Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | T | Trial

Tap into the power of a PowerPoint storyboard: want to produce evidence that captivates jurors, makes complicated ideas easy for them to understand, and seamlessly complements your case themes and verbal delivery? Turn on your computer and open your PowerPoint program.

Article Excerpt
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in the nation s first Vioxx trial last year, (1) 253 pictures were worth much more than that. They told a simple and clear story that helped persuade jurors to award substantial damages to the plaintiff. And although the news media called the multimedia presentation "frighteningly powerful" (2) and "carefully scripted," (3) it was produced with common software tools you probably already have.

These days, it is common to see evidence displayed in courtrooms on TVs, projectors, or computer screens. Yet many seasoned attorneys are reluctant to fully integrate these new evidentiary tools into their trial strategy. Some have voiced justifiable concern that using presentation technology the wrong way might create a "show" out of a trial, distracting jurors from the message. Others may have tried using the tools, but have not yet found away to seamlessly integrate them with their verbal delivery.

On the other hand, not using presentation technology poses its own risks, including being perceived by media-savvy jurors as old-fashioned and outdated. And, of course, there's the risk of being upstaged by other attorneys using the projected media in the courtroom more effectively than you do.

The solution? Guide jurors on the path of persuasion in your next trial by creating a PowerPoint storyboard. (4) This innovative presentation technique--which is much more compelling than a conventional presentation created with Microsoft Office PowerPoint software--will help jurors see the big picture, make complicated ideas easier for them to understand, and keep their attention through the long haul.

By now, you've probably seen your share of conventional PowerPoint presentations and even may have produced a few of your own. To create one, you normally begin by opening a pre-designed template, then type lines of text and add graphics to each "slide." Then you repeat the process using the same template for the rest of the presentation. The result is a series of slides--presented as a traditional 35mm slide show--that look similar in style but are rarely linked by a story. The business community has learned the hard way that this approach often produces information-heavy presentations that are guaranteed to bore an audience. (5)

By contrast, a PowerPoint storyboard displays a varying sequence of visual "frames" that are tightly linked to one another like a filmstrip. Every visual element is designed on top of a clear, organized, and persuasive story structure and seamlessly complements the attorney's verbal delivery. The technique keeps simple graphics flowing across a screen in a way that helps jurors remember information and apply it to decision-making.

The big picture

In a world that is increasingly media-saturated, visuals speak a language...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!