Go Diego Go!

Nick Jr.'s new character to hit the television screen this month is Dora the Explorer's cousin, Diego! My boys (2 & 4) watched this program this morning and I am amazed at how it kept their attention the entire time. They are jumping, talking to the T.V., talking to each other, laughing, learning Spanish, mimicking the actions Diego does...you name it!

This show reminds me of a GREAT book I read over a year ago, The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. In the book he uses Blue's Clues and Sesame Street as a case study for the tipping point. His point was there was something about Blue's Clues that caused it to be more popular (the tipping point) than Sesame Street. The shows about Dora and Diego are similar to Blue's Clues.

One of things he pointed out is that Blue's Clues is stickier than Sesame Street. The stickiness factor is what I saw today with my boys. The program gave them multiple ways to learn. The show is sticky! They are increasing their vocabulary, learning motions, talking to the T.V., finding things on the map, invited to join Diego on a journey...you name it! - Aside - another blog for another time - the concept of children learing that cartoons are a journey to be invited on and not a program to watch!

And it's true. My boys can only hang in when Elmo comes on! They lose interest because it doesn't have as many sticking points as Blue's Clues, Dora or Diego!

The stickiness factor! Just this simple concept can improve your small group, large group teaching, your marketing presentation, a conversation you are having with an employer, or the way you parent. I think we need to be continually be thinking about the stickiness factor in all that we are doing! Especially when we are leading a small group or teaching. We can't just assume that a great introduction is going to give someone a reason to listen for 30 minutes. We need to be sticky all throughout our message or small group time. And what I love about this concept is that it is little changes that make the biggest difference. It's not making huge changes for a huge impact.

If we don't care about the stickiness factor now, you can bet we will when the class of 2020 and 2022 (the potential graduating years of my boys) become adults because they are growing up in a sticky world! I am looking forward to making it a point to be continually evaluating how sticky I am in all the areas of my life!