When most sales reps put together a presentation, they’re thinking about what they’re going to say, how the slides will look, and whether their facts are correct. But to communicate effectively, you must go much further than that, says communications expert Frank Luntz, who has supervised more than 1,200 surveys and focus groups and engineered some of the most potent political and corporate campaigns of the last decade. “It’s not enough to be correct or reasonable or even brilliant,” he says. “The key to successful communication is to take the imaginative leap of stuffing yourself right into your listener’s shoes to know what they are thinking and feeling in the deepest recesses of their mind and heart.”

In his new book, Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear (Hyperion, 2007), Luntz offers 10 rules for successful communication that will help you take that “imaginative leap,” help you stand out from the cacophony of the world around your audience and help you speak in language that drives listeners to action:

1. Simplicity: Use small words. When you use uncommon words, your audience won’t be impressed and reach for the dictionary; they’ll just let your meaning slide by. For instance, contrast the general criticism of President Bush for “going it alone” on Iraq with John Kerry’s offer of “a bold, progressive internationalism that stands in stark contrast to the too often belligerent and myopic unilateralism of the Bush Administration.” It’s no wonder Kerry was defeated!

2. Brevity: Use short sentences. Don’t use 21 words (as Kerry did) when three will do. For clarity and impact, brevity beats longwindedness every time.

3. Credibility is as important as philosophy. You don’t need a PhD to be credible; you must simply be who you say you are and do what you say you’re going to do, says Luntz. At the same time, your words must be sincere and align with accepted facts, circumstances, and perspectives. Think you pass the credibility test? Look at your product description. If it includes the words improved, cutting-edge, radical, or any other over-used, over-hyped adjective, you’re in for an uphill slog in the credibility arena.

4. Consistency matters. Boil your message down to a memorable phrase and use it repeatedly throughout your presentation. Long after they’ve forgotten all the data and company history, your audience will still remember that phrase.

5. Novelty: Offer something new. Infuse your presentation with a “wow – I never thought of it that way” message. Luntz holds up the auto industry in the mid-twentieth century. When cars were growing bigger and bigger, Volkswagen launched its “Think Small” campaign and shifted the national thinking in a novel way. What can you do to take your audience’s thinking in a whole new direction?

6. Sound and texture matter. Think of how your words sound. Well-crafted phrases with similar beginnings, good rhythm, and musicality will stick with your audience. Think about the first five communication rules: simplicity, brevity, credibility, consistency, and novelty. They work well because they have the same ending.

7. Speak aspirationally. Personalize and humanize your message to trigger an emotional response. Address what your audience aspires to. Give them a vision of their company with fewer manufacturing errors, reduced delivery costs, increased sales, or whatever they aspire to achieve.

8. Visualize. Don’t simply tell your audience about your product or service; paint a vivid picture for them. Give them something to imagine – in fact, use that word. When Harold Ford gave the keynote at the 2000 Democratic National Convention, he ditched the partisan script he was given and instead said, “Imagine, if you will for a moment, a debt-free economy strong enough that every American can share in the American dream. Imagine a health care system…” and so on. Amid all the bland, predictable speeches that followed, Ford stood out as a rising Democratic star.

9. Ask a question. A statement in the form of a rhetorical question can have much greater impact than a plain assertion, says Luntz. Think about the 1980 debate between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. When Reagan asked, “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” it was far more effective than rattling off statistics about the country’s poor economy, high inflation, high unemployment, and so on. Viewers would quickly have forgotten the numbers, but they mused on that question for a long time. “A rhetorical question,” says Luntz, “remains one of the most powerful but underutilized communication tools.”

10. Provide context. You need to show why what you have to say is relevant to your audience before you say it. Paint the big picture. Give people the “why” of your message before you give them the message.