Hi Steve, I often think back to the Made to Stick principles, and as we begin weekly student presentations, I am not only reframing my own presentation but searching for these principles in other student's talks. When reading this book, I was confused at how simple the concepts were. It made me think back to my past presentations to reflect on where I could have done better. I am excited to explore this new skill through out my time as a graduate student and beyond into my professional career. One particularly sticky presentation that I attended was from a guest lecturer during my time as an undergraduate. This speaker described his heroic battle with HIV/AIDS to a lecture of about 500 twenty year olds. For years I was never really sure why this one story from 10 years ago stuck with me, but after reading M2S and reflecting, I can understand why. Even though the speaker's name has slipped my mind with time, his story and the emotions that were felt have stuck with me. It is interesting to pick apart his presentation and see the M2S principles, but it is very helpful being able to place the principles to a truly moving story. It is exciting to have this new skill that can be used in academia, my career, and also in stories to tell my family during the holidays.
Hi Steve, when I think about a presentation that has stuck with me, I think of Sage Lenier's Ted Talk addressing the tech industry on their impacts on climate change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQdVg8ag6NQ. It is a balanced encapsulation of logic with emotion, and I often cite this presentation with my own family and friends. It is very clear how she embodies M2S principles in keeping her language on climate change simple and concrete because she knows that her audience are not expert matters. The clear statistics she uses enhance her credibility, and the flow of her presentation as well as reputation as a youth leader makes it clear that she knows what she is talking about. The most unexpected aspect for me is how she address the tech leaders in the room, breaking the 4th wall and interacting with her audience in a way that doesn't expect anything of them but rather catches their attention. Specifically the part where she calls out some of the people in the room as architects of the climate crisis--it's a brave, emotional aspect that resonates heavily with me as someone who wishes for the opportunity to do the same. I would highly recommend everyone who is nervous about public speaking to watch this! It reminds me when I have public speaking anxiety that what I am talking about is too important not to say.
Hi Steve. I attended a workshop on climate communication that had a presentation that stuck with me. It was on the concept of the wilderness and what it actually means for something to be wild. It started with the presenter asking what associations came to mind when we thought about wildfire, something that everyone in the room had direct experience with. People offered a variety of words: flames, smoke, danger, evacuation, destruction. The presenter listed the words on a board as they were suggested and it was obvious the negative association around fire.
She then told the story of the history of humans’ relationships with fire, which brought an element of surprise. Humans and fire have an interwoven history, but it was only recently based in fear and control. Indigenous people lived alongside wildfire and accepted it as part of life’s natural cycle. This led into a discussion of our society's current approach to dealing with wildfires and if it is effective or a damaging attempt at controlling something that cannot be controlled.
I think this presentation was so effective because the presenter used aspects of unexpectedness, emotion, concreteness, storytelling, and credibility to communicate her message in a non-traditional way. What could have been a slide deck of wildfire statistics and research became something much more memorable because of her approach.
Hi Steve. This post resonated with me because when I read M2S, I had the same major takeaway: "Wow, this is just common sense." So why aren't we applying it? We're so conditioned by the traditional, not-so-sticky presentations we were taught in school that these common-sense principles have been pushed aside. Sometimes starting with an opener that is unexpected or interjecting humor into a presentation feels too risky. It wasn't the way I was taught and it's not what my colleagues are doing, so why take the risk in being different? The good news is that M2S, and great presenters like Steve Jobs, show that taking that risk pays off. I especially loved the Steve Jobs example and will definitely be looking to his past presentations for sticky inspiration. Your Pacific Beach opener really resonated with me too. I live near the boardwalk and walk it almost daily... though I’ve yet to spot the rollerblading birdman!
Steve, great post. I remember watching some of Jobs' presentations the day they occurred and being gobsmacked by his style. It didn't matter that I was a poor college student, whatever Steve was selling that day was the focal point of all my grocery store cashiering money. I still think back to his presentation on the Macbook Air in 2008. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJqP8P0dh2o)
Within 50 seconds he tells everyone the simple concise point -- it is "the world's thinnest notebook." He then highlights how much better it is than the competition without yet showing the piece of equipment, creating the tension in the room. And then the final reveal of the computer, all housed within a manila envelope -- it was revelatory.
While Jobs' iPhone reveal is a true masterclass, the Macbook Air presentation stuck with me even to this day - for a while when I got my Air I even had a padded sleeve that looked like a manila envelope.
One of my favorite Ted Talks is Jill Bolte Brown's telling of the day she had a stroke and, essentially, discovered her right brain. When I attempt to apply Made to Stick principles I find myself connecting with my creative self as much as my boring linear self, as I try to think about ways to stimulate the audience members into not just hearing the words, but feeling something. Also, when am using made to stick principles or telling a story, I find it helps me calm my nerves, because my focus becomes on telling a good story, connecting with the audience. Better for me, much better for the audience. From a neuroscience perspective, connecting right to left brain is what stickiness is all about!
Hi Steve! Looking back on my time as an undergraduate student, a presentation that has stuck with me was a lecture given by my fisheries and wildlife management professor. In this lecture, my professor was going through the basic tenants of wildlife management. To be completely honest, 7 years later I only remember one part of the lecture but this one saying has stuck with me and has become a foundational lens in which I now view and interact with the environment.
He named the tenant “know your own backyard.” It challenges the idea that we must travel to far and exotic places to experience nature. Instead, it promotes the mindset that nature is all around us. This simple phrase reorients our thinking, encouraging you to see the value in what we might have previously overlooked, the nature closest to home.
I think this idea was sticky for a few reasons. It’s a tag line that is memorable and taps into something universal – our relationship with our immediate surroundings. Everyone has a “backyard,” in some sense, and suddenly they are invited to see it as a place of wonder and stewardship.
For me, it also sparks an emotional connection. I think about the pollinator habitat my mother has created in our front yard that attracts hundreds of bees, I think about blackberry season and picking berries for hours with my grandmother until my finger are bleeding, I think about walking in the nearby state park and attempting to identify every plant we see. This simple yet profound lesson continues to shape how I interact with the world around me, reminding me that meaningful connections with nature start right where we are.
Hi Steve, I often think back to the Made to Stick principles, and as we begin weekly student presentations, I am not only reframing my own presentation but searching for these principles in other student's talks. When reading this book, I was confused at how simple the concepts were. It made me think back to my past presentations to reflect on where I could have done better. I am excited to explore this new skill through out my time as a graduate student and beyond into my professional career. One particularly sticky presentation that I attended was from a guest lecturer during my time as an undergraduate. This speaker described his heroic battle with HIV/AIDS to a lecture of about 500 twenty year olds. For years I was never really sure why this one story from 10 years ago stuck with me, but after reading M2S and reflecting, I can understand why. Even though the speaker's name has slipped my mind with time, his story and the emotions that were felt have stuck with me. It is interesting to pick apart his presentation and see the M2S principles, but it is very helpful being able to place the principles to a truly moving story. It is exciting to have this new skill that can be used in academia, my career, and also in stories to tell my family during the holidays.
Hi Steve, when I think about a presentation that has stuck with me, I think of Sage Lenier's Ted Talk addressing the tech industry on their impacts on climate change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQdVg8ag6NQ. It is a balanced encapsulation of logic with emotion, and I often cite this presentation with my own family and friends. It is very clear how she embodies M2S principles in keeping her language on climate change simple and concrete because she knows that her audience are not expert matters. The clear statistics she uses enhance her credibility, and the flow of her presentation as well as reputation as a youth leader makes it clear that she knows what she is talking about. The most unexpected aspect for me is how she address the tech leaders in the room, breaking the 4th wall and interacting with her audience in a way that doesn't expect anything of them but rather catches their attention. Specifically the part where she calls out some of the people in the room as architects of the climate crisis--it's a brave, emotional aspect that resonates heavily with me as someone who wishes for the opportunity to do the same. I would highly recommend everyone who is nervous about public speaking to watch this! It reminds me when I have public speaking anxiety that what I am talking about is too important not to say.
Hi Steve. I attended a workshop on climate communication that had a presentation that stuck with me. It was on the concept of the wilderness and what it actually means for something to be wild. It started with the presenter asking what associations came to mind when we thought about wildfire, something that everyone in the room had direct experience with. People offered a variety of words: flames, smoke, danger, evacuation, destruction. The presenter listed the words on a board as they were suggested and it was obvious the negative association around fire.
She then told the story of the history of humans’ relationships with fire, which brought an element of surprise. Humans and fire have an interwoven history, but it was only recently based in fear and control. Indigenous people lived alongside wildfire and accepted it as part of life’s natural cycle. This led into a discussion of our society's current approach to dealing with wildfires and if it is effective or a damaging attempt at controlling something that cannot be controlled.
I think this presentation was so effective because the presenter used aspects of unexpectedness, emotion, concreteness, storytelling, and credibility to communicate her message in a non-traditional way. What could have been a slide deck of wildfire statistics and research became something much more memorable because of her approach.
Hi Steve. This post resonated with me because when I read M2S, I had the same major takeaway: "Wow, this is just common sense." So why aren't we applying it? We're so conditioned by the traditional, not-so-sticky presentations we were taught in school that these common-sense principles have been pushed aside. Sometimes starting with an opener that is unexpected or interjecting humor into a presentation feels too risky. It wasn't the way I was taught and it's not what my colleagues are doing, so why take the risk in being different? The good news is that M2S, and great presenters like Steve Jobs, show that taking that risk pays off. I especially loved the Steve Jobs example and will definitely be looking to his past presentations for sticky inspiration. Your Pacific Beach opener really resonated with me too. I live near the boardwalk and walk it almost daily... though I’ve yet to spot the rollerblading birdman!
Steve, great post. I remember watching some of Jobs' presentations the day they occurred and being gobsmacked by his style. It didn't matter that I was a poor college student, whatever Steve was selling that day was the focal point of all my grocery store cashiering money. I still think back to his presentation on the Macbook Air in 2008. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJqP8P0dh2o)
Within 50 seconds he tells everyone the simple concise point -- it is "the world's thinnest notebook." He then highlights how much better it is than the competition without yet showing the piece of equipment, creating the tension in the room. And then the final reveal of the computer, all housed within a manila envelope -- it was revelatory.
While Jobs' iPhone reveal is a true masterclass, the Macbook Air presentation stuck with me even to this day - for a while when I got my Air I even had a padded sleeve that looked like a manila envelope.
One of my favorite Ted Talks is Jill Bolte Brown's telling of the day she had a stroke and, essentially, discovered her right brain. When I attempt to apply Made to Stick principles I find myself connecting with my creative self as much as my boring linear self, as I try to think about ways to stimulate the audience members into not just hearing the words, but feeling something. Also, when am using made to stick principles or telling a story, I find it helps me calm my nerves, because my focus becomes on telling a good story, connecting with the audience. Better for me, much better for the audience. From a neuroscience perspective, connecting right to left brain is what stickiness is all about!
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_my_stroke_of_insight?referrer=playlist-the_most_popular_ted_talks_of_all_time&autoplay=true&subtitle=en
Hi Steve! Looking back on my time as an undergraduate student, a presentation that has stuck with me was a lecture given by my fisheries and wildlife management professor. In this lecture, my professor was going through the basic tenants of wildlife management. To be completely honest, 7 years later I only remember one part of the lecture but this one saying has stuck with me and has become a foundational lens in which I now view and interact with the environment.
He named the tenant “know your own backyard.” It challenges the idea that we must travel to far and exotic places to experience nature. Instead, it promotes the mindset that nature is all around us. This simple phrase reorients our thinking, encouraging you to see the value in what we might have previously overlooked, the nature closest to home.
I think this idea was sticky for a few reasons. It’s a tag line that is memorable and taps into something universal – our relationship with our immediate surroundings. Everyone has a “backyard,” in some sense, and suddenly they are invited to see it as a place of wonder and stewardship.
For me, it also sparks an emotional connection. I think about the pollinator habitat my mother has created in our front yard that attracts hundreds of bees, I think about blackberry season and picking berries for hours with my grandmother until my finger are bleeding, I think about walking in the nearby state park and attempting to identify every plant we see. This simple yet profound lesson continues to shape how I interact with the world around me, reminding me that meaningful connections with nature start right where we are.