Have you ever put time and effort into communicating something important, only to have people ignore or quickly forget about it? Does it drive you crazy to hear, “You never told us about that!”
Apply three or more of these tricks to each communication, and people will be more likely to notice, care, and take action.
· S: Simple – Make the core message clear. Try to answer the WIIFM question, “What’s in It for Me?”)
· U: Unexpected – Make people notice. Humor or surprising images often work well.
· C: Concrete – Make people understand. If the topic is abstract, be sure to provide concrete examples.
· C: Credible – Make people believe. Use a trustworthy spokesperson or provide compelling data and logic.
· E: Emotional – Make people care. Show how it affects real individuals, not just lofty principles or faceless groups.
· S: Stories – Make people act. A good story not only pulls people in, it can inspire the action you are asking people to take.
· S: Short – Make it easy to digest. Keep it “snack size,” or else people will feel overwhelmed and just skip over it.
This SUCCESS Model is adapted from the research and model in Made to Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath.