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

So from a business perspective, you should tell consumers something that gives them a brand-new take on an old idea (and then, in accordance with rule number four, tell them again and again). The combination of surprise and intrigue creates a compelling message. Although often executed with humor, what matters most is that the message brings a sens

Credibility is established very simply. Tell people who you are or what you do. Then be that person and do what you have said you would do. And finally, remind people that you are what in fact you say you are. In a simple sentence: Say what you mean and mean what you say.

“Accurate” data is more important than honest, credible, or truthful data because it is a statement of fact rather than someone’s explanation. For similar reasons, “facts” and “fact-based” are more powerful descriptors in the legal world than “evidence.” It may seem like a distinction without a difference but it really does matter. Facts are indisp

Daily Kos’s glossary (or Kossary) defines netroots as: “The Internet-based political grassroots movement; in other words, us.”

articulating overblown promises as a result of undisciplined language can be an incredibly dangerous game to play.

When an advertisement asks the audience to “imagine,” it’s inviting them to take ownership of the product or service being sold—to make it their own. But if the ad says too much or shows too much, it undermines the process of imagination that the advertiser is trying to stoke.

“This is about the overcrowding of YOUR schools. This is about emergency room chaos in YOUR hospitals. This is about the increase in YOUR taxes. This is about the crime in YOUR communities.” No, this is not beautiful language, but the politicians who used it reported heads nodding

But when everything is a crisis, and when all our lives are spent in one crisis or another, what that really means is that nothing is. We have put our words on steroids and amped the language up so high that unless we communicate in overdrive and hyperbole, we believe—perhaps correctly—that nobody will hear us. In the process, we’ve sacrificed nuan

“Listening”—unlike mere “hearing”—implies consideration because it requires thought. It says that the listener takes the speaker seriously, respects her, and values her opinion. Companies that communicate a listening proposition to their products, services, and how they do business are attuned to what women want.