|
|  |
| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 435 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
219 of 235 found the following review helpful:
 Valuable insights for marketers, advertisers and sellers Feb 25, 2007
By Brad Shorr
"Brad Shorr"
With an entertaining blend of case studies and startling research, the Heath brothers lay out the critical elements of a sticky idea. They are--
1. Simplicity
2. Unexpectedness
3. Concreteness
4. Credibility
5. Emotions
6. Stories
As you might expect, the authors use these techniques to drive home their point. For example, in the chapter on stories, they talk about Subway's Jared campaign--quite a dramatic behind-the-scenes story besides being a near perfect example of storytelling in marketing.
Although these six elements seem like common sense, they are woefully underapplied in business communication. The authors state it well--
"Business managers seem to believe that, once they've clicked through a PowerPoint presentation showcasing their conclusions, they've successfully communicated their ideas. What they've done is share data."
Well researched, easy to read and hard to forget.
193 of 209 found the following review helpful:
"Do it yourself" consulting: Crafting memorable messages with integrity Jan 04, 2007
By Amy Tiemann
"aka Mojo Mom"
If you are going to write a guide to crafting sticky ideas, your book had better embody your principles. Authors Chip and Dan Heath succeed admirably. What I love about "Made to Stick" is that it is not merely entertaining (though it is), it provides practical, tangible strategies for creating sticky ideas. Once you understand these recommendations, you can boil them down to a set of touchstone points to evaluate your own work. This sets "Made to Stick" apart from the work of Malcolm Gladwell, whom the Heath brothers cite as an inspiration. I enjoyed Gladwell's books but could not necessarily apply his ideas to my own work.
My review copy of "Made to Stick" is covered with highlighter. I am reading the book once through for pure pleasure, and then I am going back again to apply the ideas to evaluate the communications of a non-profit organization I am working for. "Made to Stick" challenges you to distill the essence of your message, to get back to core principles and to communicate them in a memorable way. Chip and Dan point out that as we become experts, we tend to use abstraction to define our ideas, and we lose our ability to communicate with novices. They teach us how to bridge that gap so that our ideas are once again accessible by everyone.
"Made to Stick" gives you the tools you need to revamp your own messages. It provides "do it yourself" conuslting in book form, which will be appreciated by activists, entrepreneurs, and businesses of all sizes.
30 of 30 found the following review helpful:
A must-read on communication Jun 13, 2007
By ServantofGod
The authors had been too humble to title their book "made (ideas) to stick" and regard it as a complement to the bestseller "Tipping Point" (pg13). IMHO, this is one of the best books on communication. Some may argue that the six principles (SUCCESs: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, stories) of sticky ideas are not unique. However, the samples and peripheral ideas presented are so intriguing. In short, a must read for all (who need to communicate). Highly recommended!
p.s. Below please find some favorite messages I found in it for your reference:-
Curse of knowledge: Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has "cursed" us. And it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others, because we cant readily re-create our listeners' state of mind. pg20
If you say three things, you dont say anything. pg33
Simple = Core + Compact pg45
Statistics arent inherently helpful; it's the scale and context that make them so. pg146
If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will. - Mother Teresa pg165
Why dones mental stimulation work? It works because we cant imagine events or sequences without evoking the same modules of the brain that are evoked in a real physical activity.......Notice that these visualizations focus on the events themselves - the process, rather than the outcomes. No one has ever been cured of a phobia by imagining how happy they'll be when it's gone. pg212
Picturing a potential argument with our boss, imagining what she will say, may lead us to have the right words available when the time comes.....can prevent people from relapsing into bad habits such as smoking, excessive drinking......can also build skills. pg213
If you make an argument, you're implicitly asking them to evaluate your argument - judge it, debate it, criticize it - and then argue back, at least in their minds. But with a story, you engage the audience - you are involving people with the idea, asking them to participate with you. pg234
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
The cure for "In One Ear And Out The Other" Syndrome Nov 15, 2007
By Damon Farnham
Wow! Now I get it! Now I understand why the corporate world (in general) and information technology realm (in particular) are so ... hmmm ... challenged.
We struggle with ever-increasing complexity. We polarize into groups and teams that specialize in [this], or become experts in [that.] Communication breaks down, efficiency and productivity plummet, morale drops and chaos reigns.
Sound familiar?
By reading "Made to Stick," I learned why communicating ideas and concepts to other people is not as easy as we intuitively think it is. More often than we probably care to admit --- we talk, people hear, but our message doesn't resonate --- we ultimately fail to reach our intended goal to persuade, inform or entertain those around us. Our ideas and messages go in one ear and out the other.
How many times have you made an important point to a business client, or rushed through something with a co-worker that you thought was intuitively obvious, and walked away thinking "Hmmm, I don't think s/he got it?" or "Why is this problem so difficult to resolve?"
We sometimes forget, or have never been taught, that people don't always remember everything they hear, see or read. Only a small percentage of "content" actually gets through all the filters and barriers that our brains use on a daily basis to protect us from the sensory-overloading world that we live in.
"Made to Stick" will teach you how to recognize those message-squashing, idea-blocking impediments to effective communication. And guess what? It will do so in a way that is easy and dare-I-say fun to read.
Getting your thoughts and ideas to "stick" in someone's brain (aka "guessing machine") requires that we unlock many of the mysteries concerning how and why that wrinkly organ between our ears works. Without giving away the punch line, the authors of Made to Stick provide the keys to unlocking much of that puzzle, offering a powerful yet simple framework for making your ideas sticky, or spotting the elements that make some ideas more effective than others.
Just for fun, here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
"Becoming an expert in something means that we become more and more fascinated by nuance and complexity."
"Common sense is the enemy of sticky messages."
"Abstraction is the luxury of the expert. If you've got to teach an idea to a room full of people, and you aren't certain what they know, concreteness is the only safe language."
"And that's the great thing about the world of ideas --- any of us, with the right insight and the right message, can make an idea stick."
23 of 25 found the following review helpful:
Thanks for Teaching Me How to Make A Good Idea Stick Good Mar 18, 2007
By Arline Curtiss
The ideas in this book are terrific. We kind of know some of Heath's principles: simplicity (well, we've heard about KISS forever), unexpectedness (there should be something shocking or at least edgy to make it dynamic,) concreteness (it can't be "mystery meat" you have be able to connect with the essence right away,) credibility (one has to get an initial feeling of "worthiness"), it has to excite, to have emotional as well as rational appeal, and stories help (well, we've heard about testimonials, and parables too). But here in this book Heath puts it all into focus so you have a concrete measuring scale to work with.
He illustrates his points with some good examples. How do you get big, bad truckers to stop littering the State of Texas? "Give a hoot, don't pollute" is too tame for these macho guys. So state officials came up with the slogan "Don't mess with Texas" and did TV spots with such consummate Texans as Ed Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and country music's Willie Nelson.
"Business managers seem to believe that, once they've clocked through a PowerPoint presentation showcasing their conclusions, they've successfully communicated their ideas," Heath writes. "What they've done is share data" Sticky ideas shock, move and convince us. "If you want your ideas to be stickier, you've got to break someone's guessing machine and then fix it."
I had read about Heath's research in Cognitive Psychology, Psychology Today, and Scientific American. Unfortunately not before I made two big mistakes. But, thanks to what I have since learned, I think I have been able to correct them.
I'm a board certified cognitive behavioral therapist who has had great success training people to re-wire their brains to quickly get out of the pain of depression by using simple mind exercises to switch their neural activity from the feeling part of the brain (the subcortex) to the thinking part of the brain (the neocortex). These exercises are based on neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to re-wire itself as a result of changes in one's thinking and behavior. So far, so good.
I called the process Directed Thinking, successfully presented my research before the National Board of Cognitive Behavioral Therapists, and got a trademark. BUT THE NAME WAS NOT CATCHY. The second mistake was letting my publisher use the title DEPRESSION IS A CHOICE. What I meant was that people had a choice TO GET OUT OF Depression but many people were insulted because they thought I was saying they chose TO GET depressed in the first place, and I wasn't around to explain when a prospective reader picked up the book at Borders. But I think I got Heath's message loud and clear. My second book is called BRAINSWITCH OUT OF DEPRESSION!
See all 435 customer reviews on Amazon.com
|
The
Importance Of Lighting In Interior Design
by Jessica Ackerman
Everyone knows how important
paint color, furniture choices and artwork are to
interior design. One aspect of design that is often
overlooked, however, is lighting. Lighting not only
affects the brightness of the room, but it can also
change the way a paint color looks, cast shadows in ways
that make the room seem smaller and have an impact on
the presentation of art work.
There is no light like
natural light. If you are buying, building or
remodeling, opt for as much natural light as possible.
Oversized windows and skylights are two ways to get the
most natural light. Of course, not everyone is in the
position to be able to do that, so you'll have to work
with what you have.
How much natural light do
you get in your room? If the room in question faces
north, you won't get as much natural sunlight as you
would in a southern facing room. Rooms that face south
get bright, natural light throughout the day. Rooms that
face east will only have good natural light in the
morning hours and western facing rooms will have the
most light during the afternoon.
Once you are familiar
with how much natural light is in each room, you'll be
able to make informed choices about what additional
lighting may be necessary. Keep in mind that rooms with
little or no natural light will need artificial lighting
- even during the day - in order to look their best.
Here are some types of lighting to consider.
1. Accent Lighting
Accent lighting is
perfect when you want to showcase a piece of art or a
special piece of furniture or other item. Since light
draws the eye, it will bring attention to the features
in your room that you wish to highlight.
2. Hanging Light Features
Chandeliers and smaller
hanging lamps can be beautiful as well as functional. A
trip to the local home improvement store will quickly
show you how overwhelming the choices can be. You'll
want to select lighting that blends in with your
existing dÃÂécor. For example, a crystal chandelier in a
country themed dining room probably isn't the best
option. If you don't choose carefully, your lighting may
stick out like a sore thumb and become more of an
eyesore than a lovely accent.
3. Recessed Lighting
Recessed lighting is a
good choice for a room that needs extra light throughout
the day. Because the lighting won't interfere with the
existing decor, it can work in almost any room. It
provides abundant light without taking up a lot of space
or interfering with other aspects of the room.
4. Lamps
Using lamps are a way to
add not only additional lighting, but also punches of
color. If possible, see how much light the lamp gives
off before leaving the store. Many lamps serve as
decoration more than as a light source and give off very
little light. If you love the lamp, but it doesn't give
off quite enough light, consider changing the shade
which will usually solve the problem.
When decorating your
home, remember how important lighting is, and give it
the same thought and attention you give to the other
details of decorating your home.
About the Author
Jessica Ackerman is the
featured author at Wall DÃÂécor and Home Accents. Shop today
for great deals on
metal wall sculpture ,
home
accents and more unique wall dÃÂécor products.
|
|
| | |
|
|
