TIPS FROM THE TIPPING POINT

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TIPS FROM THE TIPPING POINT

• Sara Nagel Newberg
• Heidi Perman
• St. Paul Campus Career Center
• University of Minnesota

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PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES

• Provide overview of key concepts from The
  Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• Share our experiences applying The Tipping
  Point principles
• Generate ideas about other ways to use these
  strategies in your work

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Successful outreach requires working through the
right people, with the right message, at the
right time and place.
CORE MESSAGE
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TIPPING POINT- OVERVIEW

• The best way to understand trends of ideas,
  products, messages and behavior is to think of
  them as epidemics
• Three Principles of Epidemics
• Contagious behavior
• Little changes have big effects
• Changes happen in a hurry

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3 RULES OF EPIDEMICS

• Law of the few
• Connectors, mavens and salespeople
• Stickiness factor
• Power of context

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USES IN CAREER SERVICES

• Public relations/advertising
• Career education
• Teaching
• Student behavior

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• THE LAW OF THE FEW

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THE LAW OF THE FEW

• Connectors
• Know lots of people
• Fit well into many different groups or cultures
• See Connector Quiz in Your Packet

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THE LAW OF THE FEW

• Mavens
• Gather a lot of knowledge on particular topics
  and become experts
• Love sharing this information with other people
• They dont persuade people, but teach and explain

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THE LAW OF THE FEW

• Salespeople
• Natural ability to persuade others
• Beyond words, but character traits that impact
  others charisma, body language etc.

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THE LAW OF THE FEW

• Implementation Strategies
• Career Leader Volunteers Career Fair
• Students Conduct Resume Presentation
• Faculty Popular vs. Coordinators

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• THE STICKINESS FACTOR

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IS YOUR MESSAGE STICKY?

• Is the message so memorable that it incites
  change? Spurs others to action?
• Its not the inherent quality of the idea, but
  the packaging of the idea that matters.

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QUALITIES OF STICKY IDEAS

• SUCCES Factors
• Simplicity
• Unexpectedness
• Concreteness
• Credibility
• Emotional
• Stories

Source Chip Heath and Dan Heath Made to Stick
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SUCCESS STORIES

• Ramen Noodles
• Career Tips

• Tip or Treat

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YOUR SUCCES STORIES
What techniques have you used to make an idea
stick?
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• THE POWER OF CONTEXT

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POWER OF CONTEXT

• Change is sensitive to the environment and timing
• Group dynamics and group pressure impact an
  epidemic
• Community is important

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THE POWER OF CONTEXT

• Implementation Strategies
• Visiting classes targeting message by major
• Online Workshops
• Resume Doctor

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EMPLOYER SATISFACTION WITH CAREER FAIR
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• CASE STUDY

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RESOURCES

• The Tipping Point How Little Things Can Make a
  Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
• http//www.gladwell.com
• Made to Stick Why Some Ideas Survive While
  Others Die
• Chip Heath and Dan Heath
• Sara Nagel Newberg, snagel_at_umn.edu, 612-624-3696
• Heidi Perman, hperman_at_umn.edu, 612-624-9120