“If I’m trying to persuade people, what must my communication include to catch their attention, help them properly understand, and motivate them to act?”
Whether you’re a teacher, manager, or startup founder on a mission to rally people around an idea, knowing how to communicate clearly and influence audiences is critical.
I recently discovered the excellent book Made to Stick by brothers Chip and Dan Heath that provides research-backed principles on crafting captivating communications that stick in people’s minds.
In this blog post, I’ll summarize the key tactics from Made to Stick to help you explain ideas persuasively so you can inspire change:
Principle 1) Be Unexpected – Break the Existing Pattern to Gain Attention
Attention is scarce nowadays thanks to information overload and competing priorities. Our brains handle this by recognizing patterns and making assumptions to conserve mental effort. The downside of this pattern recognition system is that we start tuning things out, especially if information seems familiar or mundane. This causes us to miss opportunities hidden in the everyday.
To cut through the noise and grab attention in an increasingly distracted world, the Heath brothers introduce the unexpected. Your goal here is to break people’s existing thought patterns and challenge their assumptions. Novel, intriguing stimuli pique our interest because it signals our predictive framework missed something important worth paying attention to and investigating.
For example, think about this opening statistic – “Deer cause more annual human fatalities in America than sharks”. This likely stops you in your tracks because it counters assumptions that sharks are the bigger threat. Now you’re hooked and want to know…how could cute innocent Bambi possibly kill more people than terrifying great white sharks? Your pattern has been disrupted.
Benefits of the Unexpected:
- It raises curiosity by creating a knowledge gap that compels clarification
- It snaps audiences out of passive modes into active listening
- It buys your message time and space to be properly absorbed rather than filtered out as noise
Of course, surprise for its own sake quickly loses appeal as a parlor trick. You have to deliver resolution. In this case, it turns out deer cause more deaths through car collisions. Once the logic clicks, the light bulb brightens. Audiences not only gain new insight, but also realize their predictive models need updating so they don’t gloss over important exceptions again. The unexpected sets the stage for learning moments.
Application Tips:
- Identify the core essence of your key message or idea
- Analyze what is counterintuitive about it based on common assumptions
- Craft your headline/opening/hook to highlight this unexpected element first before explaining it
For example, if core message you want to convey is “Teamwork is crucial for companies to thrive”, consider leading with “Studies show collaboration boosts performance 200% more than individuals”.
Principle 2) Keep it Simple – Core + Compact
Congratulations, your intriguing opening successfully grabbed attention! But now you need enough simplicity around the core concept so audiences truly absorb and remember it afterwards.
Simplicity doesn’t mean dumbing things down, but narrowing in on the critical essence so knowledge transfer is streamlined. Minimalism requires ruthlessness to filter out non-vital details surrounding the fundamental idea you want people to retain and act upon. This prevents distraction and confusion.
Chip and Dan Heath introduce a formula for simplicity:
Simple = Core Message + Compact Delivery
Finding the Heart of Your Message
To extract the core, imagine if you had one tweet or 30 seconds to convey the entirety of your message before the mic shuts off. What would that key phrase absolutely have to be?
Other techniques like the journalist’s inverted pyramid model apply a similar constraint by leading with just the critical 5% before adding context and supporting points. Zeroing in on your one “Commanding Intent” separates signal from noise.
Tactics to Unearth the Core:
- Inverted Pyramid: Lead with most essential 5-10% of content
- Commander’s Intent: If you had 30 seconds before commas fails, what must the key phrase be?
- 5 Why’s Root Cause Analysis: Keep asking why 5 times to reveal underlying reasons
For example, if you were giving confused team members clarity on organizational values, the core trigger phrase could be “Customer experience drives decisions” or “We aim to help clients feel valued”. Once you’ve extracted your key message, effective communication requires compact delivery so it sticks.
Compact Communication Tactics:
- Use Memory Flags: anchor to what people already know
- Provide Crystal Clear Analogies: relate concepts to everyday examples
- Employ The Rule of Three: 3 key points are most memorable
Let’s explore examples of applying compact simplicity tactics…
Memory Flags
Rather than presenting disembodied facts and figures people struggle to contextualize, ground key messages in cultural symbols already loaded with meaning your audience recognizes. Memory flags trigger instant clarity by tapping into existing mental libraries around sports, politics and history.
For example, trying to convey that only 37% of employees understand the company’s vision requires compacting creatively for impact. Dry stats won’t cut it. Instead, set the scene they can easily visualize – “Imagine our 50 person company is a soccer team, but only 18 players including the goalie know which goal we are aiming for”. Instantly, they grasp the urgency to rectify mission alignment across the organization.
Analogies
Concepts wrapped in concrete analogies also boost understanding exponentially compared to vague platitudes. For example, an algebra teacher was fed up with students constantly asking “but when will we use this in real life?”. His compact, sticky response:
“Imagine math class is like going to the gym. You don’t lift weights with the expectation that someone will someday pin you down and force you to bench press. You do strength training to build mental stamina, just like how practicing math trains logical reasoning skills that develop problem-solving muscles helpful for life, whether as an architect, accountant or artist.”
This analogy locks the importance of conceptual understanding in place. Set up visual examples early when introducing complex ideas to frame comprehension.
The Rule of Three for Memorability
Cognitive science reveals people best remember information in threes. You want audiences retaining key takeaways long after the communication exchange? Follow the rule of three when highlighting core message components.
For example, if persuading colleagues to adopt more sustainable habits, the three simple habits to reduce environmental impact could be:
- Reduce printing
- Carpool when possible
- Use reusable water bottles
Three clear behaviors signal priorities without overwhelming and provide memorable soundbites. In summary, simplify by first identifying the singular core concept, then compact it for stickiness through creative memory flags, analogies and limiting to three key buckets.
Principle 3) Be Concrete – Engage the Senses to Make It tangible
Experts often default into autopilot communication filled with industry jargon and abstract concepts assuming fluency. This backfires because average folks tune out confusing technical language that holds little tangible meaning.
Research on the curse of knowledge phenomenon shows that experts struggle reminiscing back to beginner knowledge levels after accumulating so many years handling complex data variables. Their fluency handicaps communicating specifics effectively to novices.
That’s why it’s critical to move from the vague and theoretical into concrete specifics people can see, touch, hear and feel – the essence of tangible user experience. Sensory language paints a vivid reality in their mind’s eye.
For example, which phrase sparks action more?
- Movie popcorn has 20g saturated fat
- Eating one batch of movie popcorn overwhelms your daily value intake more than eating a Big Mac, large fries and steak combined
The latter helps visualize because we relate to munching on real McDonalds burger. This shows why negative statistics often prove ineffective at changing habits without context. Comparing popcorn to stacked fast food meals provides scale we can imagine.
Strategies to Concretize Content:
- Use sensory details – help them visualize, don’t just tell
- Provide relevant reference points weighted with emotion
- Share the origin story and personality behind data
For example, charity appeals cite statistics like “400 million children lack access to basic education”. Pretty tragic, but the sheer scale makes it hard to empathize. We donate more when shown Ria’s story, the 12-year old girl who desperately wants to learn but can’t afford books whose “life would transform with just \$200 support”.
Ria tugs heartstrings more because we see this brave girl pursuing big dreams despite immense hardship. We root for heroes who inspire us by humanizing numbers. Help people locally realize globally.
Principle 4) Storytelling – The Journey of Transformation & Connection
Since ancient times, stories captivated mankind as our core means of sharing wisdom, instilling values and making sense of reality. Stories speak to us on a personal level. Rather than simply relaying information, narrative transports us inside pivotal moments that shape someone’s journey of identity. This forges deep empathy.
Research shows that while cold stats are soon forgotten, people vividly remember impactful stories years later because we took the emotional journey alongside protagonists.
For example, the story of obese college student Jared Fogle losing 245 pounds after adopting a self-created Subway diet inspired millions struggling with weight issues.
This true story spawned way more buzz and motivation than any sterile corporate ad campaign touting “Subway sandwiches are lower calorie options”. Hearing the transformation journey got people invested because if he could persevere, so could they. Sales skyrocketed not from pushing products alone but the story that gave Subway deeper lifestyle meaning.
Why Stories Build Lasting Influence:
- Foster identification between the audience and subjects going through relatable challenges
- Allow us to walk in someone else’s shoes, evoking empathy for their viewpoint
- Episodic narrative structure carves emotional signposts in our memory
- Stories featuring rising action, climax and reflection moments become mental models for navigating our own setbacks
- Dramatize invisible values like courage, hope and solidarity that unite us
Of course, not everyone can produce an award-winning biopic. But you don’t need Spielberg skills to incorporate storytelling’s magic into your communications through micro-story moments.
Short anecdotes pulling from relatable life experience make presentations resonate better than a barrage of soulless data disconnected from humanity behind the numbers. Stories unite; stats divide.
Ways to Incorporate More Stories:
- Share origin moments – how was idea/product born from insight/inciting incident? Paint the discovery.
- Highlight defining setbacks and triumphs that shaped company values
- Feature archetypal employees that new hires can identify with
- Pull out quotes from clients describing delight moments – let their voice shine
Stories transcend time because they connect universal emotions and experiences that form the essence of human relationships. Masterful communicators don’t dominate with facts but facilitate deeper heart to heart connections.
Principle 5) Make it Emotional – Get Feeling to Inspire Action
What transforms passive listening into active response? The spark of emotion. Neuroscience reveals that people are moved into action more by feelings rather than logic alone. Our ancient limbic emotional centers override the younger executive rational facilities. Stats make people think, stories make people feel – and feeling inspires reaction.
For example, if you read discouraging statistics that malnutrition impacts millions across Africa, you may feel detached sympathy reading the scale of faceless suffering but are unlikely compelled to help beyond feeling sorry.
However, highlight one child’s story battling poverty and suddenly donation amounts spike. Empathy peaks focusing on how $200 could save 12-year old Ria from life-threatening hunger so she can keep attending school and lift her family out of poverty. People connect easier understanding how relatively small sums can transform individual lives. Identifying with one child creates more tangible impact than pitying faceless millions.
The Power of Emotion for Persuasion:
- Emotions forge human connections vital for influence
- Emotions linger longer in memory shaping future decisions
- Emotions guide us at the instinctual gut level where we assess what matters
- Emotions help us determine priorities and meaning
Of course, there are ethical implications to using emotions deliberately for manipulation. I would distinguish between creating genuine empathy versus preying on psychological weaknesses. This is where emotional intelligence helps discriminate between healthy and destructive appeals.
There is also an art to properly pacing emotive communication. You still need a baseline logical setup first for ethos appeals to rational reason so the pathos emotional explosion hits at the right time like a dramatic climax. Rushing too quickly into sentimentality without substantiating arguments comes across like a melodramatic ploy.
The most compelling communicators adopt a symphony mindset realizing ration and emotion harmonize together in the human psyche – neither eliminates the need for the other.
For example, even the most poetic ideals still require structured execution plans detailing practical steps for actualizing visions. Leaders attune messaging rhythms to audiences balancing head and heart for maximum motivation.
Cautions Around Pure Logic
However, researchers discovered an intriguing caveat with the emotional appeal paradigm…
In one study, participants read little Ria’s heartbreaking story and made generous donations as expected. BUT, the group exposed to Ria’s sad tale immediately after doing emotionless calculations for a few minutes reacted completely differently. Their minds stuck in mechanical mode blocked empathetic feelings and they barely gave pocket change.
It seems our state of mind before encountering emotional appeals shapes their influence. It’s crucial to prime people into receptive mindsets instead of emotionally numbed or suspicious mentalities. This supports why establishing sufficient logical credibility first pays dividends later when strategically spotlighting emotion.
In Summary – Communication that Captivates, Sparks Insight and Motivation
The Made to Stick model offers science-backed methods for explaining ideas persuasively to motivate change. Here’s a quick recap…
- Get Attention by Highlighting the Unexpected – Disrupt expectations and assumptions to grab interest
- Direct Attention with Simplicity – Identify core message and compact delivery with analogies & examples
- Deepen Understanding through Concrete Details – Engage the senses with clear visuals, sounds, textures
- Inspire through the Power of Story – Let narrative moments shine that connect journeys & values
- Trigger Action by Appealing to Emotion – Strategically spotlight feelings at the right stage to inspire
Master these five principles of captivating communication rooted in cognitive science. Avoid flat informational dumps that fade fast. Instead, craft compelling content shaped for stickiness so your message resonates long afterwards while inciting audiences to make your ideas reality!
The Next Step – Share your Thoughts!
Now I’d love to hear from you – what communication tactics have you found effective? Do you have tips to add based on your own experience explaining ideas persuasively? Let’s keep this discussion going in the comments below!
