7 Essential Tips for Effective Witness Coaching in High-Stakes Trials
Navigating the legal world can be daunting, especially when high-stakes trials are involved. Witness coaching plays a pivotal role in ensuring that testimonies are delivered with clarity and confidence. In this article, Persuadius shares seven essential tips to effectively coach witnesses, helping them deliver their best in the courtroom. Understanding the Role of a Witness in High-Stakes Trials Witnesses serve as vital links in presenting the facts during a trial. Their testimonies can significantly impact the direction and outcome of a case. Understanding their role helps tailor the coaching process to meet the demands of high-stakes situations. The American Bar
Trial Lawyers: George Washington’s 110 Rules of Civility Translated for the Courtroom
As the mattress sales wrap up from Presidents' Day, I thought it might be valuable to pause and reflect on this little-known gift from the first president. Apparently, in his youth, Washington was assigned a penmanship exercise of copying the rules of civility as drafted by others before him, and perhaps he editorialized in that process. Everyone likes to think that a 16-year-old Washington wrote these rules, but I think it is more likely that they were associated with Jesuits hundreds of years earlier. I've always felt a special connection to George Washington, having grown up on property that was
Overcoming The Split-Attention Effect, A Litigation Graphics Consultant’s Daily Challenge
Mastering courtroom presentations involves more than just knowing the law; it requires understanding how to engage your audience without overwhelming them. I've talked about the redundancy effect/ split attention effect many times, including earlier this month. See 5 Alternatives to Persuasion Killing Bullet Points From Our Litigation Consultants. I think this may be the most common trial presentation mistake I see from even the very best trial attorneys. Understanding the Split-Attention Effect in Courtroom Presentations The split-attention effect occurs when an individual's focus is divided between multiple sources of information, leading to cognitive overload and decreased comprehension. This phenomenon is
5 Alternatives to Persuasion Killing Bullet Points From Our Litigation Consultants
Bullet points undermine persuasion. Scientific evidence supports this, and my colleagues and I have consistently emphasized this over the past 15 years in this blog through articles such as: 12 Reasons Bullet Points Are Bad (in Trial Graphics or Anywhere) The 12 Worst PowerPoint Mistakes Litigators Make Don't Use PowerPoint as a Crutch in Trial or Anywhere Why Reading Your Litigation PowerPoint Slides Hurts Jurors 5 Ways to Maximize Persuasion During Opening Statements - Part 4 12 Ways to SUCCESSFULLY Combine Oral and Visual Presentations Powerful PowerPoint Presentation Tips: Ditch the Bullet Points! Still Think Persuasion is About Talking While