BOOK REVIEW – GLADWELL AND LARSON Page 1

The Message

Book Review on The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Using Concepts from Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility by Charles Larson

By: Elizabeth Horgan

Leanne Pupchek -- COMM 612

December 10, 2009

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Message – a meaning, an idea, a communication of information from one person or group

to another. Messages can be used to inform, convince, to persuade. They exist in context, and

are constructed, packaged, and sent. Both Larson (2010) and Gladwell (2002) explore how

messages are put together and disseminated so they become meaningful and memorable. Larson,

in his book Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility looks at the theoretical premises of

persuasion and how messages are used to convince in a variety of circumstances. Gladwell’s

book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference explores the impact of

messages. So, how do messages and people interact?

Gladwell (2002) suggests that people are central to message dissemination and meaning

making. In his book he discusses factors that go into propagating ideas and information.

Surprising things can happen if an idea captivates a few special people, Connectors, Mavens, and

Salesmen, and they take it and play it forward. Connectors are people “with enormous social

connections” (Gladwell, p. 55); they like people, are acquainted with people from many walks of

life, and enjoy bringing people together without agenda, just because they like connecting people

to other people. Mavens are interested in, and curious about, everything. Mavens “aren’t

passive collectors of information” (p. 62), rather they actively seek to tell others about what they

discover and know. As a result, they tend to be the message catalyst. Salesmen are likeable and

upbeat, and love helping people. They are enthusiastic and credible and possess the “skills to

persuade us when we are unconvinced of what we are hearing” (p. 70). It is with these three

special types of people that messages can be broadcast and wholesale change, or epidemics, can
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occur. Messages are also transmitted by “regular” people, they are seen and heard in the media

and are found everywhere people gather.

Messages are conveyed even before two people talk. Impressions and expectations are

created before a single word is spoken. Larson points out that “non-verbal communication

accounts for over 80 percent of the meaning transferred between people” (Mehrabian, A. (1971)

in Larson, p. 258). Larson talks about impression management and the fact that this can be

affected or manipulated by what people wear, the artifacts they surround themselves with, their

voice and facial expressions, where and how they stand and their use of personal space, and other

non-verbal tactics. Much of non-verbal communication occurs instinctively or automatically,

and is seldom consciously thought about by either party involved in communicating. Many

times non-verbal communication is processed through the peripheral channel of the elaboration

liklihood model (ELM) (Larson, 2010), where short cuts are used to help with the managing and

understanding of information. These subtle cues are substantial can have a significant impact on

the overall communication process.

Gladwell (2002) shows that non-verbal actions are critical components of the messaging

process. He cites a study by William Condon where micromovements between people in

conversation show patterns of “interactional synchrony” (p. 82). Body movements occur, as

people are communicating, in fractions of a second that convey meaning and influence the

message. Conversation has a rhythmic element where each person moves, almost dances, to the

spoken words and even stops at harmonious times as participants gravitate to a common ground.

These micromovements can “dictate the terms of the interaction” (p. 83), and can be used to gain

acceptance of the message and the messenger in subtle ways.

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Context and situation powerfully influence messages as well. Gladwell (2002) highlights

the story of an attack on a young woman in New York which occurred in front of her neighbors.

There were 38 witnesses, each of whom saw both the attack and the actions (and inactions) of the

other bystanders. It turned out that the context of the group overrode the individual

responsibility to act. The call for personal action was diluted with each thinking another

bystander would intervene and help. Cialdini (2009) expanded this to the idea of social proof,

where we look to others to gauge how and when to act. The power of context, of where you are

and who you are with, can dramatically impact the message, interactions and outcomes.

In this age of 24/7 information people are overwhelmed with persuasive messages.

Twenty years ago people were exposed to an average of 255 ads a day, where today it is argued

people see 5,000 and possibly up to 15, 000 persuasive messages a day (Larson, 2010). This

overload and clutter creates what Gladwell (2002) defines as a stickiness problem. How do we

filter all the inputs we receive and decide which messages matter and require us to act? “The

Stickiness Factor says that there are specific ways of making a contagious message

memorable” (p. 25). Packaging a message, as is done in advertising, is a detailed process

designed to cut through the clutter and get effectively to the receiver. Larson (2010) outlines

stages of advertising and messaging: awareness, increased knowledge, preference, convincing,

trial/buying in, evaluation, and development of loyalty to the product or message (p. 372).

Gladwell (2002) used the example of promoting the Columbia Record Club to highlight the

stickiness issue. By adding a gold box and creating a kind of treasure hunt, people were

encouraged, though advertisements, to act on Columbia House’s message. A connection was

created, a gift given (Cialdini (2009)’s rule of reciprocity applies here as well) of a “free” record,
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and people became actively involved in the messaging. This proved to be very successful for

the Record Club promotion. With other messages, the way a message is presented can make a

message memorable and give it more impact. Gladwell (2002) used the tetanus study by Howard

Levanthal to show that small changes in how a message is presented can improve the stickiness.

By adding a map to the original tetanus flyers (and including the times shots were available), the

message was altered and the communication became more personal. Recipients of the flyer

viewed the message differently, they could now see how the problem and the solution fit into

their lives, and were more likely to act on the message as a result.

Small things can make a big difference. Whether it is the lack of graffiti on subway cars

that helped change the criminal activity in New York City, or the number of times the children’s

show Blue’s Clues is repeated, little changes can become the tipping point and the catalyst to

dramatic change. Attention to subtle things, whether the language used to build the credibility of

a message or the body language of the messenger in a conversation, can make the difference

between a message being heard and acted on and a message being discarded as insignificant or

worse.

Messages are also affected by how they are processed. Larson (2010) presents different

ways people process information, most importantly the ELM and heuristic theories. While a

limited number of messages are contemplated using the central route and clear, conscious

thought, much of the information processed today using the peripheral route of lesser effort that

relies on short cuts and rule of thumb approaches to thinking. Because of the magnitude of

messages people are required to handle on a daily basis, a large part of messaging requires
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adaptive processing strategies in order for people to be able function – no one wants to wind up

catatonic and muttering phrases like “information overload”.

Because the messages we receive can be overwhelming, people can “develop immunity

to traditional forms of communication” (Gladwell, p. 275). They turn to people in their lives

who are credible to them, who are respected and trusted; they also turn to the Connectors,

Mavens and Salesmen. These few special people will have increasing responsibility for

messaging in the future. They can facilitate the sense-making in today’s complex world, and can

supplement the tools available to the individual as he/she strives to sift through the multitude of

messages and find meaning and connection in the world today.

The way we communicate, the way messages are created, delivered, received, and made

sense of is complicated. It is not straightforward or transparent, rather in many cases is counter-

intuitive (Gladwell, 2002). Communication is affected by the people involved, the mental

processing routes employed, the verbal and non-verbal elements of the message, the context, the

stickiness of the message itself, and the competition of messages in a cluttered and complex

world of information. Both of these books provide examples of how messaging works in our

current 24/7 culture. Gladwell (2002) adds to the conversation by giving us another tool for

uncovering meaningful messages amidst the plethora of communication noise – Connectors,

Mavens, and Salesmen who can be used as short cuts to help us process information.
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References

Cialdini, R. B. (2009). Influence: Science and practice. Boston: Pearson.

Gladwell, M. (2002). The tipping point: How little things can make a big difference. New York: Little,

Brown and Co.

Larson, C. U. (2010). Persuasion: Reception and responsibility. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.