The Tipping Point 8

Chapter VIII: Conclusion – Focus, Test, and Believe

Georgia Sadler, a public health nurse, tried to promote the awareness of the danger of breast cancer and diabetes in San Diego. First, she tried to arrange seminars in black churches, but the attendance was very discouraging. Then she thought that she had to give her message a different context, as well as a different kind of messengers – a little bit connectors, a little bit salesmen, and a little bit mavens. Afterward, she decided to spread the words from beauty salons where stylists and their customers often spent hours together, in long-term relationships. After training a bunch of stylists, devising an appropriate system, and executing the communication program in beauty salons for a while, she knew that it worked.

Like other cases in this book, Sadler’s case also showed similar characteristics. Her effort was modest – little. She changed the context, the messengers, and the message itself. She started with the connectors, the salesmen, and the mavens, since no one else matters in starting an epidemic. She also focused on critical places, i.e. the beauty salons. With regard to message itself, she devised supporting materials most fit in beauty salons. The message is printed in a large size; the sheets were laminated in order to face salons’ busy life. The message was also conveyed to the targeted women in a form of conversations between stylists and their customers.

Because of the modesty of the epidemic cases presented in this book, we can say the tipping point is all about band-aid solutions. Yes, it is. Although we all have a good tendency to solve problems in a comprehensive, ideal, and long-term way, we should admit that band-aid solutions enable people to continue their various activities, unless without band-aid they should stop. To solve problems in life, the combination of comprehensive solutions and band-aid solutions is a must because an indiscriminate implementation of only one solution is often not possible.

However modest the way of tipping point seems to be, we should aware three things to make its implementation effective. First, we should change our paradigm that dramatic effects are only possible. Traditionally we cannot understand that if we fold a sheet of paper fifty times, the folded sheet can reach the sun. Second, we should deliberately test our intuition to reveal unobvious evidences and consequences. Look again at the cases presented in this book, especially Sesame Street and Blue Clues. Third, we should admit that change is possible. While traditionally we assume that people are autonomous and self-directed, we should concede that actually human’s behavior is very susceptible to a little change in the environment and others’ action.

Now, look around you. You may think that it is useless even to try a change because it is impossible. Your place (your home, your RT, your RW, your office, your community, your city, your country – Y Pan) seems implacable and hopeless. The truth is… IT IS NOT! WE HAVE A CHANCE!