“The slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.” –George Orwell
I do believe this is going to be the quote I use for my
future 12 Sentences courses, which are all about cleaning
up your thinking so you can articulate what you do to the
world! How true is this?
Today, I’m going to write an easy post and take some great
information from a source other than me: Dr. Frank Luntz.
He wrote a book in 2007 called, “Words That Work,”
where he highlighted the Ten Rules of Successful
Communication. I would like to share them with you here,
though I encourage you to buy his book because it is
resplendent with important information about
effective communication.
My comments are in italics.
Rule One: Simplicity—Use Small Words
(The point is to be understood, not to show your intellect.)
Rule Two: Brevity—Use Short Sentences
There’s a story about a college philosophy student who
was given the exam question, “Why?” and he simply
responded, “Why not?”
Enough said.
Rule Three: Credibility Is As Important As Philosophy
(I.E. No hype! Mean what you say and follow through on what you say.)
Rule Four: Consistency Matters
“…the constant tinkering with taglines and the inability to
stick to a single message have been major factors in
contributing to…image erosion.”
(Have 1 message, 1 identity, and stick to it!)
Rule Five: Novelty—Offer Something New
(Students who learn about the brain from me know this one
by heart!)
Luntz says, “Words that work often involve a new definition
of an old idea.” Seth Godin is brilliant at this. The Dip and
Purple Cow are by NO MEANS new ideas…but they’re new
words, aren’t they? And very successful new words.
Rule Six: Sound and Texture Matter (!)
Luntz: “The sounds and textures of language should be just
as memorable as the words themselves. A string of words
that have the same first letter, the same sound, or the same
syllabic cadence is more memorable than a random collection
of sounds.
“The Itsy Bitsy Spider went up the water spout; down came
the rain washed the spider out.”
And my all time favorite!! ….
Rule Seven: Speak Aspirationally
“Aspirational advertising taps into people’s idealized self-image,
showing them a picture of the other, better life that they wish
they had…”
And, as we know, can have.
Rule Eight: Visualize
“Paint a vivid picture.”
This is perhaps the #1 communication correction I make with
my students and clients: I have them use words that “bring
pictures to mind.” If the brain can’t see it, the brain can’t
process it.
Rule Nine: Ask a Question
My public speaking students know this by heart, too! Telling
is ALWAYS less effective than asking…right?
Luntz: “’Got Milk?’ may be the most memorable print ad campaign
of the last decade.
Rule Ten: Provide Context and Explain Relevance
Luntz believes this is the most important rule of effective
communication. “You have to give people the ‘why’ of a
message before you tell the ‘so that’ or the ‘therefore.’”
Remember the “Have it your way” slogan from Burger King
in the 70’s? The only reason it resonated was because it
spoke to the frustration fast-food consumers felt who didn’t
want their burgers like everyone else’s. “Without the context
of fast food being a mass-produced, assembly-line proposition,
and that all fast food was essentially the same, “Have it your way”
wouldn’t have worked.
I hope this was helpful to you! Go buy Luntz’ book; it’s very
informative…and if you’d rather have all this “stuff” done for
you automatically…that’s what I do, and I do it in my sleep.
And through tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30th, you can
work privately with me (I only do this in the summer) at a near
50% reduction in my fees. Read about the 7 areas I’m helping
people with this summer right here.