One of the core competencies of any business analyst is communication. This covers a vast array of tasks; from communicating requirements to stakeholders right through to preparing a presentation for the CEO. If a BA can’t communicate succinctly, accurately and precisely, then they aren’t going to last very long in the job! And it’s not just about communication, it’s about making that communication memorable.
I recently read an excellent book that I would love to share with you. The book is called Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.
The book opens by asking an intriguing question: Why do we remember (and repeat) urban legends like the Kidney Heist (you know, the one where a man wakes up in a bath of ice minus his kidney) but we don’t remember important information about health, our communities or even our projects?
The authors refer to this phenomena as stickiness, and the rest of the book is dedicated to describing how to make a message stick. The book focuses on 6 key aspects:
- Simple
- Unexpected
- Concrete
- Credible
- Emotional
- Stories
A whole range of tips, tricks and techniques are discussed. Rather than write a long textural review or summary of the book, I’ve included a mind-map below. Click on the mind-map below to download a PDF version. However, this is only really scratching the surface — you’ll get so much more from reading the book.
Click here to download the “Made to Stick” Book review and mind map PDF
I hope you find this book review useful. If you read the book and like it, please add a comment below. In fact, if you find this book review useful, please let me know and I’ll be sure to publish more in future!
Found this very useful. I loved the book and am setting up my own BA book club.
Thanks Lisa, I’m really glad you found it useful! If you’d like any more ideas for books to read in your book club, be sure to contact me. I’d be very happy to share a list of books that I found enjoyable/useful.