5. Kristoff's "Advice for Saving the World"

The title is, “Nicholas Kristof’s Advice for Saving the World.” The subtitle is, "What Would Happen If Aid Organizations and Other Philanthropists Embraced the Dark Arts of Marketing Spin and Psychological Persuasion Used on Madison Avenue? We'd Save Millions More Lives.”

There are many gems of wisdom in his article, but the one that addresses the need for a simple, singular message is one of the best parts. He says you need to keep the message about just one thing. Not even two things. Just one.

He says, “Storytelling needs to focus on an individual, not a group.” He illustrates this point by citing a classic experiment in which people are asked to donate to help fight hunger in Africa. They are asked to help one little girl named Rokia. Now, wouldn’t you think that if they were presented with the suffering of two little girls, they would be twice as motivated? But then what about five, or ten, or a thousand?