How to Make Your Business Writing Stickier
There’s a big buzz about sticky ideas - ideas that catch on like wildfire and take up residence in our minds. Malcolm Gladwell introduced the concept of stickiness in his bestselling book, The Tipping Point.
Building on his introduction, brothers Chip and Dan Heath reverse engineer sticky ideas in their book, Made to Stick. Informed by the work of political scientists, psychologists and educators, the Heaths conclude that there’s a blueprint for communicating ideas so that they’ll stick. It’s s-u-c-c-e-s-s:
- Simplicity
- Unexpectedness
- Concreteness
- Credibility
- Emotion
- Stories
Garr Reynolds picks up on this theme at his terrific blog, Presentation Zen. He discusses how the six key elements of stickiness “are easy to incorporate into messages – including presentations and keynote addresses.”
The same holds true for business writing. People are likely to remember and respond to our messages when we deliver them through simple, concrete and credible written content that tells a story with some emotion and offers an unexpected benefit to the reader.
For another interesting look at stickiness, you can check out this Inc.com piece on Marketing made Sticky.
