By Dr. Ken Broda-Bahm: With the news world still abuzz with implications of former President Trump’s 34 felony convictions and impending sentencing in New York, we are left to wonder about the effectiveness of defense attorney Todd Blanche’s closing argument focused on “ten reasons for reasonable doubt.” Some of those reasons had undeniable merit, like […]
Message Discipline: Opt for Fewer, Better Reasons Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: There is a danger in what I call the “product” orientation toward persuasion. That orientation focuses on persuasion as an outcome, as a discrete “thing” that is transferred from a sender to a receiver. The advocate in effect thinks, “I have something — it is called a correct opinion — and
Persuade Through Process Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Once the cases are both in, the witnesses are all examined and, the evidence is before the jury, it is time to close, and for many attorneys, that means ramping up the emotion in order to commit jurors to your position. The exact tone you’re going for is going to
Show Some (Authentic) Anger in Closing Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Now that the coronavirus vaccinations are moving toward the point of critical mass, it might be safe to think back on the early weeks of the vaccines’ roll-out. At that stage, many health officials were emphasizing the limits of the vaccine. The message went sort of like this: “It’s no
Don’t Oversell Your Limits Read More »
by Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: The two terms are often used interchangeably, but “rebuttal” doesn’t mean the same thing as “refutation.” The latter amounts to an attack on the arguments of the other side, and the former means rebuilding your own arguments after they’ve been attacked by the other side. Trial lawyers have a practical
Rebuttal: End With Your “Untouchables” Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: As any watcher of the Marvel movies knows, origin stories are important. You can’t fully understand The Wolverine until you know how he came to be sporting those retractable adamantium claws. Trial consulting also has an origin story, coming from cases in the early to mid-seventies, when academics provided their expertise on
Balance the Trial Consulting Scales Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: In all the years I’ve been working with witnesses, I have yet to meet the perfect one. I’ve met some darned good ones, but everyone has a weakness. The question is whether they will let those weaknesses degrade their performance on the stand. Practically speaking, there are some weaknesses that
Help Your Witness See the Silver Lining Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Juror C: Okay, we’ve answered question four, so let’s move on to five. Juror A: No, it says that if we answered “No” to four, then we skip to seven… Juror D: …I totally know the answer to six, it is “Yes!” Juror A: Wait, wait, we should not even
Consider a Flowchart Verdict Form Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Some great practical ideas for persuasion come from the field of marketing. To be sure, not all apply in legal settings, but marketing offers a laboratory where the practical aspects of human influence can be addressed in a situation that often carries high stakes and measurable results. I recently came
Use the ‘Persuasion Slide’ Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Give me the bite-sized version, break it down into pieces, and tell it to me step-by-step. The brain loves to segment, and the process known as “chunking” seems to be a central part of how we recognize patterns, manage information, and form new insights. A recent perspective on the process
Chunk Your Trial Message Read More »