Rules of Effective Language

“Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all.” —Winston Churchill 

Rules govern our daily lives. Some of these rules are explicit, imposed by the government: "No Spitting", "Wear a mask", "Do not Litter", "No Parking" and many more.

The rules of communication are especially important given the sheer amount of communication the average person has to contend with. We step out of our houses each morning into a nonstop sensory assault: advertising and entertainment, song lyrics and commercial jingles, clipped conversations and abbreviated e-mails. A good deal of noise also comes from inside our homes, from our TVs to our sound systems to our computers, washing machine and even that silent inverter. How do you make people hear your words amid all this chatter? 

The answer remains simple, "What matters is not what you say, but what people hear" using the words that work, the language of everyday utility, a language that generates practical results. 

“Great language has exactly the same properties as great music,” says Aaron Sorkin 

Sharing with you in simple words, what I learned and inspired from the reading of Dr. Frank Luntz, the rules of effective language.

1. Simplicity - Simplicity counts. The average Indian did not graduate from college and doesn’t understand the difference between effect and affect. Just ask the makers of the Hindustan Computers Limited (“HCL”) a computer. And when’s the last time you used the words “International Business Machines” rather than “IBM”? Federal Express is now officially “FedEx,” Kentucky Fried Chicken is now “KFC,” and Oil of Olay is just “Olay”. Even the Bollywood films with the bigger title "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" shrunk to "K3G".

“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” —Mark Twain 

2. Brevity - Use short sentences, be as brief as possible, never use a sentence when a phrase will do, and never use four words when three can say just as much like for e.g. Nike's "Just do it" packed more power, word for word, than any footwear ad ever & helped cement a global sporting empire.

3. Credibility - It is important as people have to believe it to buy it. If your words lack sincerity, if they contradict accepted facts, circumstances, or perceptions, they will lack impact. The tag line used by Amul, "The Taste of India" or jingle by Bajaj Auto in early 90's "Buland Bharat ki Buland Tasveer" which created belongingness among mass & a symbol of Indian pride.

4. Consistency Matters - Good language is like the Energizer Bunny. It keeps going . . . and going . . . and going. How one can miss the famous line by Fevicol (Pidilite Industries) "Majboot Jod", not just by saying but keeping it consistent over 60 years & become a synonym for adhesive.

5. Novelty Offer Something New - Today's world is fast evolving & changing, everything around us changes very fast from technology to landscape. People get easily bored, they frequently search for new products, a new destination, a different experience than others. Keeping the fact in mind many companies keep updating their product line to meet the requirement & classics are endorsed by new faces. We have seen various brands of bathing bars in the market but Lux launched in 1929 still survive on the shelf keeping the same tagline "Ab Khubsurti Se Dar Kaisa" for years but with changing face (model/ambassador) every year with a claim that it brings out the star in you.

6. Sound & Texture Matters - "Jo Khayee, Kho Jayee" tagline of Cadbury 5 Star builds up a picture in your mind, similarly the tagline of a popular snack Kurkure "Teda Hai Per Mera Hai" create a craving to eat that snack.

7. Speak Aspirationally - Messages needs to say what people want to hear. This is one area where Politicians often have an upper edge. The tag line "Ache Din Aayenge", used by prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the year 2014 election promising a prosperous India made him win the election. The key to successful aspirational language for products or politics is to personalize and humanize the message to trigger an emotional remembrance. Similarly L'Oreal brand coined the line "Because You are Worth It", to create emotional well-being within women's and creating a sense of empowering them to invest in themselves.

8. Ask a Question - A statement, when put in the form of a rhetorical question, can have a much greater impact than a plain assertion. The question-rule has day-to-day implications as well. A customer complaining to the store manager that her meat has too much fat in it is less effective than if she asked: “Does this look lean to you?” Similarly, asking “What would you do if you were in my shoes?” puts direct pressure on the recipient of your complaint to see things your way. Another tagline used in commercials by Microsoft in the year 1994, "Where do you want to go today?", was launched to highlight how the personal computers of the company can be used to cross borders and barriers, even technological gaps.

It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear . . . and see. 

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