Razor Blades in Apples, Flashing Headlights, and The Great Wall

There has never been a razor blade in a piece of Halloween candy. If you flash your headlights at someone going down the road, you won't be shot by a gang member. The Great Wall of China isn't visible from space. Sorry to burst your bubble.

But, these are more than just clever stories turned urban legends. They contain incredibly important lessons of which we should all take note.

In their first ever book, Made to Stick, brothers Chip and Dan Heath explore these popular stories and why they "stick." A term made popular by Malcolm Gladwell, "stickyness" refers to those ideas that are understood and remembered, and have a lasting impact, which result in a change of an audience’s opinions or behavior. Evidenced by the above stories, millions of people now check their children's Halloween candy for razorblades, think twice about flashing their headlights at oncoming traffic, and tell stories of the Great Wall's visibility from outer space.

But what makes these ideas "stickier" than others? The Heath brothers outline six principles of sticky ideas: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories. They discuss these ideas in depth in their book, but one central theme worth highlighting is what they call "the most troubling element that must be overcome for an idea to stick" -- The Curse of Knowledge.

The authors define the Curse of Knowledge as the inability to share knowledge with others because we cannot imagine what it is like not to know it. In effect, the knowledge that one possesses has “cursed” him/her because he/she cannot readily recreate the listeners’ state of mind. They authors recount several examples of instances where experts and laypeople were forced to work together where the experts had “lost the ability to imagine what it was like to look at a something from the perspective of a nonexpert."

Whether you are an entrepreneur trying to convince a backer of your idea, a mother attempting to persuade your son to eat all of his vegetables, or an educator trying to ignite a passion in your students, Made to Stick might be one of the most important books you'll ever read.

I have particular fondness for this book for many reasons. First, it gives me ammunition to debunk wives tales and urban legends purported by Erica. Second, it allows me to think of ways to learn and teach, even though I'm just beginning to set out on this journey. Lastly, it provides important insight into an ever-increasing befuddling world.