communicate too many ideas to your audience is going to overwhelm them and cause them to avoid taking action .
Since the Heath brothers have roots in education , they say , “ Here ’ s the good news about stickiness : This isn ’ t just interesting trivia about how the world of ideas works . Rather , it ’ s a playbook . There are very practical ways that you can make your teaching stickier .”
In fact , they went a step further and wrote a follow-up article to their best-selling book . To find it , just search for “ Teaching That Sticks ” on the Internet . In this free article , the Heaths show many examples of how teachers can become more effective simply by applying stickiness principles .
While the ideas expressed by the Heath brothers are basic , they aren ’ t natural . “ That ’ s an important distinction ,” the Heaths say . “ People tend to think that having a great idea is enough , and they think the communication part will come naturally . We are in deep denial about the difficulty of getting a thought out of our own heads and into the heads of others . It ’ s just not true that ‘ If you think it , it will stick .’”
This is why some schools who are clearly head-and-shoulders above the competition never grow . They have what the Heath brothers refer to as the Curse of Knowledge . “ Research in economics and psychology shows that when we know something , it becomes hard for
“ Here ’ s the great cruelty of the Curse of Knowledge : The better we get at generating great ideas — new insights and novel solutions — in our field of expertise , the more unnatural it becomes for us to communicate those ideas clearly . Notice it is ‘ unnatural ,’ not ‘ impossible .’
us to imagine not knowing it . As a result , we become lousy communicators . Experts just need to devote a little time to applying the basic principles of stickiness .”
Schools are the epicenter of knowledge in our culture . School leaders and teachers hold the keys to sharing knowledge with children . Don ’ t let the Curse of Knowledge keep you from reaching them . Take the time to read Made to Stick and “ Teaching That Sticks .” Your school will never be the same .
Use clear payment descriptors to reduce credit card disputes
A situation that may cause new families to dispute credit card charges is having an unclear payment descriptor . A payment descriptor is the merchant name and other identifying details that appear on the customer ’ s credit card statement . Families will appreciate clear payment descriptors that accurately reflect purchases .
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