Book Review - Words That Work by Frank Luntz 2/2
It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear
Business Communication: Word Choices
Vague, wordy or dysfunctional corporate language abounds, but you can fi nd good
models to follow. Start with Jack Welch’s clarity and bluntness. Too often corporations don’t communicate with their customers or workers, leaving them frustrated and
disconnected. Communicate frequently with your target audience. Make sure your
corporate communications are personalized and crafted to appeal to the public.
To boost your industry or company, sum up your message in a short, catchy advertising slogan. To create a consistent message or brand, align your language with your personal reality. Become the living embodiment of your message. Apply the ten rules. Don’t veer into industry jargon or complex phrases, especially when you discuss values. Instead, craft hopeful slogans in vivid language. Offer a vision for your industry that everyone will want to join.
At times, selling this vision will mean consciously reshaping how your industry is
discussed. For example, look at the shift that casino marketers accomplished by recasting “gambling” as “gaming.” It completely changed the industry’s image.
The Campaign Trail
If you are running for office or advocating a political cause, the voting public will fuse your character and your message, so address both factors to present a winning profi le. People respond to former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani because they think they share his values. Some officials, such as California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, succeed because they fuse celebrity with politics. They bring superstar cache to government. The public believes Giuliani and Schwarzenegger share a central quality: authenticity. To be authentic, become your own best message. Don’t let others define you. If they attack your image, answer fast and decisively; the public sees silence as an admission of guilt and weakness.
“Messengers who are their own best message are always true to themselves. You
cannot get away with acting in politics for long.”
To craft your message, look to history for well-presented political messages. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1952 presidential election opponent, Adlai Stevenson, was a better public speaker than Ike. However, Stevenson’s campaign treated the new medium of television like radio, and broadcast complete speeches. Advisor Rosser Reeves created an ad campaign titled, “Eisenhower Answers America.” He showed staged clips of citizens asking questions with clips of Eisenhower answering, creating the impression of an interactive exchange.
To make your message persuasive, you must understand your target audience and fit your language to them.
“The key word is more: more conversation with the affected community rather than less, more information rather than less, and more details rather than fewer. If the
words are right, there is no such thing as overkill.”
“It’s not just CEOs and corporate spokespeople who need effective language to be the message. The most successful advertising taglines are not seen as taglines
for a product. They are the product.”
“The best warrior is a happy warrior. Accentuate the positive…eliminate the negative.
Negativity definitely works, but a solid positive message will triumph over negativity.”
About The Author
Frank Luntz has supervised more than 1,000 focus groups or surveys, and has advised business and political leaders on shaping their messages.
ISBN-13: 978-1401302597
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