In chapter one and two of Heath and Heath Made to Stick, the things that stuck out
to me the most was the idea that “simple messages are core and compact” (46).
This point is extremely important because any type of message should have a
core, something that is its foundation, something that the message can build
on. For example, many stories that have a message have a foundation. For
instance, the message in the Tortoise and the Hare was built off of the most important
part of that story; therefore it was able to reach millions of people. This story
is also appealing because it is simple and not complex. I like the example
Heath and Heath used of the Commanders Intent. According to Heath and Heath,
intent is the most important aspect when it comes to the army. Because people
in the army do not know the enemies goal or essentially what they will do, the
only thing they can focus on is their intent or their mission. Thus, they must
have a simple plan that they can carry out when it comes to defeating the
enemy. Simplicity is something that many people desire. For example, in Presidential
debates, people want the candidates to keep their answers to questions simple.
They do not want them to go in circles and fill their answers with things that
do not pertain to the question. They want and desire that simplicity.
It is clear that simplicity and finding the core is very
important in delivering messages. However, when delivering messages it is
important to also keep in mind what it takes to get and keep people’s
attention. According to chapter two Heath and Heath, surprise is what gets
people’s attention and interest is what keeps people’s attention. If something
is surprising to us, it will catch a person’s attention and more than likely
pull them in to listen or read further; this is where the interest comes in. If
we captivated by something that is surprising than it more than likely will
draw a person’s interest and make them want to continue reading or listening. In
chapter two, I related the use of surprise to Heath and Heath’s mentioning of
the unexpected. If something is unexpected, I agree with Heath and Heath, that
it will be “sticker” or more interesting and appealing. I liked the inclusion of
the Enclave ad example in chapter two because I felt it more than emphasized
the idea of the unexpected and surprise. Because this ad, according to Heath
and Heath, violated a person’s idea of how a car commercial is supposed to be
traditionally, it creates that vision of the unexpected and ultimately creates
interest.
