Monday, May 2, 2016

Connect to Jurors With the Specificity of “Who”



You must connect with jurors if they are to find you convincing and persuasive. One of the prime often most neglected ways to connect effectively with jurors is to get them up to speed with the “Who” in the case early on. Jurors feel disconnected when they can’t readily figure out who’s doing what to whom and why that should matter.

Use organizational charts and other visuals that vividly illustrate the flow of communication or authority from one party to the other. Symbolize the relevance of each party to the case by using icons or other graphic devices. Remind jurors of those relationships from time to time as your case proceeds (i.e., "Is it your testimony that Mr. Smith, Ann Jones's boss, went on to say…”).

Be sure to use full names of persons, entities or objects throughout the case. As repetitious it may seem, complete references are vital. Use of pronouns or abbreviated references to important entities or objects is confusing to jurors. Jurors often have trouble just keeping track of who did what to whom. They will be totally lost if they must also concentrate on which "he," "she," or "it" the lawyer is now referring to. Certainly, well-known abbreviations are acceptable, but generally speaking, abbreviations used too often only serve to confuse jurors, and a confused juror is an unsympathetic, disconnected juror.

This you cannot afford, if you are to win your case.