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

For the politician aiming to persuade, and anyone else for that matter, education must precede motivation and even information. This may be painfully obvious to read, and it is certainly painful to witness when it isn’t practiced, but your audience needs to know the basic generalities before you can motivate them to respond to the specifics. You ca

To own a GM car is to tell the world that you’re so 1970s, and since what you drive is considered an extension and expression of yourself to others, people end up buying cars they actually like less because they feel the cars will say something more about them.

The more personal the context, the greater the interest. By and large, we’re concerned about the realm of our jobs and our families, not the larger unfolding of History with a capital H.

A good example is the word peruse. Most people think that to peruse something means to “scan or skim it quickly, without paying much attention.” In fact, this is the exact opposite of what peruse really means: “to study or read something carefully, in detail.” But the word has been misused so often by so many people, that this second sense of it—th

• Franklin Roosevelt: “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.

“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.

The defense of the English language . . . has nothing to do with correct grammar and syntax, which are of no importance so long as one makes one’s meaning clear. . . . Though it does imply using the fewest and shortest words that will cover one’s meaning. What is above all needed is to let the meaning choose the word, and not the other way around.

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

“Deliverer” is seen by consumers as more active and aggressive than “provider,” enhancing the company’s credibility and differentiating them from their less consumer-friendly competitors.