Words that Work -- The Book

I’m not as voracious a reader as I should be, so I’m usually reluctant to recommend books to people (“Thanks, I read that three years ago.”)

But if you’re in the communication business, you should read Frank Luntz’s Words that Work.

Yes, it pains me to agree with the man who helped Congress mislead America about global warming for the last 10 years (an anecdote that’s suspiciously absent from this book).

Yes, it hurts to admit that the inventor of “the death tax” (as opposed to “the estate tax”) understands words and communication better than almost anyone in America.

But he’s the best there is.

As with most books that claim to teach you everything you need to know, about 2/3 of the book is Luntz explaining how the first 1/3 is true by dropping famous names and bashing the morons on the left who “just don’t get it.” But the first 1/3 is worth the price. And to be honest, he’s got a point about most lefties.

Since most of you won’t give this guy your money (I understand), here’s the Cliff’s Notes version of the most instructive section: what he calls the Ten Rules of Successful Communication.

The basic theme of the book, and one that’s hammered home over and over, is “It doesn’t matter what you say, it matters what they hear.” These 10 rules, he says, will get you there.

1. Simplicity - Use small words. You’re trying to connect with your audiences, not impress them with your vocabulary. If you use a word they don’t understand, they will stop listening AND think that you’re pretentious.

2. Brevity - Use short sentences. If you can’t say it in a breath, folks won’t understand it. You may be willing to re-read your sentences to make sure you get the point, but your audience won’t.

3. Credibility Matters – as much as if not more than philosophy. I call this believability. Stephen Colbert calls it “truthiness.” It doesn’t matter if your message is true. If it sounds “unbelievable,” it won’t be believed.

4. Repetition – Consistency Matters. You will have to hammer home your message over and over before it sticks. So it better roll off your tongue (see #1 and #2).

5. Novelty – Offer something new. In product marketing, we call this “differentiation.” In politics, it’s the reason to NOT vote for the other guy. Within the non-profit world, it’s the reason someone should bother listening to you.

6. Sound – Good words sound good. I often tell clients to read their messages aloud. If they sound boring, they are. Luntz cites a lot of tag lines and product ad copy to prove his point (M&Ms melt in your mouth, quicker picker upper, etc.) But I think this makes sense for all messages. Use alliteration. Create an appealing cadence for your messages. Treat your OpEds like they are speeches.

7. Speak Aspirationally. (For the record, "Aspirationally" is his word, not mine, and seems to break rule #1, no?) No one likes a downer. (Read that again.) Aspiration is more attractive and memorable. It inspires. Focus on the promise of what could be, not how bad things are. In fact, check out a few Obama speeches. He clearly rips the current state of things, but he offers hope, promise, etc.

8. Visualize – Make them see it. Use language that conjures up mental images. One of Luntz’s favorite words is “imagine.” Tell a person to imagine something, and he will – using his favorite images and his favorite memories.

9. Ask a question. Sounds corny, but it works. It immediately engages people in a conversation whether they want to be included or not. State a fact and they look at you with a blank stare. Ask a question and people answer it.

10. Provide Context and Explain Relevance. Finally, a point I can argue with Luntz. “Relevance” is one of my Top 5 message rules, and I think that if you have to explain it, you’ve already lost the audience. The best messages are INSTANTLY relevant to audiences. If you have to explain a punch line, the joke isn’t funny. If you have to explain a message, it’s not as strong as it needs to be.

If you don’t want to give the guy any of your money (I understand), check it out at the library. Or buy a used copy here at Amazon. It really is one of those books (like Strunk & White) that should be on your office bookshelf.


For the record, progressives have a similar sage in our corner – George Lakoff, author of Don’t Think of an Elephant. Good book, but, ironically, too wordy and long.

Rowan Report Goes Back to School

I’m sure you don’t read my postings to hear about my kids, but a colleague suggested that a recent story about my daughter’s science fair project was proof that the advice I push on this blog doesn’t just apply at the workplace.

First, some background. PowerPoint is so ubiquitous that it’s permeating our education system. Now, I’m a huge fan of technology, but this scares the hell out of me. You may remember this post about business schools now asking applicants to use PowerPoint instead of admission essays. And I recently read a story about PowerPoint in high schools. A teacher implied it is useful in teaching kids how to “walk an audience through” an argument. I imagined students staring at a list of bullets and reading them one-by-one to the class or admission board.

Back to my second grader’s science fair. At this age, the project is all about getting the kids interested in research and science. Lots of web surfing, lots of pictures, lots of facts. You get the idea.

Back when I was in school, each kid had to supply his/her own display board. But these days, the school supplies the cardboard displays; all the students have to do is pick blue, red, white, yellow or black.

Guess which color I recommended. (hint)

The science fair is the elementary school equivalent of the workplace PowerPoint presentation. And just like us adults who pick bright, distracting templates for our presentations, her schoolmates picked yellow and red and blue. Hers was the only black display.

Now, I can’t say that color had any impact on the judges’ marks. We weren’t too concerned about winning anyway. I won’t tell you it was the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen. And I won’t tell you it was the most brilliant project (one genius kid simulated a complicated “prime number generator” and mocked me when I asked him about it). But I can say that it stood out from every other project. I even heard a kid say it looked “looked cool.”

If I were a scientist, my daughter’s project might have been more scientifically impressive (and she’d have a better shot at Ivy League colleges). But I’m not a scientist.

Neither are most of you. You work with important issues, but your facts and figures are not enough to compete with all the other facts and figures out there. If you want to stand out, delivery matters. And “looking cool” doesn’t hurt, whether you’re displaying a school project or your organization’s materials.

Starting the Year Green

Every time I see the GM commercial bragging about its upcoming hybrid Tahoe, I roll my eyes. Or Exxon's ads about finding cleaner energy. Or the ads about the wonders of clean coal.

Being green is hot this year. Actually, having people THINK you're green is hot. But there's been no way for regular folks like us to weigh in on whether these ads are the real deal or what the environmental community calls "greenwashing."

Until now.

Developed by Enviromedia, the Greenwashing Index is only in its infancy, but has already attracted the attention of BrandWeek and U.S. News & World Report.

Not only can you browse so-called green ads and rate their “greenwashy-ness,” you can submit your own favorite and let the online community rip it to shreds.

Time will tell whether this site will be more than a short-term blip. But it’s nice to see my friends at Enviromedia try to give the rest of us a voice amid the green advertising wave.

More posts coming soon.

The Story of Stuff

I wanted to pass along an excellent example of how a group is turning a very complex issue into a simple and understandable one using clever visuals and – you guessed it – the power of storytelling.

I’ve been working with a group called the California Product Stewardship Council, which is urging leaders in California to change how waste is managed – from mining and manufacturing to disposal.

They altered me to a new website called “The Story of Stuff” that’s been getting great reviews (and a whole lot of traffic) in its first few weeks online.

A full tour of the feature video and website will take a while, but you don’t need to spend much time to see how this video has turned what could be an important but painfully boring and tedious issue into one that’s – dare I say – entertaining.

How’d they do it? You’ll have your own ideas. But here are mine.

1. It inserts people into a complex issue that’s usually explained with charts, diagrams and stats. The on-screen presenter delivers an important message, but she’s not angry or preachy. Even the animation behind her inserts people into the story, so we can see how each of us plays a role in the issue. Storytelling is among the best ways for causes to connect with audiences. And stories require people.

2. It’s simple. If you’ve ever sat through a presentation about a global problem, you know that it only takes about 3 minutes to be bored into a coma. This video takes a VERY large and complicated problem and reduces it to an understandable storyline. Certainly, this group spent days arguing which details should be left in or left out of the presentation. And there are probably people who would say this explanation is too simple. But no presentation will ever include every possible detail of every issue. I tell clients to base their presentations on “What do I HAVE to show my audience to get it to do, feel or think what I want it to?” as opposed to “What are ALL the facts I know that I could tell?” This presentation does a good job of deciphering between those two questions.

3. It’s clever. Who thought cartoons could be so effective? So often, less is more. This video accomplished a lot with very simple visuals. Now, that simplicity doesn’t come cheap. The folks at Free Range Studios spent plenty of time and money creating the animation – a luxury that not all causes have. But not having the budget for this kind of production shouldn’t be an excuse to revert to a boring “fact-dump.”

4. Its message is multi-platform. This group created a communication tool that can be viewed on home DVD players, in large groups at events, on individual computers, etc. And they chopped it into chapters and put it on YouTube. More and more applications allow us to cross platforms with our marketing material. Most of us know how to turn printed brochures into PDF files. I recently added a voice-track to a PowerPoint presentation for CPSC and converted it into Quicktime and Windows Media Player files. It’s not as fancy as The Story of Stuff, but it’s been an effective way for CPSC to promote its presentation and message to groups throughout California when they can’t be there in person.

That’s it for now. Let me know if you have other examples of clever and effective message tools.

Dec. 14 Presentation Workshop Postponed

Alas, it appears that the holiday chaos has doomed my efforts to hold this workshop in December. I've been getting good feedback, but many, many "December is just to busy" responses.

So I'm going to postpone the Dec 14 workshop. When the holidays pass, I'll scan January for good dates and let you know when a new date emerges.

As always, I'll post updates here. If you sign up for the auto-feed (look to the right), you'll get the updates as they are posted.

Stand by.

Presentation Workshop, December 14 in Austin

Since launching the Rowan Report, I’ve avoided overt sales pitches about my company. But you’re getting one today.

On December 14, I will be conducting a 3-hour workshop on presentations at LifeWorks (3700 South First Street in Austin). The workshop will be open to anyone who wants to learn about improving presentation skills and materials.

I conducted a short one-hour version of this workshop (without the hands-on and tutorial sections) at the Crossroads Conference in October (hosted by Greenlights for Non Profit Success), and the response has been remarkable. For those of you in Austin who did not attend the October conference, the December workshop will provide a longer, more interactive agenda and more opportunity for Q&A, group interaction and “learning by doing.”

The workshop will include three parts.

1. A plenary session, including research findings and recommendations from the book “Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes,” as well as before-and-after case studies of presentation best practices. A copy of the book will be provided.

2. A group review of “real world” presentations (yes, that could include yours if you want it to)

3. A hands-on tutorial of common presentation software, including PowerPoint and Keynote.

The cost of the workshop will be $159 per person.

Here are the details. If you have any questions, email rsvp@rowcom.com.

What: “Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes” plenary and workshop
When: Friday, December 14, 9 am to noon
Where: LifeWorks, 3700 South First Street, Austin, 78704 (map)


More Details
Cost for the workshop is $159 per person. The fee covers the work session and a copy of the book “Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes.” Group rates are available for organizations sending more than two employees.

Attendance will be limited by space constraints. If you’d like to reserve a seat, please email rsvp@rowcom.com. Please state your name, organization, the number of people who will attend and your employer’s non-profit status. Employees of non-profit organizations will be given priority if the session fills up.

Payment will be accepted at the workshop. Please make checks payable to Rowan Communication, Inc. Receipts will be provided.

Attendees are encouraged to bring laptop computers for the hands-on session.

We will review presentations submitted by the audience. If you would like to volunteer to share a draft presentation, please note that in your reservation email (don’t worry, everyone will be very nice when we watch it).

More details will be distributed to attendees as December 14 approaches.

Killer ads

I usually try to use non-political issues to demonstrate good communication practices – there’s no point turning off people who disagree politically. They just stop listening.

But the new ads from Save Darfur are too good to not mention.

I was working yesterday with CNN on in the background when I heard what I thought was just another of those “prepare for your retirement” commercials. It was actually an ad about divesting from mutual funds that do business in Darfur…and the “payoff line” is heartbreaking and powerful and undeniable. Almost perfect for an advocacy ad, I think.

Check them out on YouTube here and here.

I’m not asking you to divest from Darfur. (Though, I must admit, I emailed my financial adviser and asked him to review all my funds to make sure they’re “genocide-free” and “terror-free.” He hasn’t called back yet.)

Whether you agree with the issue or not, the ads are great examples of how to fit a message into a package that will strike a chord with people. This group found something that connects Americans to the genocide happening on the other side of the globe -- their money. That’s the kind of clarity and simplicity we should all be shooting for.