Our 15th Year – Where the Magic Happens
Listen to this blog post:
I remember a particular moment in a war room during a predictably chaotic leadup to a long ago civil trial when the lead trial attorney pulled out a pencil and paper to start from scratch. In an attempt to finalize his opening presentation after months of preparation, this simple act touches on a process that often gets to the heart of the matter in unpredictable but highly effective ways. Multiple mock jury research exercises had already taken place and rehearsals were at that point daily. The judge, dealing with the sudden settlement agreements of four of the original five corporate defendants went on record to say that his rulings regarding the demonstratives would be “wantonly random” because he was appalled at the volume of charts exchanged despite only one defendant left standing.
The attorney’s new sketch put into motion a refined approach to teaching a complicated series of financial events. Putting pen to paper not only led to the solution that was actually used by the team to open the trial, but it also clarified and complemented the attorney’s style. He had a unique habit of rehearsing that often included complete run-through sessions without stopping.
Perfecting his visuals made for the best use of those sessions. Six weeks later, the trial ended in mistrial, setting off seven years of motions and arguments and more jury research. Then, with the team and client group essentially intact, we all headed back to trial. The magic happened again. The complete defense verdict was an example of many things, but from my perspective especially magical, was the power of focusing on the visuals to the benefit of the client’s story and how it contributed to our client’s persuasive message and ultimate success.
Of course, the quality of execution matters, but the resulting animated graphics do not necessarily represent the successful solution, but rather the process itself as the product. The willingness to use a pencil and paper to get at the heart of a communications challenge is a great first step in constructing an argument. The inevitable refinement often serves to perfect a presentation, especially in legal settings.
“Where the magic happens” is a fun phrase, but in reality it is good process that yields good product, not magic.
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