Sioli Alexander Pino Attorneys at Law December 2018

Chip and Dan Heath’s ‘Made to Stick’ Uncovers What Makes Ideas Matter H ave you ever wondered why certain stories that have no basis in fact get passed around like wildfire? Whether they’re rumors, urban legends, or conspiracy theories, these tales can often gain more traction than important ideas and facts. In their book “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die,” Chip and Dan Heath explore the qualities that give ideas relevance and pass-around value. “An accurate but useless idea is still useless,” they write. This point is key to understanding why people get excited about certain ideas and ignore others. The Heaths argue that the presentation of ideas can have just as much of an impact on their “stickiness” as the content of the ideas. After analyzing hundreds of examples, they note, “We began to see the same themes, the same attributes, reflected in a wide range of successful ideas.”

“Made to Stick” explains those attributes using myriad examples to illustrate how stickiness works in the real world. Early in the book, the Heaths share six key principles, demonstrating how good ideas are made valuable and exciting by their simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, and credibility; are capable of rousing emotions; and are often presented in the form of stories. While these principles are relatively straightforward, they are often subverted in an effort to use business jargon and other neutered forms of language. The Heaths deploy John F. Kennedy’s famous speech about putting aman on the moon as an example of a compellingly relayed idea. “Had John F. Kennedy been a CEO, he would have said, ‘Our mission is to become the international leader in the space industry throughmaximum team-centered innovation and strategically targeted aerospace initiatives,’” they explain. Nobody would have been excited about that.

If you’ve ever thought that you had a great idea but couldn’t get your employees to buy into it, a lack of stickiness may be the cause. Understanding how to present your ideas in an inspiring way could unlock the key to increased productivity and growth like you’ve never achieved before. The next time you present an idea to your team, a group of conference attendees, or any other audience, ask yourself if that idea will stick. If it won’t, you’re just wasting your time. If you need a little guidance on how to make your ideas punch a little harder, “Made to Stick” should be on your holiday book list.

Charities for the Holidays Get the Whole Office Involved!

girls. Everyone in the office participates in one way or another, whether by finding a shoebox, buying toys, or wrapping the gifts. Our teammembers look forward to this time of year, as we all gather together and take some time out of our day to help those in need. The shoeboxes are filled with toys, school supplies, or hygiene items, which then get distributed to a local church drop box by one of our teammembers.

Olesea was born in a small village in Moldova. Her parents worked long hours to put food on the table for her and her six siblings, but that is all they could afford. The only toy they had was a set of dry markers, which they would dip in water to make them last longer. One Christmas, Olesea and her siblings each received a shoebox. They were all filled with toys, but her box had a set of colorful markers. She was filled with joy when she saw the markers, as that was exactly what she was longing for — to be able to draw and color. Olesea said it was the happiest day of her life. Every year, our office focuses its attention toward dedicating time to benefit a charity. Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child is the international relief programwe take part in every year. This charity specializes in giving shoebox gifts to children in need in 160 countries around the world.

Along with our shoebox charity, here are some other holiday charities that your office can participate in this year:

Operation Christmas Child serves to give those children in need a reason to smile. Each gift is a symbol of hope and happiness to remind them that they are loved. Other charities around this time of year include Toys for Tots, Angel Tree, Better World Books, Pencils of Promise, Hope International, and many more. Giving is often in the minds of many people this time of year, and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than to participate in a charity? You can help people in need, bring smiles to the faces of children, and spread joy during the holidays. Plus, the atmosphere in your office will brighten too.

The beauty of this project lies in the time taken to gather gifts as a team and the process of purchasing and assembling them for the boys and

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