Reflection on "Words that Work"

This week in class we read an excerpt from the book Words that Work by Frank Luntz, a political consultant, who instructs the reader on how to have effective communication. The purpose of the book was to inform people, specifically the spouses of politicians, how one should be mindful of the language they use when trying to address an audience for a presentation or successful pitch. The author employed a didactic tone as his aim was to instruct the audience. The piece began by Luntz stressing the point that sometimes what is not said is more important than what is actually said. According to Luntz, improper use of words and phrases can lead to the belittling of a presentation. For example, Luntz instructs the audience to never say "drilling for oil" and instead say "exploring for energy." His reasoning is that the former phrase has a negative connotation than the latter. Luntz sates that"exploring for energy" has a more positive connotation and is often associated with words like"'efficient'" and "'balance.'" The effect that word choice can have on a presentation is evident here as Luntz demonstrates how the phrase "exploring for energy" fends off the negative connotation that came with the other option.