OPENINGS & CLOSINGS
Start Strong and End Stronger Still
Gifted public speakers all know: It's how you start and end your presentation that matters most. Why? Because your audience judges you first by their "first impression" of you, then accepts (or rejects) your final argument based on how your words have made them feel.
Yet many litigators ignore these truths and waste precious minutes in Opening and Closing repeating useless bromides that add nothing to their arguments and even less to their case. They don't realize that every word they utter either moves them closer to, or farther away from, the verdict they want. And they ignore the fact that their time "at bat" is so limited that they must "go for the fences" on every swing.
Our goal: To help you optimize your time at bat.
When every word counts, what you take out of your presentation can be just as important as what you put in. And the key to winning is knowing which to do when.
If you're a trial lawyer hoping to craft a powerful Opening and a killer Closing, making these in-or-out choices isn't a trivial task. It can be a life-changing one for your client and a career-changing one for you. So, what should you say in Opening to immediately make jurors "buy in" to your client's point of view? And what can you say in Closing that will compel jurors to find in your client's favor?
Our professional storytellers can help you figure it out. Why? Because the pros have already figured it out. They know exactly what to put in to grab an audience's attention, influence their mindset, and manage their expectations. And they know exactly what to cut out to keep your jury paying close attention all the way to the end. Most importantly, the pros know how to make jurors care who wins in the end. And with our help, so will you.
We'll show you techniques the pros use to...
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Deliver a "logline"
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Introduce the "inciting incident"
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"Save the cat"
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Use "pinch points" in your "Second Act"
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Make the audience identify with your client
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Motivate jurors to fight for him or her at verdict time
In other words, we'll show you how to grab your jury by the lapels in Opening, keep them enthralled during Case-in-Chief, make them empathise with your client, and turn them into allies by the time you've finished your Close.
You'll still comply with every rule of evidence and every rule of courtroom etiquette in the process. But this time, you'll be using tried-and-true storytelling techniques that will ensure your presentation truly lands with your audience, regardless of whether your audience is in the jury box or on the bench.
For a trial lawyer, becoming a master storyteller can truly be a game changer. It can improve your courtroom presentations, boost your win ratio, and elevate your career to a whole new level.
So why settle for merely presenting a fact pattern or for plodding through a boring timeline when you could use the very techniques that win Oscars or the Pulitzer Prize? Doing so isn't rocket science. It's merely a matter of employng simple tools that legions of storytellers before you have pressure-tested and know will work.
Ready to up your game?
