So, why are our emotions important when talking about making ideas stick? Inevitably, it boils down to the fact that "for people to take action, they have to care," and in order to care they must feel the emotions that are associated with that mindset (168). Sticky ideas aren't about making people emotional, about them weeping over the information that we present. It is about using an emotional message to cultivate an interest in a certain something. These feelings ultimately inspire people to take action. As museum educators, what more could we ask for than for our visitors to not only feel connected with a given set of information but to also take those feelings of interest and convert them into valuable forms of action (further study in a certain subject matter; life-long learning patterns; allegiances to institutions, cultures, people, places, etc.; advocacy efforts, etc.).
Yet, how do we make people care about the idea we are trying to sell? The Heath brothers state that there are three ways to do this.
1) THE POWER OF ASSOCIATIONS: "To make people care about our ideas we don't have to produce emotion from an absence of emotion. In fact, many ideas use a sort of piggybacking strategy, associating themselves with emotions that already exist...The most basic way to make people care is to form an association between something they don't yet care about and something they do care about" (171+173). The power of associations allows us to follow the instructions of Dewey, who acknowledged the fact that in order to have valuable experiences they must be drawn from or attached to previous experiences. This connection to things of the past adds an element of familiarity that allows for a progression forward on a solid foundation. Such is still the case when we are speaking of emotions. That attachment--association--with the past allows for emotions to develop in such a way as to make them relevant to the individual experiencing these emotions.
2) SELF INTEREST: The second way in which we can create environments where individuals care about our ideas is to appeal to their self-interest. We make people care by "appealing to the things that matter to them" (177). What matters to all people? Themselves.
3) IDENTITY: We can also make individuals care by appealing to their identity. Make the information you convey hit home to your audience members.
How can we apply this knowledge into the museum setting. First of all, I believe that drawing an emotional connection between our visitors and the information we present to them is paramount in creating experiences that mean something to our visitors. By this I mean that emotions have a funny way of creating meaning for our visitors that goes beyond a surface-level feeling of attachment; it causes our audience members to feel. To feel in many ways is to make the world more real to you as an individual. We realize (in a very true understanding of the word) what we encounter because our emotions open the door to delving into a set of knowledge even further than we usually would.
Another point of interest for me centers on a quote from the authors concerning appealing to the self-interest of your audience. They state:
"Companies often emphasize features when they should be emphasizing benefits. "The most frequent reason for unsuccessful advertising is advertisers who are so full of their own accomplishments (the world's best seed!) that they forget to tell us why we should buy (the world's best lawn!)" (179).
In other words, as museum professionals we need to make it known what the benefit of the benefit will be. This can happen in departments all across the face of our institutions from visitor services to education to design. Rather than spending time stating what we are, we need to convey to our target audience(s) why they should invest in what we are. The more and more I read about what museums do poorly the more and more I realize that it has to do with answering the wrong questions. We need to start answering the "Whys?" for our visitors, not simply stating the "Whats?"
You've really hit on one of the key idea of adult education here! The "what's in it for me" issue is absolutely critical to consider. The three points that comprise the emotional idea all seem to hit on the personal connection. This is at the core of any kind of participation and interaction (and thus meaningful experience). I agree that there is value in communicating what people will get out of the experience--or as you call it the why they should invest in the museum. Really, in the end, I think it might be more about the convincing the person to invest in themselves!
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