Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath is one of the best books on communication that I’ve ever read. Not because they talked about delivery or style, but because they dealt with the one topic that every communicator thinks about: “Are people remembering what I said 3 days later?”

The average person forgets by Wednesday what was preached on Sunday (which doesn’t make me happy). But they offer 6 ways that ideas stick and take root in our minds. The one idea from the book that has stuck with me is “The Curse of Knowledge”. This is where we communicate based on the fact that we think everyone already knows more than they do.

It’s why Pastors use words no one knows the meaning to or reference stories or events no one knows. I know some shy away from using Biblical/ Theological terms in their teaching. I think you can use those terms, you just have to define them. We can’t assume that every person in the room is at the same level. Instead, we have to communicate with people at every level in mind.

Anyway, this was a great book and I highly recommend it!