One interesting idea from the book, Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath, is about the Curse of Knowledge. Quoting from the book: “This is the Curse of Knowledge. Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has “cursed†us. And it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others, because we can’t readily re-create our listeners’ state of mind.â€
This is relevant for environmentalists. Sometimes we can’t understand why people and companies don’t get our message; why they continue to engage in activities that harm the environment. We forget to put ourselves in their shoes or refuse to understand their state of mind and why they do what they do.
We need to understand their mindset first and then formulate our messages to make it stick and spread. To make ideas stick, the authors shared 6 principles:
1. Simplicity: What is the core idea?
2. Unexpectedness: How do we generate interest and curiosity?
3. Concreteness: How do we make it clear?
4. Credibility: How do we make people believe?
5. Emotions: How do we make them care?
6. Stories: How do we get them to take action?
Keep this 6 principles in mind when you create your next green message or campaign. Make it stick!
