Words That Work

Frank Luntz is a Republican political consultant and pollster. In Words That Work, he draws on nearly 1,500 surveys, dial sessions, and focus groups to argue that effective communication depends not on what the speaker intends but on what the listener perceives. The book blends communication theory, political memoir, corporate case studies, and practical advice to demonstrate how specific word choices shape public opinion, sell products, and win elections.

Luntz opens with a September 2004 scene at the home of writer and political commentator Arianna Huffington, where he presents communication principles to Hollywood's liberal elite. The anecdote establishes his central claim: The rules of effective language are fundamentally nonpartisan. He illustrates the gap between intended and received meaning through three examples. President Jimmy Carter's 1979 "Crisis of Confidence" speech is universally remembered as the "malaise" speech, though Carter never used that word. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell's "decisive force" military doctrine was persistently recast by journalists as "overwhelming force." And former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told Luntz that the term "détente," used to describe the easing of Cold War tensions, was a mistake because a French word oversimplified a complex policy and invited attack.

The book's first major section lays out ten rules of effective communication. Simplicity demands accessible language, since the average American has not graduated from a four-year college. Brevity prizes conciseness, as in Nike's "Just do it." Credibility requires that words align with reality; Senator John Kerry's statement "I actually did vote for the 87 billion dollars before I voted against it" destroyed his credibility on the Iraq War. Consistency builds recognition through repetition, as Ivory Soap's "99 and 44/100% pure" slogan, in use since 1882, demonstrates. Novelty redefines old ideas in surprising ways: Attorney Robert Shapiro invented the legally nonexistent plea of "accidental manslaughter" to defend Christian Brando, the son of actor Marlon Brando, and the phrase stuck permanently in media coverage. Sound and texture make language memorable through alliteration and rhyme. Aspiration taps into people's idealized self-image, as L'Oréal's "because you're worth it" illustrates. Visualization identifies the word "imagine" as perhaps the most powerful communication tool because it triggers a unique personal vision in every listener. Asking questions turns passive listeners into active participants, as when President Ronald Reagan asked debate viewers in 1980, "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" Finally, context and relevance argues that the "why" must precede the "how."

Luntz then addresses the errors communicators make by assuming audiences share their frame of reference. He notes that senators squander television appearances using insider terms like "reconciliation" (a budget procedure) and "cloture" (a mechanism for ending debate) that most viewers cannot define. He shows that information order determines meaning, recounting how accidentally reversing the sequence of independent presidential candidate Ross Perot's 1992 campaign videotapes produced radically different reactions from identical focus groups. He addresses gender differences in communication, finding that sports and war metaphors alienate women, that women respond better to stories while men prefer statistics, and that child-centered arguments consistently outperform economic messaging with women. He also demonstrates that identical policy outcomes receive dramatically different support depending on phrasing: 68 percent of Americans think the country spends too little on "assistance to the poor," while only 23 percent feel the same about "welfare."

A chapter on the messenger argues that authenticity matters more than policy positions. Luntz presents former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's appeal as rooted in biographical language about his working-class roots rather than specific policies, analyzes former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's popularity as dependent on behaving like a celebrity rather than a politician, and examines Senator John McCain's appeal as grounded in his persona as a straight-talking war hero. In corporate contexts, Luntz argues that the most successful brands align their persona with their language, citing Jack Welch's focus on customer satisfaction at General Electric and Steve Jobs's can-do spirit at Apple.

Detailed political case studies form the book's core. The longest concerns the Contract with America, the 1994 document that helped deliver a Republican House majority for the first time in 40 years. Luntz recounts insisting that the word "Republican" be removed from the title, choosing "contract" because alternatives like "plan" and "promise" lacked binding force, and personally adding the enforcement clause: "If we break this contract, throw us out. We mean it." He details how the "estate tax" became the "death tax," reporting that more than 70 percent of Americans would abolish the "death tax" compared to a narrow majority for the "estate tax," and how "drilling for oil" became "exploring for energy," yielding a 10-percent increase in support for energy development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Corporate case studies show how small linguistic changes reshaped entire industries. The shift from "gambling" to "gaming" reframed casinos from vice to entertainment. The older British term "spirits" replaced "liquor" to evoke elegance rather than addiction. And hotel entrepreneur Steve Wynn's planned Las Vegas property name "Le Rêve" was changed to "Wynn Resorts" after research showed most Americans could neither pronounce nor understand the French original.

A chapter on myths about the American public dismantles assumptions that lead communicators astray. Luntz reports that only 27 percent of adults over 25 hold bachelor's degrees, that newspaper subscriptions have plummeted, and that Americans distrust anything big, preferring the tagline "Big enough to deliver; small enough to care." He identifies principles that define the American psyche: "Opportunity" bridges the partisan divide, "common sense" is the quality Americans consider most missing from Washington, and "accountability" is the attribute voters most want from leaders.

The book applies its principles to everyday situations, from apologizing at home to asking for a raise to persuading an airline employee to reopen a closed airplane door. It also presents 21 words and phrases Luntz predicts will define effective communication, including "imagine," "hassle-free," "innovation," and "peace of mind," which he predicts will supplant "security" as a primary value because it emphasizes a positive result rather than a threatening process.

An addendum written after the book's original 2007 publication analyzes the 2008 presidential primaries as a vindication of the book's principles. Luntz argues that Senator Barack Obama's campaign exemplified the ten rules through small words, short sentences ("Yes we can"), aspirational messaging, and musical cadence, generating intense enthusiasm even though few supporters could name a specific legislative accomplishment. He contrasts Obama's success with Senator Hillary Clinton's communication failures and Giuliani's inability to articulate a presidential vision. Three appendices reproduce unedited political memos, including the ballot statement for the 2003 California recall of Governor Gray Davis, a replacement lexicon prescribing substitutions such as "exploring for energy" for "drilling for oil," and a strategic memo to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott during the 1998 Clinton impeachment proceedings.