Product Description

The nation's premier communications expert shares his wisdom on how the words we choose can change the course of business, of politics, and of life in this countryIn Words That Work, Luntz offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the tactical use of words and phrases affects what we buy, who we vote for, and even what we believe in. With chapters like "The Ten Rules of Successful Communication" and "The 21 Words and Phrases for the 21st Century," he examines how choosing the right words is essential.Nobody is in a better position to explain than Frank Luntz: He has used his knowledge of words to help more than two dozen Fortune 500 companies grow. He'll tell us why Rupert Murdoch's six-billion-dollar decision to buy DirectTV was smart because satellite was more cutting edge than "digital cable," and why pharmaceutical companies transitioned their message from "treatment" to "prevention" and "wellness."If you ever wanted to learn how to talk your way out of a traffic ticket or talk your way into a raise, this book's for you.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5330 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-02
• Released on: 2006-12-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

From Publishers Weekly
After repeating his mantra—"it's not what you say, it's what people hear"—so often in this book, you'd think that Republican pollster Luntz would have taken his own advice to heart. Yet in spite of an opening anecdote that superficially attempts a balanced tone, the book as a whole truly reads more like a manual for right-wing positioning. Even in the sections where he is less partisan, Luntz's advice is not particularly insightful. For instance, his first chapter, on "Ten Rules of Effective Language," starts by instructing readers to use small words and short sentences in their communications. The least effective section in the book is the chapter on "Personal Language for Personal Scenarios," where Luntz advocates manipulative strategies for getting out of traffic tickets, boarding airplanes at the last minute and apologizing to one's wife with the "miracle elixir" of flowers. The most readable and redeeming feature is the two case studies, where Luntz demonstrates his skill as a communicator by identifying real-world communications successes and failures. Unfortunately, by the time nonpartisan readers reach these chapters, they will have already lost patience. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Luntz, an advisor to many political and corporate leaders, reads an impressive introductory chapter before narrator L.J. Ganser spells out the author's 10 characteristics of effective communication: simplicity, brevity, credibility, consistency, novelty, sound and texture, inspirational language, vivid pictures, questions, and context and relevance. In the introductory chapter and in a concluding interview, Luntz is a powerful speaker. He knows how to anchor his ideas in the larger cultural context. Expressing his ideas with remarkable skill, he's a pugnacious thinker who is not afraid to be blunt but is always respectful of how his voice and ideas are heard. In perfect sync with these qualities, L.J. Ganser's determined enunciation moves the rest of the pithy material along with clarity. T.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Wall Street Journal
"Words That Work deserves an attentive read. Mr. Luntz offers a fair amount of good advice to anyone who must communicate publicly--most important, "be the message." By this he means that if you want to talk the talk and be believed, you must walk the walk--which is to say, you must mean what you say and act on it. Integrity sells.

"As the book develops, Mr. Luntz's "words that work" turn out to be portals for his clients to think hard about what they and their opponents stand for and how to align their positions more closely with what their audiences actually care about. This isn't hocus-pocus. It's just the result of hard work, careful thought and empathy--the staples of all intelligent public discourse."

Customer Reviews

Listen to the message people - it's what people hear!!!
The ideas that are written about in "Words that Work" are classic and timeless - some of these principles go back to Dale Carnegie (learn the person's name) and such.

Language is everything and if it is focused inward, you're just talking to yourself. If you focus your language to your audience you will have much more success and broader impact.

I loved the way he presented his examples using corporate slogans and political speeches, it illustrated each point very well.

He also talks at length about being a republican, and I'm a democrat, but he remembered his listener and presented his position based on facts, not on personal biases.

I can't wait for the sequel to hear what he has to say about Obama and McCain and their languaging. It will be fun!!!

deeply cynical
This is a deeply cynical book by an author who never tires of telling you he was the main genius behind the "Contract with America" that helped the Republicans win control of Congress in 1994.
He starts by quoting George Orwell bemoaning the misuse of language. He then proceeds to misuse language, and purports to teach the rest of us to do the same, for the rest of the book.
According to Doctor Luntz, who has no doubt tested every word in polls and focus groups, changing the name of an activity from gambling to gaming, transforms not just the image but the activity itself, from a destructive and risky behavior to good clean fun.
Doctor Luntz has probably also tested the fact that his books sell better if he always refers to himself as "Doctor." Never are we told what he is a doctor of and where and when he earned his doctorate.
How can a corporation smash a strike? Ask Doctor Luntz (Answer: by changing the language with which the corporation communicates. Not by addressing the workers' concerns (God forbid) or improving pay or work conditions but by subtly undermining the union.
How do corporations like Enron deal with scandals and avoid government oversight? Not by reforming themselves but by changing the words they use.
Doctor Lunz praises Ford for its successful communications strategy and use of the correct buzzwords while tearing down GM for failing to use them. However now both of them are stuck selling huge gas guzzlers that nobody wants to buy.
How does big oil justify its massive profits? With words like, "Working together -- consumers, government, industry -- we'll insure diverse, relaible energy to live our lives and keep America going strong."
Doctor Luntz says he deeply respects the American people but also goes to considerable lengths to argue that most Americans are uneducated, ignorant, do not read, are not happy and are still freaked out by 9/11.
Doctor Luntz never loses an opportunity to get in a sly dig at Democrats.
To conclude, let me quote from Orwell's "1984" because the following paragraph seems to me to perfectly capture the ethos of this nasty little book:
"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?... Has it ever occurred to your, Winston, that by the year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who could understand such a conversation as we are having now?...The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact, there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking--not needing to think."

A must-read for anyone in marketing
Need to sell a product or service? Need to convince an audience of your POV? Need to make a case for a raise? This book provides invaluable ideas, tips and concepts for everyone who communicates in writing or in person.