By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: When I was still a graduate student, I remember the Reverend Jesse Jackson delivering the 1988 Democratic Convention address in Atlanta: his famous “Common Ground” speech. In that wide-ranging address, he tied together diverse issues — expansion of the party, the arms race, voting rights, health care, student loans —
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: The TED phenomenon is very interesting to me. The niche involves hosting 20-minute talks by innovative individuals, some famous some not, in order to share “ideas worth spreading” on technology, entertainment, and design — very broadly defined, those three areas form the acronym for TED. The idea that in today’s day and
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: With Americans increasingly getting their news online via Facebook and similar platforms, our already divided society is at risk of becoming even more polarized. Some of the blame for that has centered on the computerized algorithms that influence what appears in our online newsfeeds, and have a parallel in the
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: The Minnesota State Senate, I learned from a recent NPR story, prohibits eye contact. Incredibly, the legislative body has a rule stating that all comments must be addressed to the Senate President, and that rule is interpreted to mean that senators cannot look their fellow senators in the eye while
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: The Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments on the question of marriage equality, and specifically whether state bans on same sex marriage are unconstitutional, and whether marriages that are legal in one state need to be recognized in another. As is typical, the focus is on Justice Kennedy as the
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Opening statements began this week in the trial of James Holmes, the acknowledged gunman in the 2012 shooting during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado. The tragedy sent ripples throughout the nation, and on the heels of a jury selection that was unprecedented in its scope,
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: We are used to hearing about “technophobia,” or a fear of new, confusing, powerful and scary gadgets. In modern times, however, it’s opposite — technophilia — is likely to play a stronger role. Take the current launch of the Apple Watch. While it is likely to generate at least some
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: So you’re slated for trial before a judge who is new to you. Naturally, you do your due diligence and try to find out all you can on what makes this judge tick. The result? A few broad comments and stories in response to an all-firm email. If you’re lucky,
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Listen, pause, use your own words, and then stop. Sometimes witness advice should be covered in detail, and at other times you just need to bottom line it. A week or so ago, I was arriving for a meeting with attorneys just as a witness was leaving. “Is there any
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: As the Beatles sang, “I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together” (I Am the Walrus). Okay, so it wasn’t their most coherent musical statement. But it does illustrate a critically important strategy in persuasion, particularly the “we are all together” part.
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