--- title: These are the Ten Rules You Need to Know to Communicate Effectively description: Be brief — use short sentences canonical: https://time.com/3640695/10-communication-rules/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-23T05:01:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:19.103Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 10 Rules You Need to Know to Communicate Effectively og:description: Be brief — use short sentences og:url: https://time.com/3640695/10-communication-rules/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d53cbb40cd802eb/69876fede20a8768eca84243/shapes-speech-bubble.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5616 og:image:height: 3159 og:image:alt: shapes-speech-bubble og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 10 Rules You Need to Know to Communicate Effectively twitter:description: Be brief — use short sentences twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d53cbb40cd802eb/69876fede20a8768eca84243/shapes-speech-bubble.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 10 Rules You Need to Know to Communicate Effectively > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: How Animals Learn Language [Watch (HLS stream): How Animals Learn Language](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IB9XTqaU.m3u8) (3:13)  _Published 2010-08-06. TIME science writer, Jeffrey Kluger visits the Great Ape Trust to meet a remarkable Bonobo ape named Kanzi._ by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Dec 23, 2014 5:01 AM UTC  Geometric shapes in speech bubble Geometric shapes in speech bubble Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Dec 23, 2014 5:01 AM UTC Frank Luntz has “engineered some of the most potent political and corporate campaigns of the last decade.” His wordsmithing helped Republican Rudy Giuliani get elected twice in New York — a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 5-to-1. Luntz and his polling firm have learned a great deal about language by conducting nearly 1500 surveys and focus groups for a wide range of products and politicians. The key takeaway from [his book](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20) is actually part of the title: **_It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear._** In [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20) Luntz breaks down the ten main lessons he’s learned from years of crafting political messages; lessons we can all learn from: 1) **Simplicity: Use Small Words** Via [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- 2) **Brevity: Use Short Sentences** Via [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- 3) **Credibility Is As Important As Philosophy** Via [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- 4) **Consistency Matters** Via [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- 5) **Novelty: Offer Something New** Via [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- 6) **Sound and Texture Matter** Via [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- 7) **Speak Aspirationally** Via [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- 8) **Visualize** Via [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- 9) **Ask a Question** Via [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- 10) **Provide Context and Explain Relevance** Via [Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401309291/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401309291&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/11/ten-rules-effective-language/)**_. Join over 145,000 readers and get a free weekly email update_** [**_here_**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**_._** Related posts: * [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) * [What 10 things should you do every day to improve your life?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/what-10-things-should-you-do-every-day-to-imp/) * [How To Make Your Life Better By Sending Five Simple Emails](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/make-your-life-better/) _Read next:_ [_How You Can Learn the #1 Persuasion Technique of FBI Hostage Negotiators_](http://time.com/3549602/persuasion-technique-fbi-hostage-negotiators/?xid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3640695/10-communication-rules/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3640695/10-communication-rules/"},"headline":"10 Rules You Need to Know to Communicate Effectively","datePublished":"2014-12-23T05:01:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:03:19.103Z","description":"Be brief — use short sentences","url":"https://time.com/3640695/10-communication-rules/","keywords":["Psychology","language","communication"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d53cbb40cd802eb/69876fede20a8768eca84243/shapes-speech-bubble.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d53cbb40cd802eb/69876fede20a8768eca84243/shapes-speech-bubble.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"shapes-speech-bubble","caption":"shapes-speech-bubble","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3640695/10-communication-rules/","name":"10 Rules You Need to Know to Communicate Effectively"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How Animals Learn Language","description":"TIME science writer, Jeffrey Kluger visits the Great Ape Trust to meet a remarkable Bonobo ape named Kanzi.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/IB9XTqaU/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2010-08-06T14:20:17.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IB9XTqaU.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3640695/10-communication-rules/","duration":"PT3M13S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3640695/10-communication-rules/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```