Lesson by Gail Hapke
Description (for Instructors)
This in-class lesson plan uses a PowerPoint presentation to help students identify what makes an idea “sticky” (i.e., more memorable and more capable of changing attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors). Essential to students’ understanding of effective persuasion, this lesson builds upon the persuasive techniques explored in Chip and Dan Heath’s book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. This presentation walks students through an easy-to-remember acronym (“SUCCESs”) to make ideas stick with their readers:
- S – Simple
- U – Unexpected
- C – Concrete
- C – Credentialed
- E – Emotional
- S(s) – Story-like
The following lesson is designed to be presented synchronously in class. However, it can be adapted into an asynchronous lesson using various tools, such as an interactive quiz, on the Course Management System (CMS) of your choice. Furthermore, this lesson uses information taken from the following text:
Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. Random House, 2007.
Materials
Explanation (for Students)
1. Discuss “stickiness”
Consider the term “sticky idea,” as well as your pre-associations with it. Some questions you may consider are as follows:
- What does it mean for an idea to be “sticky”?
- What ideas have “stuck” in your head after seeing an advertisement, completing a reading, etc.? What made them so “sticky”?
- Why is it important for writers to be able to make their ideas “stick” in the heads of their readers—particularly in the context of business writing?
Take 2-3 minutes to jot down some of your ideas. Then, we’ll discuss our associations, definitions, and ideas as a class.
For Instructors:
Slowly go through each of the slides in the PowerPoint presentation. After reviewing each new trait in the “stickiness” acronym (“SUCCESs”), ask your students to consider what that trait would concretely look like in the context of business writing. You may also ask your students to 1.) practice demonstrating each individual writing trait in a quick writing exercise or 2.) brainstorm examples of media/business writing that best exemplify said trait.
2. Discuss “simplicity”
Consider how “simplicity” manifests in writing. What effect does simplicity have on readers, and how can one ensure that their writing is simple?
3. Discuss “unexpectedness”
Consider how “unexpectedness” manifests in writing. What effect does unexpectedness have on readers, and how can one ensure that their writing is unexpected?
4. Discuss “concreteness”
Consider how “concreteness” manifests in writing. What effect does concreteness have on readers, and how can one ensure that their writing is concrete?
5. Discuss “credentials”
Consider how “credentials” manifest in writing. What effect does having credentials have on readers, and how can one ensure that their writing has credentials?
6. Discuss “emotionality”
Consider how “emotionality” manifests in writing. What effect does emotionality have on readers, and how can one ensure that their writing is (the right amount of) emotional?
7. Discuss “story-telling”
Consider how “story-telling” manifests in writing. What effect does creating a story-like narrative have on readers, and how can one ensure that their writing is story-like?