By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: There are strategies and techniques, and then there are fundamental bedrock principles of human communication. The use of story and narrative structure definitely falls in the later category, perhaps to a greater degree than we’ve previously thought. I’ve written before that stories can show us what’s moral, fill gaps in […]
Arc Your Trial Story Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: If you read articles online and continue into the “comments” section, it doesn’t take long to find them: individuals, usually anonymous, who are engaged in surprisingly hostile and personal exchanges with strangers — and they seem to relish the sport. Who are these people, I’ll often wonder, and what motivates
Look Out for Trolls Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: It’s Valentine’s time again. It’s a holiday of love, but in the political world, we’re moving out of yet another debt ceiling standoff and there is no love lost between the two sides of the spectrum. Liberals point to yet another, albeit failed, attempt to hold the country’s full faith and
Account for Ideological Intolerance Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Though Denver is still encased in snow, youth soccer season is just around the corner, and soon I’ll be watching my daughter and her teammates chase the ball around the field. At this age (six), they’re not yet playing positions, so one common bit of advice from their coach is
Complete Your Argument Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Many have noted that the American trial seems to be suffering a kind of death by discovery. “Just the amount of documents and discovery that you have to deal with before you ever get to a trial are so enormous that the costs are higher and it just bogs the process
Conduct Discovery on Your Trial Audience Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: The Superbowl is now over, the Seahawks are victorious, and now it is time for the traditional post-game attention to turn toward the commercials (especially for Broncos fans). This year, the winner in the most-discussed category seems to be the Budweiser commercial featuring the heartwarming bond between dog and horse.
Be Skeptical of Dial Testing Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Let’s play word association. If I say “old age,” what are the first words that come to mind? Would it be something like “senile,” “feeble,” “scattered,” “sad,” “sick,” or “absent-minded”? If so, you would be in line with most individuals’ general associations with the elderly. And these stereotypes attach to
Trust Your Older Jurors (or Judges) Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: For my first line of this blog post, I want to say something. I have to say, honestly, it is going to be important. But I don’t want you to take it the wrong way. So, here it is: When communicating, don’t tee up your statement, just say it. That’s
Avoid Verbal Tee Ups Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: When it comes to assessing someone’s believability and deciding whether they’re lying to you or not, which works best: your quick “gut” intuition or more sustained and careful thought about it? It turns out, the answer is “neither.” Immediate choices, as well as decisions made after longer deliberation, are both
Don’t Overthink Your Credibility Assessments Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie seems to be stuck in a jam, and much like the George Washington bridge commuters last September, it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. At this point, it appears his marathon press conference hasn’t helped. He publicly apologized for the actions of his staff in closing
Don’t Sully Your ‘Sorry’ Read More »