I’ve stumbled across a book recently that seems promising/interesting, Republican pollster Frank Luntz’s Words That Work (It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear). Not that I’m in agreement with the author on a lot of things, but I’m intrigued by his arguments on how the words and phrases we as writers use influence the things readers and consumers think, buy and say — both in the sense of understanding what makes for the most effective communication techniques and in how to use those techniques responsibly.
In the book’s chapters on “The 10 Rules of Successful Communication” and “The 21 Words and Phrases for the 21st Century,” it looks like Luntz will likely veer to what works in the political realm. But I think there is value for business writers as well, particularly in his advice on how to structure writing & communications. Once I’ve finished it, I’ll post a more complete review, warts and all. Until then, enjoy.
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Diary of an Ad Man (soon to be the Buzz Bin) » Blog Archive » Corporate America’s Big Image Problem // Mar 29, 2007 at 7:43 pm
[…] Renowned pollster Frank Luntz addressed the Greater Washington Board of Trade on Wednesday morning on his most recent book Words that Work (check out Writing Blogger’s write-up). Luntz spoke in great length about some of the issues facing corporate America, specifically how detested companies are in America. He said it’s worse now then when the Enron and Worldcomm scandals emerged. Here are a few gems for you: […]
joe binns // Apr 21, 2009 at 9:58 pm
TJ: The ideologicalflipside of the Luntz coin is George Lakoff. Read his book “Don’t Think of an Elephant” once you finish Luntz’s book. Same science, different slant.
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