If you must communicate in your job to inform, explain, build buy-in or motivate others, have a look at Chip and Dan Heath’s book Made to Stick. The Heath brothers have identified six critical strategies for ensuring your communication sticks in people’s minds, making your message SUCCESsful:
S-IMPLE
Not dumbing your message down but prioritizing the critical point and mastering exclusion. Ex: “At The Neutral Zone, we LOVE problems.”
U-NEXPECTED
To get attention, violate a schema. Before your message sticks, people must want it. Ex: “Everything you thought you knew about conflict is wrong.”
C-ONCRETE
To be concrete, use sensory language and paint a mental picture. Ex: “All of our work gets summed up in 8 little words: Totally different perspectives of the exact same events.”
C-REDIBLE
People only accept the ideas they believe are credible, like those endorsed by a trusted source or reflect their perception of the world. Tap into people’s own experiences. Ex: “We’re the only small business I know that does absolutely zero marketing. All our business for the past 20 years comes from repeat customers and word of mouth.”
E-MOTIONAL
People care more about people than dry stats. Ensure your communications make them feel something. Ex: “We turn some of the toughest bullies in workplaces into some of the most respectful and respected colleagues.”
S-TORY BASED
Stories drive action through simulation (what to do) and inspiration (motivation to do it). Tell your communication as a story. Ex: “Many will say that people don’t really change very much. Then there’s the doctor who had been fired from several hospitals before he worked with us, and has now been an esteemed head of the department for several years.”
To read more, purchase this book off Amazon or download it on Audible. Our team is always available for a free consultation to discuss how we can help you or your team communicate better. Contact us today.