The Tipping Point By Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell. How little things can make a big difference.

Why does some ideas, messages and creations spread like wild fire but others find it extremely difficult to attract the attention of their target audience? In Malcolm's book he gives you eye opening insights into how 'social epidemics' work and how the little things make all the difference when it comes to making that idea tip. 

Malcolm explains how even the minor elements play a huge role in the tipping point. He explains throughout the book that an idea needs to be contagious and to do that it needs to be picked up by a few of the ' right' people. In addition, for the idea, message or creation to tip it also needs to be 'sticky' and it has to be brought in the right context. 

Through out the book Malcolm mentions these few rules to follow if you're wanting to make your idea tip. 

The Law of The Few 

There are three types of people who can spread an idea in a contagious way the connector, the maven and the salesman. The connectors are people who know a lot of people and are capable of brining people from different worlds together. This can help get your idea spread to lots of different people fast. Mavens know their knowledge within the market and love to share this with others. If your product is good you'd be sure to know they would be talking about it. Lastly, the salesman is the persuasive talker who can persuade anyone to buy anything with just their charm. These three people are essential for speaking a word-of-mouth epidemic. 

The Stickiness Factor

The stickiness factor means that your message to your audience needs to stick or be 'sticky'. You have to question yourself, is this message so memorable that it can create change or action? And to do this you need to know your target group and what makes them remember your message.  An example Malcolm explains was with kids.  They watch television when they understand and look away when they are confused. Approaching them like adults made the opposite effect and was what made sesame street tip. 

The Power of Context 

Malcolm explains in this chapter that people are extremely sensitive to changes in context. Small factors such as the environment we live in can change things dramatically. For example, broken windows and graffiti can start a crime epidemic. He also explain there are different contextual factors that enhance change, like peer pressure in smaller groups. He explains the difference between the early adaptors and early majority and how to use that to then translate difficult concepts into ideas the rest of us can understand. Malcolm stresses that to start a word- of mouth epidemic you must completely concentrate on the connectors, mavens and salesmen. Furthermore, he explains our world does not accord with our intuition. Those who are successful in creating an epidemic do not just do what they think is right but instead, deliberately test their intuitions and act on the test results. Lastly, Malcolm explains that by manipulating a size of a group we can improve interest in new ideas and adjusting the appearance of information, we can improve its stickiness. 

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is a book that makes you think and view life in a different way. It’s an eye-opener, inspiring and knowledgable. A book that can change your life.