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Are You Using the 10 Rules of Successful Communication?
I love words. From the time I came out of the womb, I’ve been playing with them; putting them to paper in various fashion and ensuring that I speak those that will have meaning and impact. Now, as an influential communications expert, I help business professionals do the same for their businesses: use words to effectively make their point—in written form, and when they speak in one-on-one sales and public speaking.
So, I was fascinated to happen upon a book called, Words that Work by pollster Dr. Frank Luntz. Get it only if you really love words. Otherwise, let me summarize it. As a pollster, you can imagine that phraseology, when calling voters, required a careful and precise hand. Phrase a question one way, and you get one answer—phrase it another, you get another. His experience in the field of the American People has yielded a strong grasp of words that…well, work; that effect change. In the beginning of the book, he gives the 10 Rules of Successful Communication; gives examples of winners and losers in these categories throughout the book, then at the end lists the top 28 words and phrases for the Twenty-First Century that sell products and win votes. How many are you using? How often are you breaking the rules of successful communication? Let’s find out!
The 10 Rules of Successful Communication
1. Simplicity—Use small words rather than those that are interminably outstretched and cumbersome.
2. Brevity—Use short sentences and get to the point.
3. Credibility—Be honest, be consistent, and follow-through (i.e. don’t flip-flop, don’t be a hypocrite, do what you say you’re going to do).
4. Consistency—Stay with a theme, don’t change it, and repeat, repeat, repeat. “Message consistency builds customer loyalty.”
5. Novelty: Offer something new—give people a new take on an old idea. If it generates an “I didn’t know that!” response, you’ve succeeded.
6. Sound and Texture (of words) Matter—“I got rhythm, I got music, I got [cadence]--who could ask for anything more?
7. Speak Aspirationally—Tap into people’s idealized self-image and show them a picture of the better life they could have.
8. Enable Visualization—Paint a vivid picture with your words. “The word ‘imagine’ is perhaps the most powerful communication tool because it allows another to picture “whatever” you want them to.
9. Ask a Question—Do you remember “show don’t tell” in English class? That’s still true, but a new riff on that adage should now be, “Ask don’t tell.” Wherever you might tell--ask a question instead. Democratic Media Consultant, Tony Schwartz, discovered that people react best to language and messages that are participatory. (Hallelujah! That’s why everything I teach works so well.)
10. Provide Context and Explain Relevance—You have to give people the ‘why’ of a message before you tell them the conclusions or benefits. Why does a message matter? Set the stage, give the background, then launch into your story.
So, you’re talking with your teenage daughter about sex. Can you use the 10 Rules? Let’s see if you can find them all in the following paragraph:
Brenda, remember when you were babysitting the other day and Jason threw up all over your new shirt, then he wouldn’t stop crying? [She answers with a grimace.] You came home really exhausted and upset. What else happened that was stressful? [She visualizes through remembering, several more events]. So, can I ask you something: would you want to be dealing with a baby of your own at 30 or at 15? [She answers that she’d like to wait until she’s 45.] Would you like to know a sure-fire way to have one at 45 and not 15? [She nods her head.] Never, never, ever, ever have unprotected sex. What did I just say? If you’re in the moment and you don’t have anything with you, what could you do? [She says, abstain.] Yes! Abstain, abstain, abstain. Or go get an extra-strong baggie from the kitchen. The truth is, your life is filled with so much greatness. There is absolutely nothing you cannot do or become. That’s true if you have a baby at 15, I suppose, but the chances are much slimmer. The very best thing you can ever do is put your future ahead of any boy. Put your greatness ahead of any moment of intense desire. You are more important than you realize right now. One day you will realize it, and you want to look back and know that you treated yourself with the utmost love and respect. Will you do that—not for me, but for you?
Now, I chose an everyday conversation, versus a sales pitch or a presentation to make the point that using these 10 Rules is do-able all the time. Write them down as a checklist on your computer, and don’t venture into any communication without checking them off. I actually teach several more than these at my Secrets of Impact & Influence 1-day training. If you’re serious about communication, you want to make that a must-attend event in 2009.
Okay, drum roll please…Frank Luntz has used these 28 words to, in his own words, “…help more than two dozen Fortune 500 companies grow and thrive, and to aid more than two hundred elected officials in winning or keeping their jobs. These are the words that work and will continue to work. They are the language of America.”
1. Imagine
2. Consequences
3. Impact
4. Reliability
5. Mission
6. Commitment
7. Hassle-free
8. Lifestyle
9. Accountability
10. Results
11. Diplomacy
12. Dialogue
13. Innovation
14. Renew, Revitalize, Rejuvenate, Restore, Rekindle, Reinvent
15. Efficient/Efficiency
16. The “right to”
17. Patient-centered
18. Investment
19. Casual Elegance
20. Independent
21. Peace of mind
22. Certified
23. All-American
24. Prosperity
25. Spirituality
26. Financial Security
27. A “Balanced Approach”
28. A “Culture of”
One day, I’ll see if I can fit them all into a conversation with my 14-year-old teenager daughter.
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