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 […]
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: In legal settings, the emphasis is often on the positive act of giving arguments and evidence for a given outcome: Share the proof and the reasons to believe, and let those appeals work their magic on your audience. But there is also a flip side to that. Persuasion can also
Reduce Resistance, Tell Stories Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: We know that movie viewers love a plot twist. A surprising turn of events can make a movie memorable, and in films like “The Usual Suspects,” or “The Sixth Sense,” your understanding and perspective on a story can suddenly shift faster than you can say, “Luke, I’m your father.” In
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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: We have all used them. It might be a repeated word or phrase like, “I would say,” “it seems to me that,” or “like.” It might be a repeated sound like “uh,” “um,” “ah,” or “er.” Not all of the speech is content; some of it is filler which, for
Perfect Your Public Speaking: Six Ways to Reduce Your “Crutch Sounds” Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: All the way back to my days as a public speaking professor and debate coach, I stressed the practical importance of a transition. The goal, I emphasized, is not just the formal nicety of appearing organized, but is rather to directly create attention, retention, and comprehension for your audience. An
Transition With Meaning: Nine Ways to Avoid “My Next Point Is…” Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: This past week, the U.S. Senate impeachment trial started in earnest, and the House Managers began laying out the arguments underlying the two Articles of Impeachment. While opinions are divided on the quality of the presentations as much as they’re decided on the substance of the charges, one clear star
“Let That Sink In:” Learn from Adam Schiff’s Rhetorical Pause Techniques Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: There is one habit of attorneys that promotes precision in analytical thinking, but often interferes with the ability to clearly communicate with the audience. That habit is the tendency to divide points into sub-points, and to further divide those sub-points into sub-sub-points, and so on. For example, in the world
Don’t Ask Your Audience to Follow Substructure: Five Reasons Flat Structure Is Better Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: The law allows counsel on the other side to deliver their opening statement first, so they get the early opportunity to tell you their story. But, there are two sides to every story. And, despite all you have heard, I encourage you to keep an open mind… That is a
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: One time when I was working with an attorney getting ready for trial, I was there when the attorney learned that they would be able to give “mini-openings” prior to voir dire. But by “mini,” the court really meant “mini” — three to five minutes per side. The attorney’s reaction
Say It in Three Minutes Read More »
By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Americans finally got to see the redacted report from Independent Counsel Robert Mueller last week. The report on Trump campaign issues relating to Russian election interference raised questions in a great variety of categories, one of those categories being the accuracy of Robert Barr’s summary of that report to Congress
Summarize With Care Read More »