by Ryan Flax, Esq.
Managing Director, Litigation Consulting
A2L consulting
Storytelling, in fact, serves the biological function of encouraging pro-social behavior. Effective stories reinforce the concepts that if we are honest and play by the right rules, we reap the rewards of the protagonist, and that if we break the rules, we earn the punishment accorded the bad guy. Stories are evolutionary innovations: They help humans remember socially important things and use that information in their lives.
To impact an audience such as a jury, a story must do three things: (1) emotionally transport the audience by moving them and having them get “lost” in it; (2) include characters facing problems and trying to overcome them, but not engaging in mere meaningless problem solving; and (3) communicate some message or moral, meaning some set of values or ideas. Otherwise, the story will seem “empty” and not important enough to pay attention to.
There are several guidelines to help you turn your evidence into a story worth telling. The essential elements you need to provide are:
- Theme(s) of your case
- Compelling characters (good/bad)
- Motive
- Conflict/Resolution
- Messages/Consequences
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