Success

So I ran across a wonderful article the other day written by Chip and Dan Heath.  For those of you who don't know who Chip and Dan Heath are, they are two brothers that have written several very interesting books.  I have read two of their books, Made to Stick and Switch.  Made to Stick is about how you can get your ideas across in an effective way (creating sticky ideas).  Switch is about how to trick your brain into making changes in your life.  Both books are very easy and good reads.  As I was doing some research for a Sunday school lesson on Switch, I ran across this really interesting article about getting your ideas to stick.  In the article, the Heath brothers lay out 6 principles using the acronym SUCCESs.  Here are the points they lay out:

S--Simple (Simple does not mean to dumb down.  It means to simplify in such a way that you can effectively communicate your main point)

U-Unexpected (To get the attention of your audience, tell them something unexpected or leave a gap in your message.  Ex. Do you want to know what the other letters stand for in this acronym?)

Wait for it...

C-Concrete (Give concrete examples and use all different types of examples.  For the visual learner, paint a mental picture.  For the concrete learner, use an object.)

C-Credible (Make your ideas believable.  The Heath brothers reference JFK's speech about a Man on the Moon.  The idea of space travel all the way to the moon seemed unfathomable to most people until Kennedy painted a picture.  He gave a concrete example, a man will walk on the moon and helped people to visualize what that could look like.)

E-Emotional (People care about people, not numbers.  Appeal to people's emotions and you will be able to make your idea thrive).

S-Stories (Inspire people with stories about how a problem can change.  According to the Heath brothers, Jared the sandwich guy was a perfect example of this.  Show us a real person and how they made change and that will inspire others to change).

I hope that this gives you some food for thought and if you get a chance pick up these two books, you will not be disappointed!!!!!!