{"id":1730,"date":"2007-11-29T16:40:52","date_gmt":"2007-11-29T15:40:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progmanager.wordpress.com\/2007\/11\/29\/getting-the-message-across\/"},"modified":"2007-11-29T16:40:52","modified_gmt":"2007-11-29T15:40:52","slug":"getting-the-message-across","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2007\/11\/29\/getting-the-message-across\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting the Message Across"},"content":{"rendered":"

McKinsey’s have just published a great interview<\/a> (free registration required<\/em>) with a guy called Chip Heath.\u00a0 Chip has spent much time, effort and money researching what makes ideas ‘stick’ in a business.\u00a0 So his interest is in sticky ideas.\u00a0 His research suggests that sticky ideas share six basic traits.<\/p>\n

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  1. Simplicity.<\/span> Messages are most memorable if they are short and deep. (Good feedback fits this description)<\/li>\n
  2. Unexpectedness.<\/span> Something that sounds like common sense won\u2019t stick. Look for the parts of your message that are un<\/em>common sense.<\/li>\n
  3. Concreteness.<\/span> Abstract language and ideas don\u2019t leave sensory impressions; concrete images do. Compare \u201cget an American on the moon in this decade\u201d with \u201cseize leadership in the space race through targeted technology initiatives and enhanced team-based routines.\u201d<\/li>\n
  4. Credibility.<\/span> Will the audience buy the message? Can a case be made for the message?<\/li>\n
  5. Emotions.<\/span> Case studies that involve people also move them. \u201cWe are wired,\u201d Heath writes, \u201cto feel things for people, not abstractions.”\u00a0 (Again the feedback model provides us with the opportunity to talk to people about emotional impacts of their behaviour as well.)<\/li>\n
  6. Stories.<\/span> We all tell stories every day. Why? \u201cResearch shows that mentally rehearsing a situation helps us perform better when we encounter that situation,\u201d Heath writes. \u201cStories act as a kind of mental flight simulator, preparing us to respond more quickly and effectively.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This is all sound advice.\u00a0 However sometimes the message that the managers needs to get across is not especially sticky.\u00a0 In this case I think Chip underestimates the importance of repeating the message frequently and clearly.\u00a0 This is one of the reasons why weekly 121s are so effective in building relationships.\u00a0 The non-sticky message can be given repeatedly until behaviour starts to change.<\/p>\n