Winston’s Star: A Simple Model to Improve Speaking and Writing

Why Do Good Ideas Get Forgotten?

You may have given a great speech or written a detailed report, but people still forget it. This happens more often than we think—not because the idea wasn’t good, but because it wasn’t delivered in a way that made it stick.

To help people solve this problem, Patrick Henry Winston, a well-known professor at MIT and a pioneer in artificial intelligence, introduced a simple but powerful model called Winston’s Star.

This model appears in his book Make It Clear: Speak and Write to Persuade and Inform, a guide designed to help readers enhance their speaking and writing skills.

Let’s explore how the model works.

The Five Points of Winston’s Star

Winston’s Star includes five simple but powerful elements: Slogan, Symbol, Salient Idea, Surprise, and Story. When these are used together, they help your audience understand your idea, remember it, and even repeat it to others. Let’s take a closer look at each part.

Slogan – A Clear and Catchy Phrase

A slogan is a short phrase that captures the core of your idea. It works like a headline and it should be easy to remember and easy to say.

In a report, you might use it in the title, abstract, or conclusion. In a talk, you might say it out loud and repeat it for emphasis.

For example, in Winston’s own research, projects had names like Genesis (a system for story understanding) and Watson (a game-playing system). These names weren’t random—they acted as slogans that helped people remember the key work behind them.

Tip: Try using a phrase with rhythm or repetition. Make it short and catchy.