What’s the story? That’s the question that a detective asks upon arriving at a crime scene, the question a doctor asks the patient in the emergency room, and the question a teacher asks when two fighting students are separated. For this article, it’s the question jurors and judges ask. What’s the story?
Story is the most powerful form of persuasion—as confirmed by every trial advocacy course and book on the art and practice of persuasion. Lawyers are not trained to think like storytellers. Lawyers are trained to think, write, and speak in a logical and orderly manner—which doesn’t make for great storytelling. Lawyers also become mired in the detail of a complex case and lose the ability to tell a compelling and cogent story. But the audience wants to know to know “the story” because audiences love a good story—especially if told by a storyteller who is prepared, engaged, and passionate about telling it. This article discusses five basic storytelling principles to help you tell the story of your complex case.
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