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Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear

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The world's best message is ineffective if the person on the receiving end does not understand or relate to it.

It is a harsh standard. It is a message communicators ignore at their own peril. You can be brilliant, creative, even right, but your message will fall flat unless it touches the hearer's prism of experience, beliefs, preconceptions and prejudices.

In Words that Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear, Frank Luntz offers insights into finding and using the right words to achieve your goals. The key to communication is to place yourself in the listener's situation and understand his or her deepest thoughts and beliefs. What the listener perceives constitutes the listener's reality.

Based on his experience as a political and corporate pollster he recommends 11 rules for effective communication:

1. Use small words.

2. Use short sentences.

3. Credibility is as important as philosophy.

4. Consistency matters.

5. Novelty: offer something new.

6. Sound and texture matter.

7. Speak aspirationally.

8. Visualize.

9. Ask a question.

10. Provide context and explain relevance.

11. Visual imagery matters.

Luntz does not stop there. In addition to an insightful discussion complete with illustrations from his professional experience of the 11 rules, he adds critical elaboration:

1. Never assume knowledge or awareness.

2. Get the order right.

3. Gender can obstruct understanding.

4. It's about the children.

5. How you define determines how you are received.

If communicating is important to you, and who does not need to, then time spent reading Frank Luntz's book will be well spent. We are all subject to the power of language. Words spell the difference between success and failure. The right words grant you an edge. The author says it all in his subtitle, "It's not what you say--it's what people hear."

Well, there is certainly something to be said about a book which has generated so many negative comments and "reviews," particularly by those who admit they have not even read "Words That Work." In this review I am not going to discuss the specific contents of the book since that is available elsewhere. I want to focus on some of the criticisms instead.

Frank Luntz, the author of this recent contribution to linguistic empowerment, and who just happens to be one of the more successful contemporary masters of the art of using words to persuade, has evidently touched a sensitive nerve in the brains of those who think that there is something "wrong" or "evil" about the grand old skill of rhetoric. Rhetoric, you say? OK, I realize that most of those educated within our institutions of "higher" learning during the past four decades or so may be suffering from an intellectual disorder called "classical deficiency syndrome" (or CDS), so please allow me to elaborate.

Rhetoric is art turned to the practical purpose of persuading or impressing. It is, in a way, the art of making speeches that count. Learning rhetoric was prized in the ancient Greek democracies as a means to success in public life. Aristotle, that grand master of realistic philosophical thought, inventor of systematic logic, and father of modern empirical science, even wrote a book called "Rhetoric" which contains a fairly systematic discussion of the forms of rhetorical argument. The study of rhetoric was valued by many philosophical schools of the past, and especially by the Stoic philosophers who made it a branch of logic. It was a proper study for philosophers and an absolute necessary for anyone contemplating a career in public life. Those, for instance, who have read the speeches of the great Roman orator Cicero (anyone out there?) will understand and appreciate what's just been said.

The major point of Luntz's book is that "It's not what you say, it's what people hear," and he provides an extensive argument supporting the proposition that, indeed, "words matter" or, at least, the words one chooses to use are as important as the concept or assertion one is attempting to present. His main point could be considered almost a "truism," a trivial sidebar, if it were not for the fact that it is so commonly ignored. He certainly provides ample illustrations in his text to justify his insistence on the importance of his major point, "It's not what you say, it's what people hear." And "what people hear" is at bottom what will persuade them, which is the whole point of the matter. Select your words carefully, utilizing those terms which are most likely to convince your audience to accept your ideas or buy your product or whatever.

Subversion, you say? Manipulation, you charge? Powermongering, you accuse? Please, spare me those ridiculous complaints. Luntz is promoting "persuasion" in his book, that is, intellectually "moving" a person by words and argument in order to convince or induce a belief. Nowhere in his text does he promote any activity that could be remotely considered unethical, deceptive, or disempowering. He is simply saying that some words are better than other words when one is trying to present one's case in a public venue. Big deal! Anyone trained in the classic art of "eristics" knows that the words one uses are every bit as important as facial expression, hand gestures, voice pitch, and so on. ("Eristics"? Oh, sorry about that. For those with CDS, "eristics" is the "art of disputation or debate," something every young educated Greek and Roman male student learned.)

Is Luntz biased, as some critics accuse? Of course he is. I am, too. So is everyone! A "bias" is simply a point of view, a particular stance one takes in regard to anything under consideration. A "bias" and a "prejudice" are not the same thing, contrary to what some people think. If you don't have a "bias" you simply don't have a point of view and most likely are not very interesting for purposes of a discussion. There is no one more boring than a "neutral-thinking" individual who has no "considered" opinion about anything. Note that I'm not talking "mere" opinion here, but an "examined" or "thought-out" opinion. And the words through which or by which we express our opinions, especially when we want to persuade or convince someone of the efficacy of our opinions, are significant. In other words, they matter!

Now, it is well known that Luntz is a Republican pollster and tends to work that side of the aisle politically. This is no secret; he is quite open about this; he is not hiding anything. The specific details, however, of his political or social or economic thinking are unknown to me and not important as far as his book is concerned. Although I realize many political extremists (whether left or right) are loathe to accept it, the messenger is not the same as the message. The rules of logic, the principles of rhetoric, and the strategies of eristics are not "owned" by any political group. It matters not one whit if a book about symbolic logic or mathematical theory, for instance, is written by a left-winger or a right-winger as long as the material within it conforms to truth, consistency, and the generally accepted principles of the discipline.

"Words That Work" is, in my "considered" opinion, a valuable modern contribution to the whole subject of rhetoric (in its classical sense) and I would recommend it as a primer in "persuasion" to anyone involved in politics, social activism, business, or any other activity requiring public speaking or policy-formation. And for those who may suppose that I am a subversive right-winger offering support to a fellow-traveler, let me assure you I am not a neo-conservative, a member of the Republican Party, or a member of the "vast right-wing conspiracy."

You may be assured of one thing, however: before I criticize a book or its author, I read the book first and get to know something about its author and then only for purposes of determining the author's particular "bias." But it is always the book I review and not the author. After all, even the devil can quote Scripture.

This is a how it is done book on persuasion, largely political and some business. Luntz is clearly very clever and effective at his craft, which he reveals openly. It is grotesquely fascinating and at times horrific to see how well the spin doctors can craft their art of deflection and persuasion, depending upon the need.

Luntz has taken a lot of slams in other reviews on Amazon. Mostly, it seems about his politics and his craft of deception, which is sort of beside the point given this is a how-to-do book. Luntz's examples of word choices are at times just better words (that's honest) but also do cross the line into non-truths, if not lies. Therefore, this book is great information for folks looking to learn how to better craft messages and also for those learning to recognize lies or propaganda. Luntz exposes just how gullible we really are to concepts and words that resonate in our minds. Herein may lie the best use of the book - a reminder of how vulnerbale we are to smooth talking and distortions, especially if we don't really want to make much effort to see through the veil.

As a sometimes media and communications professional it was a very helpful book. As Luntz points out, the effectiveness of words changes as they age, either out of culture or through over use. Over time, his examples of powerful words will ebb. Also, for the professionals out there this book is good reminder that maybe it is easy to start slipping down the slope if we don't keep a vigilant eye on ourselves.

Luntz makes a few references to Tony Schwart, the "father of modern advertising." If you are interested in the subjects of communication and have not read Tony's two books -- do.

I hope this is helpful.

I make my living with words. So most of what I read here I already knew. Having said that, it was a good refresher course. The book deals mostly with words in politics. But it also discusses slogans and words used in business.

Is the book about manipulating? Sure it is. But, fact is, any time you use words to sell an idea or a product, you're manipulating --- or at least trying to do so. A better word would be "persuasion."

As the author says, "It's not what you say that matters. It's what people hear." And that's true. It never fails to amaze me how easily people misread what they're told or what they hear or read. Why? People don't really listen. People are thinking their private thoughts. They are thinking what they'll say next. They're not listening to you. So they're hearing sound bites.

The communicator who uses small words and short sentences and the right words will be able to get these folks to take the action they want them to take.

If you communicate to convince others, you should read this book. It's not the best written book I've read. It's not the best book on this topic. It's not a great book. And there are errors. Errors in wording and errors in fact.

For example, the author says that people do not buy things from long gone decades. They prefer items of today. Well, that's not really true. There is a large market in fountain pens from the twenties, thirties and into the sixties. I know. I collect them. The market for Parker 51 pens from the forties is keen. So I don't buy that statement.

But the book is a decent read. It will help anyone who needs words and needs to persuade people.

"Words that Work" is in many ways a fine entree of prime rib with a side of undercooked brussels sprouts. The brussels sprouts make you turn up your nose despite the delightful prime rib right there on the plate, and so you reject the whole plate. "Words that Work" contains highly unique insight into the art of language and how to best use it and it is certain to be helpful for anyone who wishes to be a better communicator. However, you have to be able to view that helpful insight separate from its political connections, or you won't be able to appreciate it.

What this book is is a presentation of solid, basic, easily to follow rules for how to put your words in the best light. It is a continuous reinforcement of the ruling principle of the book: It's not what you say, it's what people hear. As a professional speaker and a teacher, I have applied several of the basic ideas from it already with positive results. Luntz has gone through painstaking work to learn the pulse of American thought and found ways to tap into that pulse. This book is highly recommended for anyone who communicates with people on a daily basis (And who doesn't?).

It's also intriguing work into how politicians and businesses learn how you think and work rigorously to influence that thought. Much time, money, and effort has gone into developing the techniques Luntz brings to light.

Luntz insists from the introduction that this book is entirely nonpartisan, and as far as the techniques he recommends, he's right. But Luntz himself is not nonpartisan, which is made more annoying by the fact that he tries to insist he is. But through the book he cites almost universally only the cases where the Republicans did it right and the Democrats did it wrong. If this were a political book that would be abominable. But it's not, it's a communication manual. Still, if your opinions are diametrically opposed to Luntz's, you may find it agitating to read this book (I found it agitating myself and I'm right of center).

I think it is the agitated liberals who want to call these techniques "manipulative" or "dishonest". They're not, and they're hardly exclusive to Republicans. It wasn't Republicans who coined the phrase "risky tax scheme".

If you are capable of any degree of objectivity and can learn from people who you think are wrong, this book is well worth a read. You can leave the brussels sprouts and just eat the prime rib.

This book is a must read in order to acheive success during the first quarter of the 21st century, and perhaps longer. Although heavily slanted towards the political arena, it works equally well throughout the rest of society.

When enrolled in college some time ago, the freshman english course required a book on language usage by Hayakawa. Lutz's "Words that work" supplants that definitive text of years gone by.

The focus of the book is its theme "It's not what you say, but what people hear". Consequently, language constructs, key words, and careful seletion of critical words are an absolute necessity to communciate effectively.

The book revolves around ten tules of successful communication. They are:

1). Simplicity - use small words.
2). Brevity - use short sentences.
3). Credibility is as important as philosophy.
4). COnsistency matters.
5). Novelty - offer something new.
6). Sound and texture matter.
7). Speak aspirationally
8). Visualize.
9). Ask a Question.
10). Provide context and explain relevance.

The goal of all this is RESULTS (Not Process).

This book then illustrates the application of these rules in every-day terms.

Much of what the book tells us is intuitively obvious in the working world. As a geological consultant, I find clients don't have a lot of spare time on their hands. They want deliverables and up-dates in concise, precise words that are unambiguous. By providing that, I gained a lot of repeat business.

What the book did not include was how to meld Lutz's theme with a major tool of today's business communication: PowerPoint presentations. In today's busy digital world, they are essential. In my own consulting work, the client wants deliverables electronically, not in written reports. Application of Lutz's principles with a logical outline is the key to effectively communicating results. By keeping words focused and using visuals, PowerPoint presentations can effective. It is a requirement of the digital age.

To summarize, if you wish to be effective with your choice of words, be focused, brief, use short sentences, and adopt all of the above principles. Try it and you will like it.

Dr. Frank Luntz has become an American icon. Businesses use his research to define their products and corporate culture. The political Right uses his ideas and words to better position its agenda and the political Left derides him as a Svengali who manipulates the masses.

Yet, crack the binding on this book and you get the true Frank Luntz as he opens up the pollster/focus group world to the uninitiated. Chapter 4 titled "How `Words That Work' Are Created" provides a candid peak into the inner-workings of an effective focus group. For instance, a good focus group intentionally does not represent a diverse cross-section of the population. The idea is to get a homogeneous group together to distill important information and attitudes.

By listening to people, Dr. Luntz arrives at the "words that work" and not by forcing certain words on people. Dr. Luntz advocates more communication and direct simple communication as a way to garner support for a proposal or idea.

Some of the best information comes from footnotes, case studies, appendices and the Addendum. Stories of being pulled into Speaker Gingrich's office to defend the use of certain language, actual memos produced by Dr. Luntz showing just how he does deliver his messages, and the business and political case studies in Chapters 7 & 8, liven the discussion of the "Words that Work."

Applying the lessons of this book would lead to clearer and more focused communication in both business and politics.

If both sides learned to use "Words That Work" perhaps we could focus solely on the merits of each argument.

This is one of those "Ah Ha!!!" books. You know the kind. The kind that change the way you think... forever. The title is a an example. It tells you in plain everyday English what the book is about.

Now that I'm running my own business and developing ad campaigns, writing and using "words that work" is of paramount importance to me. Luntz gives several key rules for writing that help you CONNECT with your audience.

Anyone who can put aside their grievances towards Luntz and his past support of the GOP will realize how much they have to gain by reading this book.

As a bleeding heart liberal I'm annoyed by many of my leftie counterparts who have slammed this book. Merely writing this off as how to manipulate with words is silly. Even if that was the case, this is Frank Luntz, without him the Contract with America would've been very different, the Death Tax would've remained the Estate Tax, and many other Republican causes would've never made the splash that they have. Ignoring what he has to say because of his politics is not just silly its moronic. I forced myself to read this book slowly, to study what Luntz was saying, and I've been applying it to my working life. Much of what he says is about clear communication. Some of it is about choosing the right word to get the message across. Is that part manipulative? Yes. Luntz is a salesman who uses words as his sales tools. Manipulation is the norm. "How do we spin this" has been uttered in almost every job I've ever held (and I'm not in sales). This is a book written by a master on linguistic manipulation. It should be required reading for everyone -- especially the left.

If you're looking for magical words that will imbue you with the power to get people to do your bidding, you won't find them here. What you will find, instead, is something based on reality.

One of the things that bothers me about "non-fiction" titles these days is most authors assume the book is their pulpit for pushing their personal (and usually irrational) political views. Even if those views have nothing whatsoever to do with the topic of the book, and even if their "supportive arguments" defy logic, they feel compelled to slip that stuff in. I've pointed out examples of this in some of my other reviews, and it is more the rule than the exception.

When I came across this book, authored by a figure who works primarily in the political arena, my nonsense detector went on red alert. And it turned out to be a false alarm.

Drawing on a wide base of facts and correctly applying logic, Dr. Luntz has produced a valuable work of nonfiction. The book sticks to the subject it promises to cover, and covers it well. Dr. Luntz also avoids engaging in pop psychology, which was another welcome relief. Instead, he presents his findings, provides intelligent explanations, and illustrates points with specific (and often well-known) examples.

The book spends most of its time looking at why some messages get mangled and others don't. It provides general practices to help you clearly communicate your intended message. This information is timeless; it will be as valid a century from now as it is today. The book also contains some information that will eventually be outdated but is useful today. For example, Chapter 12 discusses twenty-one words and phrases that work. They work in the present time, based on present perceptions and current events.

Some reviewers of this book deride Dr. Luntz as a "spin doctor." Their use of that emotionally-charged term is classic manipulation--exactly what they accuse Dr. Luntz of. Their accusation is both false and irrelevant. This book isn't about spinning. It's about how to communicate clearly and not undermine your own message.

Some reviewers of this book deride Dr. Luntz as a "right wing partisan." As he has worked for leading Democrats, this accusation is, like the other one, without merit.

A note about labels

The "left" or "right" labels are normally misapplied. Ted Kennedy, for example, is allegedly a liberal. The truth is that he's a statist who misuses liberal ideas when they suit his statist agenda; he is not a person who serves liberal ideals. On the sliding scale between government control and personal freedom, his pointer is all the way at the bottom (government control).

For most of America, neither the left nor the right offers much that they agree with. The practice of framing every political problem as left vs. right issue misses the reality that the real clash is between statism and personal freedom. Dr. Luntz didn't touch on this in his book, which is OK because--contrary to what some reviewers have said--it's not a political book. But since they put that on the table, let's take a moment to look at facts rather than emotionally-laden, misapplied labels.

Government has grown with the speed and malignancy of cancer. In the USA, the federal government is now 185 times larger than it was 100 years ago. The geographic area of the USA is not 185 times larger than it was in 1907, when it had 46 states instead of today's 50. Nor is the USA population of 300 million 185 times more than its 1907 population of 87 million. Why, when in the private sector, advancements in productivity allow one person to do the job of tens or hundreds, does the federal government need hundreds of people to do the job of one?

To see stupidity incarnate, look only to government. The flavor of stupidity, left or right, doesn't really matter. The question of whether an anchor chained to your left leg will drag you to ocean floor faster than one chained to your right leg is rather silly, when you think about it. And so are people who use left vs. right labels while ignoring statism--a classic "elephant in the living room" situation if there ever was one.

Consequently, these silly critics of Dr. Luntz have, with their own words, discredited themselves. They could have avoided this self-defeating behavior by using the insights provided in Chapter 9.

Some book details

The first chapter, as you might expect, lays out the ground rules. I have found this practice to be fairly consistent in "How To" books--the first chapter summarizes what you need to know. Then, the subsequent chapters expand on that to give you the understanding. Some authors will devote one chapter per point, with the first chapter serving essentially as a hefty outline of the book. Other authors will use the first chapter as a 'basis of understanding" so that the rest of the book makes sense, and they'll keep referring back to this or that principle. This second method is more or less the one Dr. Luntz chose.

While the first chapter gives you a thumbnail strategy for effective communication, the second chapter reveals the other side of the coin: mistakes not to make. The next two chapters take this same front/back of the coin approach. We read about old words that have new meanings, then we read about how new words (that work) are created.

The next two chapters repeat this approach. First, Dr. Luntz talks about how to "be the message" (choosing the words that reflect your identity) and then he addresses how people remember that message.

In Chapters 7 and 8, we see this front/back approach once more. First, we read corporate case studies and then political case studies. Chapter 9 takes an interesting look at myths and realities regarding language and people, with both opinion and fact presented. The next chapter discusses Dr. Luntz' views on what people really care about and then he provides a chapter on personal language for personal scenarios.

Overall, I found this to be a logical presentation on an important and useful topic. As many experts have noted, there's a huge problem with personal communication. It's especially bad in the USA and even worse in Canada. Yes, there are good communicators in both countries. But generally, people have adopted shrillness and histrionics in place of articulation. I've read several experts' theories on why this is so. I've also read several good books on how to communicate without the shrillness and histrionics. Dr. Luntz' books is one of those. Dr. Stephen R. Covey is perhaps the most noted author of such books.

A theme that Dr. Luntz brings to the forefront and then refers to repeatedly, is stated in his subtitle. "It's not what you say, it's what people hear."

An example of how this theme works is this. Suppose you have a problem with another person. If you start out by inflicting some insult on that person, your message is likely to consist only of the insult. The rest of it is lost. But if you take the approach that you share a common problem and a solution can benefit both of you, then the other person hears what you're saying about the content. That's not spin. That's treating people with respect. And this is what Dr. Luntz' book is really about.

Why you need this book

If you want to read a book that is helpful, informative, and interesting, then you should pick up a copy of Words That Work. Take the time to think through the concepts being presented, examine the corporate and political case studies, and review your own daily communication patterns. You'll be glad you did.

If you've been reading and applying Stephen R. Covey's principles, especially "seek first to understand," you will find this book a valuable addition to your collection. If you've never read any books in this genre, Words That Work is just as good as any to start with.