Let's Do Luntz

The Principles are everywhere, just face it.

Frank Luntz – celebrity U.S. pollster and enemy of lefties everywhere, credited for coining the term "Healthy Forests Initiative" for policies by the Bush administration that favor expanded logging by the logging industry – is the author of a new book, entitled: Words that Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear.

Now if you don't know Frank Luntz, here's an intro, courtesy Wikipedia:

Luntz is considered a master of the art of political propaganda, and his use of language has led to his career as what is termed a "compliance professional," someone who uses whatever means may be at hand (propaganda, marketing, polling, sales, politics) to induce the compliance of a target audience.

Glancing at the reviews on Amazon, it's no mystery that Luntz is a truly polarizing figure. As one reviewer writes: "Luntz offers insights into finding and using the right words to achieve your goals. The key to communication is to place yourself in the listener's situation and understand his or her deepest thoughts and beliefs. What the listener perceives constitutes the listener's reality." Another reviewer asserts the only reason to buy the book is to burn it.

In brief, Luntz recommends the following 11 rules for effective communication, and I've added a a notation next to those rules that directly invoke Dr. Cialdini's Six Principles of Persuasion.

1. Use small words
2. Use short sentences
3. Credibility is as important as philosophy
   {Principle of Authority}
   
4. Consistency matters
   {Principle of Commitment and Consistency}
   
5. Novelty: offer something new.
   {Principle of Scarcity}
   
6. Sound and texture matter.
7. Speak aspirationally.
8. Visualize.
9. Ask questions.
10. Provide context and explain relevance.
11. Visual imagery matters.

Full disclosure: When I was at UPenn in the 90's and just prior to his ascent of the Republican party political machine, Luntz was one of the Annenberg School's most popular professors. His legion of followers were called Luntzheads.