Catalyst

Archive for the ‘books’ Category

Have you heard of:

• The kidneys thieves urban legend?
• Jared of Subway fame?
• The commercial of “this is your brain on drugs?”

If so, you’ve got something “stuck” in your brain. What made it stick?

Chip and Dan Heath wanted to know the reason so they studied “sticky” messages. The result is an excellent probe into communication in their book Made to Stick: Why Some Messages Survive and Some Die.

The book details six traits of “stickable”messages. Messages that are made to stick are

Simple

Unexpected

Concrete

Credible

Emotional.

The Heaths illustrate their results with actual examples of memorable and forgettable messages that compel the reader to confront his own communication style. Many use language and style that not only obscures the meaning but makes the message so forgettable that it goes in one ear and out the other. (I had college classes that left me at the speed of dull.)

One example particular caught my attention. It was about a man who ran the mess hall of a unit in Iraq. His was not just a steel spoon dishing out barely-edible meals. He dressed his staff in chef’s hats, put table clothes on tables, and took time to serve good food. He did all of this with the same exact supplies as any other Army unit. What made the difference was one sticky idea. He told those under his charge, “We don’t fix meals. We build morale.” That simple, concrete, dramatic message transformed a forgettable experience into something about which soldiers raved.

To enhance the learning experience, the Heaths include some thinking sections where the reader gets to check the “stickiness” quotient and how to improve the same message.

I found the book particularly useful. As a church leader, I deliver more than an average share of messages. Some take the shape of a sermon. Others are dimmed-light devotionals. Others are proposals about programs and problems to meetings. Since reading Made to Stick I have changed my approach to communication. I craft each one against the six-fold measure of the Made to Stick. My work found a new energy and anticipation.

If I had my way, I throw away most speech texts and using this book in their place. It would provide high polish to dull communications (whether letters, speeches, or ads).

The next time you make a presentation, when the final syllable is spoken ask, “What stuck?”

Made to Stick:  Why Some Ideas Survive and Some Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Random House, 2007. 304 pages.

The promises of the feminist revolution of the 1970′s shimmers as a desert mirage in the heat of 21st Century pressures. While the leaders of women’s liberation claim they were misquoted, the mantra of “you can have it all” stuck with a generation of women  now weary of trying to have happy and fulfilled lives.

Is it impossible for women to find the life they want? Marcus Buckingham, prolific author  and “strength coach” addresses the concerns of overwhelmed women in his new book, Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently. In it, he counsels women to discover the path to true fulfillment–using the strong moments of life to forge new beginnings.

Buckingham is well-known for helping people discover their strengths. This book explores two women, Charlie and Anna, who must find the illusive sense of self through different paths.

The  book uses the trifocal lens of “catch and cradle.” The three portions are:

• Search for Strong Moments
• Accept What You Find
• Strive for Imbalance.

The author does an excellent job of defining strengths with a different concept of nine roles. These roles are well-defined but brief enough to catch the attention of the reader. Those who plow through them see themselves in the mirror. (Buckingham further delineates that a person has both dominate roles and supporting roles, a helpful concept to keep in mind.)

The last section of the book is a series of tactical plans for various scenarios such as, being laid or improving a marriage. He organizes these tactics under the umbrellas of career, relationships, children, and future.

Buckingham’s books are always insightful. He organizes his material well, allowing for a quick overview as well as a thorough reading. His sections covering life tactics are especially practical and geared toward action. Many authors are content with ideas but Buckingham really does want the reader to do something.

While written to women, Strongest Life also applies to anyone, whether male or female, navigating the rapids of the doldrums of daily existence.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller

If they made a movie from the story of your life, would you buy a ticket?  Would it even make it to DVD on the “cheap shelf?

For Donald Miller, his adventure into writing a screenplay based on his life taught him one thing–his life was boring. He needed to find a story and develop a character. His book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years takes a Picassoesque approach to the pursuit of meaning in life and creating a better life story.

Miller’s book reads like a rafting trip on a river. It starts slow, picks up speed, and then pumps adrenalin through your heart. When Miller describes life, you find him slipping into your shoes. The routine is familiar. He explains why we sit on comfortable couches, eating chips and mindlessly drinking sodas. We enjoy the comfort but want something more. So the reader follows him as he kayaks down a river to meet a man named Bob. (You want to meet your own Bob one day.) You pant as you make your way up a Peruvian hillside. You feel the ache in your calves as you pedal cross-country with him.  More than that, you feel the tears that comes from living a genuine life.

Miller aptly points out that character comes from overcoming obstacles. Most Americans seek to avoid obstacles. Is that why character slips a little more each day? All need to write an epic story with their life. Try great things. Challenge yourself. Pour yourself out for others. Then you have something worthy of epic.

I came away from Miller’s book with more than appreciation. It sparked a small flicker of desire for more than the routine. His masterful weaving of story blew the embers into flame to be more genuine, more daring, and more creative. Whether I ever bike across America or plant a tree in the Sub-Sahara, I will let Donald Miller have a key to my home any time. He is always welcome.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life is published by Thomas Nelson Publishers and is available online and at bookstores.