It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear

In Words that Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear, marketing expert, Frank Luntz (please note - I do not agree with his politics or his ethics) 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.
He adds:
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.

We are all subject to the power of language.
Words spell the difference between success and failure.
"It's not what you say--it's what people hear."