledge.
The book is filled with entertaining anecdotes, and uses its own advice to ensure that the key messages are memorable. I recommend it for anyone who needs to communicate effectively, whether through public speaking or by written means. It is particularly useful for those who need to inspire their audience to take concrete actions in response to the communication.