Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear

Cover......Page 1
Copyright page......Page 8
Contents......Page 11
Acknowledgments......Page 13
Introduction......Page 15
In Defense of Language......Page 20
1  The Ten Rules of Effective Language......Page 31
1.  Simplicity: Use Small Words......Page 34
2.  Brevity: Use Short Sentences......Page 37
3.  Credibility Is As Important As Philosophy......Page 38
4.  Consistency Matters......Page 41
5.  Novelty.- Offer Something New......Page 43
6.  Sound and Texture Matter......Page 46
7.  Speak Aspirationally......Page 48
8.  Visualize......Page 50
9.  Ask a Question......Page 53
10.  Provide Context and Explain Relevance......Page 56
Words That Worked—Case Study: \"Talk to Me\"......Page 61
2  Preventing Message Mistakes......Page 64
Don\'t Assume Knowledge or Awareness......Page 66
Getting the Order Right......Page 70
The Battle of the Sexes......Page 71
It\'s About the Children......Page 74
How You Define Determines How You Are Received......Page 75
3  Old Words, New Meaning......Page 79
4  How \"Words That Work\" Are Created......Page 101
5  Be the Message......Page 111
The Politics of Personality......Page 119
Authenticity......Page 122
The Corporate CEO As Messenger......Page 124
Be All That You Can Be: The Company Persona and Language Alignment......Page 128
6  Words We Remember......Page 137
7  Corporate Case Studies......Page 157
Words That Work Case Study: From \"Gambling\" to \"Gaming\"......Page 159
Words That Work Case Study: From \"Liquor\" to \"Spirits\"......Page 161
Words That Work Case Study: \"Banks\" Versus \"Credit Unions\"......Page 162
Words That Work Case Study: From \"Le Rêve\" to \"Wynn Resorts\"......Page 164
Words That Work Case Study: From \"Honest Data\" to \"Accurate Data\"—And Then Some . . .......Page 165
Words That Work Case Study: From \"Cell Phones\" to \"Integrated Entertainment\"......Page 167
Words That Work Case Study: From \"Employee Strike\" to \"Employee Satisfaction\"......Page 170
Words That Work Case Study: From \"Corporate Accountability\" to \"Corporate Responsibility\"......Page 176
8  Political Case Studies......Page 179
Words That Worked Case Study: Changing the \"Estate Tax\" to the \"Death Tax\"......Page 194
Words That Worked Case Study: Changing \"Drilling for Oil\" to \"Exploring for Energy,\" from \"Domestic\" to \"American\"......Page 196
Words That Work Case Study: From \"Social Security\" to \"Retirement Security\"......Page 199
Illegal Immigration......Page 202
Words That Worked Case Study: From \"Crime\" and \"Criminals\" to \"Public Safety\"......Page 208
9  Myths and Realities About Language and People......Page 209
Myth: Americans Are Educated......Page 214
Myth: Americans Read......Page 217
Myth: American Women All Respond to Messages Like... Women......Page 220
Myth: Americans Divide Neatly and Accurately Into Urban, Suburban, and Rural Populations......Page 222
Myth: American Consumers Respond Well to Patriotic Messages......Page 226
Myth: Retro Sells Products and Politicians......Page 227
Myth: Americans Vote According to a Candidate\'s Stands on the Issues......Page 228
Myth: Americans Are Happy......Page 229
Myth: Americans Prefer Big Organizations......Page 230
Myth: Americans Have Finally Gotten Over 9/11......Page 232
10  What We REALLY Care About......Page 235
Principles......Page 236
Opportunity (More Than Fairness)......Page 237
Opportunity (More Than Ownership)......Page 238
\"Community\"......Page 239
Common Sense......Page 240
Getting \"Value\" from Government......Page 242
\"Convenience\"......Page 243
\"Main Street, Not Wall Street\"......Page 245
Family Values......Page 247
The Future (Not the Past)......Page 249
Positive Messages......Page 250
Accountability......Page 255
Respect......Page 256
Solutions......Page 257
At Home: How Do You Say I\'m Sorry?......Page 259
At the Office: How Do You Ask for a Raise or a Promotion?......Page 261
On the Road: How to Avoid a Ticket......Page 262
At the Airport: How Do You Talk Your Way Onto the Plane?......Page 263
Out to Eat: How to Get a Table at a Packed Restaurant......Page 265
The Written Word: Writing an Effective Letter......Page 266
12  Twenty-one Words and Phrases for the Twenty-first Century......Page 269
1. \"Imagine\"......Page 271
2. \"Hassle-free\"......Page 274
3. \"Lifestyle\"......Page 275
4. \"Accountability\"......Page 276
5. \"Results\" and the \"Can-Do Spirit\"......Page 278
6. \"Innovation\"......Page 279
7. \"Renew, Revitalize, Rejuvenate, Restore, Rekindle, Reinvent\"......Page 280
8. \"Efficient\" and \"Efficiency\"......Page 282
9. \"The Right to . . .\"......Page 283
10. \"Patient-Centered\"......Page 284
11. \"Investment\"......Page 285
13. \"Independent\"......Page 286
14. \"Peace of Mind\"......Page 288
16. \"All-American\"......Page 289
18. \"Spirituality\"......Page 290
20.  A \"Balanced Approach\"......Page 291
21. \"A Culture of . . .\"......Page 292
13  Conclusion......Page 295
The Memos......Page 299
The 2003 California Gubernatorial Recall......Page 301
The 21 Political Words and Phrases You Should Never Say Again... Plus a Few More......Page 309
The Clinton Impeachment Language......Page 319
Introduction......Page 320
Strategy......Page 321
Language......Page 322
A Final Thought......Page 324
1  The Ten Rules of Effective Language......Page 327
3  Old Words, New Meaning......Page 328
5  Be the Message......Page 329
9  Myths and Realities About Language and People......Page 330
12  Twenty-one Words and Phrases for the Twenty-first Century......Page 331
A......Page 333
C......Page 334
F......Page 336
H......Page 337
L......Page 338
M......Page 339
P......Page 340
S......Page 342
T......Page 343
Z......Page 344
Addendum: When Words Fail......Page 345
1.  Terri Schiavo......Page 348
2.  Hurricane Katrina......Page 349
4.  Implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit......Page 351
5.  The Ports......Page 352
Notes......Page 354