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Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear
Author: Dr. Frank Luntz
Amazon info

I had very high hopes for this book, thinking that it would provide clear examples of how to be more effective in personal and business communication - for example, explaining that "you need to" are the three least effective words in the English Language (vs. the power of "will you please". Or, perhaps the impact of using the word "because" to get things done. But, alas, this book is more oriented toward politicians, and when it covers the corporate world, it is more targeted at marketing communications (slogans, taglines, advertising). There is one section about personal communication, but I found it relatively shallow.

That being said, there are a couple of excellent chapters and the book is an interesting read, especially if you are interested in politics (as Dr. Luntz was a primary author of the "Contract With America" that swept the Republicans into Congress in 1994. And the author shows he has learned his own lessons with the excellent subtitle: "It's not what you say, it's what people hear". On the other hand, the tone can be somewhat self-serving at times.

Recommended for people in marketing, politics, and those interested in language (although there are probably better choices for that group).

Since this was another "Molly read" we will continue our tradition of chapter summaries.

1. Ten Rules of Effective Language - Possibly the best chapter in the book, this chapter highlights the key communication rules and could be profitably reviewed by anyone planning a communications initiative. A caveat: Due to the books focus on the political arena, it assumes that your audience is the average American, which is to say someone with a 10th grade reading level who watches 2.5 hours of television per night. Example statistic from a later chapter: "Only 23% of Americans know that there are 100 senators." It is not clear to me if the problem was in knowing that there are 2 per state, knowing that there are 50 states or solving the multiplication problem :) :). Some of the rules: Use Small Words (for example, use "warning" not "caveat"); Use Short Sentences; Novelty: Offer Something New; Speak Aspirationally, and Ask a Question. I am sure my readers would appreciate my learning and applying these rules - oh wait, I have no readers - whew!

2,. Preventing Messaging Mistakes - This chapter is really about understanding your audience - putting yourself into their shoes, or more accurately their ears. Because it is not about what you say, it is about what they hear - which depends so critically on their context. Who they are (age/gender/background/experience) and what they know/believe about you critically affect what they hear. One particular tidbit - focus on the results of your program, not the process. The example in the book - 51% favor increasing taxes to "further law enforcement" while 68% favor increasing taxes to "reduce crime". The first phrase is about the process (law enforcement), the second phrase is about the results (reduced crime).

3. Old Words, New Meaning - I am not sure why this chapter is in the book. I enjoyed it because I am a language geek (as is the author). Perhaps it was there to build credibility.. Skip it unless you want to know where the expression "OK" comes from (and I think that the author downplays the uncertainty surrounding that particular issue). There is a short list of translations that might be useful to parents (e.g. the meaning of "whack", but urbandictionary is better.

4. How "Words That Work" are Created - Politics, focus groups. Read this is you are a politician or in advertising or seeking a slogan for a huge project. This won't help you write effective emails and it does basically nothing for book reviews :).

5. Be The Message - This chapter continues the extension of the lessons. We started with the rules, then emphasized the role of the listener, here we focus on the person delivering the message. The key is to be authentic, aspirational, and visual. A good rule presented is "show, don't tell". It's the difference between telling your wife you love her and doing something really special for her. You know, something like writing a book review. :)
As always, this chapter has interesting case studies - this time even some from the corporate world.

6. Words We Remember - More stories about political speeches (including President Carter's "malaise" speech, which, interestingly, never used that word). The author relies on anecdotes to instruct, which I guess is the best he can do in the absence of a formula for creating words we will remember.

7. Corporate Case Studies - In this chapter the anecdotes are taken from the business world. I am glad he covered the change from "gambling" to "gaming" since I had noted that several years ago as a very clever move by the industry. One day I think people will realize that "craisins" (dried cranberries) is another great marketing move and yet, we still don't have a good word for dried plums, aka prunes. One valuable thing covered is that "silence = guilt". If there are two sides (e.g. a strike situation), the lack of a response is absolutely awful. If you do not defend yourself, you are assumed to be guilty. Good to know. Oh wait, unlikely to ever actually be useful to me.

8. Political Case Studies - Pretty much what the title says, more anecdotes - with a special emphasis on the "Contract With America". This chapter comes off as a bit self-serving as many of his "case studies that work" examples are his own work. In particular, he was quite proud of his changing the "estate tax" to "death tax" - but that doesn't seem that effective to me (he must have been right, since the estate tax is on its way to being eliminated and saving the wealthiest people a fortune). Detailed case study on illegal immigration showing how the 10 rules from Chapter 1 can be applied.

9. Myths and Realities About Language and People - This was one of the more fun chapters in the book, as we got to learn about our "audience" - assuming our audience is the American people (vs. my audience of, well, me). Some of the myths I liked: Americans are educated; Americans read; Women respond to messages like women (reality: women's opinions are more fragmented and can't be treated uniformly); American consumers respond to patriotic messages (reality: pride works better than patriotism); Americans vote according to the issues; Americans are happy. Like most of the book, not that relevant to most business communications - but definitely helpful for politicians and advertisers.

10. What we REALLY Care About - The flip side of the chapter on myths - same audience. Some examples: Opportunity (more than fairness or ownership); Common Sense; Getting "Value" from Government; Convenience; Main Street (not Wall Street); The Future (not the past); Positive Messages; Accountability; Respect; and Solutions.

11. Personal Language for Personal Scenarios - Ah, the chapter for which I was waiting. But a bit of a disappointment - just 10 pages that cover: (a) Sending flowers to say you are sorry; (b) Asking for a raise by focusing on the future, especially using "Imagine if I wasn't been here to close that big deal"; (c) Talking your way out of a ticket; (d) Talking your way onto a flight that is about to leave; (e) Getting a table at a sold out restaurant; and (f) Some notes on writing a letter. I won't even comment on (c), (d), or (e) as those are just things I wouldn't do. (a) is fine, but I think his arguments are a bit flawed, (b) is useful, and (f) has some ideas - but it is only about 1 page long.

12. Twenty-one Words and Phrases for the Twenty-First Century - After telling us that lists of 10 are good (e.g. ten commandments) and following his own advice with the 10 Rules in Chapter 1, Luntz seems to have forgotten the lesson and gives us 21 words/phrases that can guide our messaging in the future. Unfortunately, this was just a big list to me and I ended up skimming through it - rare for me when I read. I did bump into "lifestyle" which I thought might be useful for Molly's work and I will quote from that section. " 'Lifestyle' like 'imagine' and the 'American Dream', is incredibly powerful because it is at the same time self-defined and aspirational - everyone defines and aspires to his or her own unique lifestyle." Seemed like a good fit for MCC.

13. Conclusion - "It's not what you say, it's what people hear", wrapped in 2-3 pages of a bit of a self-serving story.