Miranda Alexander<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Words have power.\u00a0 They can create and they can destroy.\u00a0 Too often I think we forget just how vital they are and how much we cling to them.\u00a0 We forget the very earth we inhabit was spoken into existence.\u00a0 We forget our tongues have the potential to cut deeper than the sharpest blade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how do we avoid damaging others and ourselves with the words that leave our mouth?\u00a0 Dr. Frank Luntz provides a list of ten rules for effective language in his book,\u00a0Words That Work<\/em>.\u00a0 The first rule we must keep in mind is use small words<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0“Avoid words that might force someone to reach for the dictionary…because most Americans won’t” (Luntz 5).\u00a0 Your audience will do one of two things, they will allow the intended meaning go over their heads or, even worse, misunderstand completely.\u00a0 Use short words while delivering your message.\u00a0 When we use lengthy words when short words would suffice, it tends to put listeners on defensive mode: “What are they attempting to sell me?\u00a0 Do they have a hidden agenda?”\u00a0\u00a0 This first rule blends into the second rule. \u00a0Use short sentences<\/strong>.\u00a0 Short sentences are far more likely to stick in the brain.\u00a0 “The most memorable political language is rarely longer than a sentence” (Luntz 7).\u00a0 Sentences such as “I like Ike<\/em>” or “Silent Cal”.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rule number three:\u00a0credibility<\/strong>.\u00a0 Your audience must believe your words in order to buy them.\u00a0 As Lincoln once said, you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.\u00a0 If your words lack sincerity, if they contradict accepted facts, circumstances, or perceptions, they will lack impact” (Luntz 8).\u00a0 This is a rule that has been broken by various politicians and companies repeatedly.\u00a0 As a result, their words no longer possess power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do we maintain our credibility?\u00a0 The answer can be found in rule number four;\u00a0consistency<\/strong>.\u00a0 “Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.\u00a0 Good language is like the Energizer Bunny.\u00a0 It keeps going…and going…and going” (Luntz 11).\u00a0 Let’s face it.\u00a0 We are creatures of habit.\u00a0 We wake up, get dressed, eat, and carry out our daily routine before crashing face first on the bed just to begin the cycle again in the morning.\u00a0 We find a certain amount of comfort in predictability and this also applies to words we hear.\u00a0 “Finding a good message and then sticking with it takes extraordinary discipline, but it pays off tenfold in the end.\u00a0 Remember, you may be making yourself sick by saying the same exact same thing for the umpteenth time, but many in your audience will be hearing it for the first time” (Luntz 12). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rule number five:\u00a0novelty<\/strong>.\u00a0 To simply put it, words that work usually involve a new definition of an old idea. If we are all being honest, we cannot deny the fact that we are prone to become bored.\u00a0 Whether its a device, song, show, or idea, we are notorious of growing tired of it.\u00a0 We like new things.\u00a0 Plain and simple.\u00a0 So, how do we not bore our listeners to tears?\u00a0 “From a business perspective, you should tell consumers something that gives them a brand-new take on an old idea.\u00a0 The combination of surprise and intrigue creates a compelling message” (Luntz 15).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sixth rule involves\u00a0sound and texture<\/strong>.\u00a0 As strange as this rule may seem, it packs a heavy punch.\u00a0 For example, the phrase “Snap, Crackle, Pop”<\/em> automatically draws our thoughts to Kellogg’s Rice Krispies as well as the sound they make. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rule number seven is extremely significant. \u00a0Speak<\/strong> aspirationally<\/strong>.\u00a0 “Messages need to say what people want to hear” (Luntz 18).\u00a0 Aspiration is a force to be reckoned with in language. It allows the listener to relate to the words you speak, thus the message must be relatable.\u00a0 “If the listener can apply the language to a general situation or human condition, you have achieved humanization<\/em>.\u00a0 But if the listener can relate that language to his or her own life experiences, that’s personalization”<\/em> (Luntz 18).\u00a0 Perhaps the most famous example derives from the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” <\/em>speech.\u00a0 Aspirational messages offer encouragement, hope, and challenge us to raise above our circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next rule plays off of the previous rule. \u00a0Visualize<\/strong>.\u00a0 “Visualizing has as much to do with words as it does with pictures, and there is one word in the English language that automatically triggers the process of visualization by its mere mention, simply because it has 300 million unique, individual, personal manifestations to match the 300 million Americans” (Luntz 21). Imagine.<\/em> \u00a0 If your audience can imagine a possible and better world described by your words, you are doing something right. \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Rule number nine:\u00a0ask a question<\/strong>.\u00a0 This is a highly effective technique to use when trying to capture the audience’s attention.\u00a0 Companies have advertised their products by asking the public questions such as “Can you hear me now?” (<\/em>Verizon Wireless)\u00a0 and “Where do you want to go today?”<\/em> (Microsoft).\u00a0 Questions provoke reflection, and you want people to think about your ideas, to mentally hang onto your words and mull them over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Last and certainly far from least, rule number ten:\u00a0provide context and explain<\/strong> relevance<\/strong>.\u00a0 “You have to give people the “why” of a message before you tell them the “therefore” and the “so that” “(Luntz 26).\u00a0 Context is the foundation for any impactful message.\u00a0 Without it, the message loses its sense of value and relevance.\u00a0 The order in which we present information determines context.\u00a0 “The “so that” of a message is your solution, but solutions are meaningless unless and until they are attached to an identified problem.\u00a0 Finding the right “why” to address is thus just as important as the “how” you offer” (Luntz 26). <\/p>\n\n\n\n If we make it a point to look to these rules in dark times, when much good and encouragement is needed, our voices will be heard.\u00a0 Our ideas will inspire and touch many\u00a0 lives.\u00a0 Our words will bring about a better nation one word at a time. \u00a0\u00a0 Miranda Alexander Words have power.\u00a0 They can create and they can destroy.\u00a0 Too often I think we forget just how vital they are and how much we cling to them.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[341,340],"tags":[74],"class_list":["post-4373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language-studies","category-literary-studies","tag-book-reviews","clearfix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4373"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4388,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4373\/revisions\/4388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.freedomshillprimer.com\/institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}