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Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear | 
 enlarge | Author: Frank Luntz
Publisher: Hyperion
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $14.05
You Save: $10.90 (44%)
New (37) Used (38) from $12.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  97 reviews
Sales Rank: 2274
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6 x 1.5
ISBN: 1401302599
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.042
EAN: 9781401302597
ASIN: 1401302599
Publication Date: January 2, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New book w/perfect interior; exterior has slight wear
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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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 92 more reviews...
 deeply cynical August 13, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
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 June 17, 2008
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.
Useful knowledge May 8, 2008
Great book for people who's work depend on a lot of comunication.It contains lot of useful knowledge and explanation how to orginze ur words to get the message throu. Very well writen(not that I know anything about writing)but I found it easy to read and hard to put down.
and too many that don't April 19, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Save your money. Mr Luntz has loaded this tome with lots of pointless trivia. There is a table of jargon along with their meanings. Did you know that "bling" means bright , flashy jewelry? Or how about this brilliant insight,"What's particularly striking about the new language is that it is coming not from the older elites of society who live in wealthy suburban neighborhoods but from the hip-hop youth culture found in America's urban areas." You will not be sharing these insights at your wealthy suburban tea parties or with your hip-hop, bling encrusted pals either.
 expecting better March 29, 2008
The one word that came to mind as I tried to cull some knowledge from this work is 'puffery'. That is a word that works for this book. As a fellow market researcher I was hoping to gain some insight from a high visibility professional but as other reviewers have pointed out there is so much name dropping, political partisanship, and blathering that I could not finish the book. It is in need of a good editor, but apparently Luntz used the right words to talk them out of it. I was disappointed to have wasted my time.
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