Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, it's What People Hear: Amazon.co.uk: Frank I. Luntz: Books

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Synopsis

Communications expert 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. Luntz has used his knowledge of words to help more than two dozen Fortune 500 companies grow. He tells us why Rupert Murdoch's six-billion-dollar decision to buy DirectTV was sma

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Rules govern our daily lives. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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2.8 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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70 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing!, 17 Aug 2007

By

N. Webb (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, it's What People Hear (Hardcover)

My expectations weren't met.

I expected to read and learn about language that really worked. Language that would be incredibly useful both professionally and personally.

Instead the book completely focused on anecdotes from American politics. Particularly on the rather self-centered successes of Frank Luntz in the role of advisor to the Republican party. All the advice was written for an American audience (one of the words that work was 'american dream') so lacked applicability here in the UK plus there were frequent long rambling sections that lacked punch/purpose.

That's not to say there weren't some good elements. The best being the concept of the title "it's not what you say, it's what people hear" and the idea that you need to use simple language that everyday people can understand. Aside from that there was very little to learn and use.

Only buy if you're really interested in the language of politics in the US. If you're looking for a business language book look elsewhere - I suggest 'On Writing Well' as a far superior alternative.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's good, but it's not quite right, 22 Feb 2008

By

Mr. Andrew Weir "theWeir" (Edinburgh, Scotland, UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear (Paperback)

Okay, so I was expecting a lot from the grandiose title. I *was* left a little disappointed and by 3/4 of the way through the book wanted to just stop reading....however I didn't.

I took a reasonable amount from the first half of the book, and from the "words that work" chapter but it would be churlish not to recognise that this is an All-American book, by a right-of-centre American. So don't expect it to have global appeal.

I'm no Dickens, but there were moment when I thought that the author had lost the plot - there's sections that just don't seem to fit with each other!

I enjoyed the read. But it's not the cure-all that it promises to be.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars His words didn't work for me, 4 May 2011

By

Heather (Welwyn Garden City, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, it's What People Hear (Hardcover)

I read the paperback version of this book after seeing it name-checked in an excellent article on persuasive political language. How I wish I'd read the reviews of the hardback edition first! Luntz's own writing style is disappointingly heavy. Much of the book is given over to rambling and tedious anecdotes, and the overall tone is rather patronising, with frequent explanatory asides to state the obvious. I suppose I should have put the book down at the point where the author "wagers" his readers are too old and uncool to get his cleverness, and too slow-witted to immediately understand simple concepts such as words developing new meanings. He also seems to make the fairly big assumption that his reader is male.

Luntz begins with his ten rules of effective language - and these are sensible enough, but nothing new. He quotes at length from Orwell's 1946 essay on Politics and the English Language, as if it were newly published this morning - surely most people picking up this book are already at least partly familiar with that classic work. Bizarrely, he then launches into a long complaint about the world's "misuse" of terms such as Orwellian and Kafkaesque which, he tells us, really mean the opposite of what everyone understands from them.

I was hoping that after getting the basics out of the way, we would be treated to some really interesting insights into "words that work". Sadly this wasn't to be. The book has dated somewhat in the four years since it was published, so that some of what perhaps seemed fresh, now looks tired. I'd have liked Luntz to address the tension between, on the one hand, repetition to ensure the message is heard, and on the other, the slide into cliche and parody from over-use. I'd have liked him to discuss the limitations of market research as well as its benefits, in finding words that work. And I'd have appreciated some acknowledgement of gut instinct, or flights of fancy, in the process of creating a strong, appealing message.

I did find the US perspective interesting, despite the laboured writing style, and it was also useful to be reminded that good grammar doesn't necessarily matter. It's a great title for a book, especially the subtitle, which is sharp and effective. It's just a pity the content didn't live up to it.

If you want to know more about writing for your audience, whether in business or politics, there are better books around. I'd especially recommend anything by writing consultant John Simmons, or Simon Lancaster's "Speechwriting - the Expert Guide".

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