title

THINKING OUTSIDE THE

JURY BOX

(A SEMINAR IN STORYTELLING SKILLS FOR LITIGATORS)

DAY 1 SCHEDULE – THE STORYTELLING SEMINAR

Pre-Class Homework: Opening Statements

One week prior to this seminar, please distribute to all attendees the closing statements found in Sex, Coke and Videotape and Death by Plutonium from the book, Ladies and Gentleman of the Jury. Also, please distribute a few sample opening statements from your files. It will be expected that all attendees have familiarized themselves with these openings and closing statements and that they have thought about the stories told in them.

9:00 – 9:30 – How Do Juries Construct Reality and as a Result, How To Construct Stories that Will Persuade Them? –

Many litigators try to present their cases in the form of a timeline and fail to set their cases within the context of a story. This is problematic since studies have shown that the single most natural and common method for juries to understand evidence and transfer that understanding to each other is through stories. In deliberation, juries weigh the stories told by the plaintiff’s legal team and the defendant’s legal team and agree upon which story is more acceptable; that story is then concluded to be THE TRUE STORY and a verdict is reached. Thus, Prof. Krevolin will begin this seminar by focusing on how to adapt familiar "life experience" stories to the facts of any case at hand.

9:30 – 10:30 - Why We Learn What We Learn: The Physiological and Psychological Basis of Storytelling

Exploring the latest discoveries in scientific research on brain chemistry and psychology, Prof. Krevolin will trace how we, as human beings, physiologically respond to and are moved by story. Then, once the audience has a deep understanding of unconscious human responses to story, Prof. Krevolin will convey how litigators can use these autonomic responses to ally themselves with their juries and generate an emotive response. In essence, Prof. Krevolin will provide information on the psychological underpinnings of why story really does persuade and influence.

10:30 - 11:00 – Understanding the Social and Cultural Importance of Story as a Way to Code the Information Necessary to Persuade A Jury.

Evidence presented without being placed in the context of a compelling narrative will not stay with a jury. Stories are the way we communicate with each other and they stay with us to a much greater degree than do facts and statistics. Prof. Krevolin will explore how stories were used in ancient cultures and how Aristotle analyzed stories. He will look at how we, as creatures, have used stories over the past two thousand years and how we still use stories today.

11:00 - 11:15 – BREAK

11:15 - 12:15 – Film School 101 – Everything They Teach at Film School in 60 minutes

Prof. Krevolin will demonstrate THE GOLDEN RULES OF STORYTELLING. The basics: Conflict, Establishing a sympathetic character who wants something badly, Three -Act Structure (beginning, middle, end), Inciting Incident, Active Pursuit, Legitimate Manipulation of audience response, Cause and Effect, Overcoming Obstacles, THE SILVER RULE -- show don't tell, Tension, Exposition, Theme, Genres, Characterization, Character Arc, Raising Stakes, Planting (foreshadowing) and Pay-off, Involvement. (All illustrated with video examples.)

12:15 - 1:00 – Professor K.’s Big Seven Questions – Classic Principles of Persuasion and Engagement That Every Storyteller Must Master

Storytelling is not arbitrary. It is based upon rules, certain time-tested principles that apply to all types of stories. Just look at any hit TV show, classic novel, great stageplay and/or blockbuster film. In all of these genres, the story that is being told may be vastly different, but the underlying principles behind that story are all the same. Over the past twenty years, Prof. Krevolin has studied and developed these precepts into something called Prof. K.’s Big Seven. The Big Seven will then be explained, explored and video examples provided.

1:00 - 2:00 – LUNCH – Yummo!

2:00 – 2:30 – The Types of Stories Used in the Courtroom and How To Tell Them So They Aren’t Boring.

There are six types of stories that lawyers can use in the courtroom. Prof. Krevolin will do an in-depth exploration of these story types, when to use them and how audiences/juries respond to them. With an understanding of these story types, a more effective and persuasive presentation can be developed for clients, judges and juries.

2:30 – 3:00 – Storytelling for Juries Raised in the TV Age –

Most juries get their basic understanding of the law through TV; they learn visually and mostly through sound bites. Thus, it is worth exploring how litigators must alter their presentations to cater to TV age juries. This part of the course will explore the conscious and unconscious ways in which our visually-based culture has impacted learning and knowledge transference that engages both the analytical brain and the emotional brain.

3:00 – 3:30 – CHOICE and Character Development: How to Develop and Understand Complex Three Dimensional Characters

Characters are determined by the choices they make. We will do an in-depth study of character choices and how they can be altered and affected. Prof. Krevolin will also look at how characters are constructed in stories. What is their arc and what are their three P.’s – Professional, Psychological and Personal lives. Then, Prof. Krevolin will illustrate how storytellers can use these tools to create more sympathetic characters.

3:30 – 4:00 – Professor K.’s 5 Step Story Process – A Master Method to Map Out the Course of the Story You are Going To Tell In Court

Good storytellers are not born, they are made. Anyone can learn the basic precepts. And all stories need to be worked, reworked and constantly revamped until they shine like a precious stone. Over the past twenty years, Prof. Krevolin has studied and developed a series of storytelling precepts that he calls Prof. K.’s Five Step Process.

Step 1 – FIND A WORD THAT EMBODIES YOUR STORY

Step 2 – FIND AN IMAGE

Ste p 3 -- THE SINGLE SENTENCE

Step 4 – ANSWER THE BIG SEVEN QUESTIONS THAT ALL STORYTELLERS MUST ASK THEMSELVES…

Step 5 – FILL IN THE SCENE-O-GRAM REPRESENTING ACT 1, 2 & 3.

As a result of engaging in this process, a litigator will be able to locate unifying and recurring themes, motifs and story elements that will transcend a long-drawn out court battle and stay with juries. With these elements in place and the creation of himself and his client as a sympathetic character, litigators ought to be able to produce a story that compels emotion and commitment to the desired result.

4:00 – 4:30 – Aristotle’s Three-Act Structure In Action in the Courtroom.

Many lawyers look only at the plaintiff's situation as the story and forget the larger context of the lawsuit in which it occurs and its role in the story. They ignore the need for/role of "scenes" in the telling of the overall story. Thus, it necessary to set the story of a case in a larger context. Prof. Krevolin will lead the class in an interactive exercise wherein he does this.

4:30 - 5:30 – Interactive storytelling: Applying storytelling to opening and closing statements

Prof. Krevolin will lead the group in an in-depth story analysis of the opening and closing statements that were distributed to all beforehand. Attendees will be expected to discuss potential ways to revise these openings and closings by incorporating their newly acquired storytelling knowledge and in doing so, create openings and closings with greater impact. This will mark the end of the lecture format and this part of the class will be much more of an open forum.

DAY 2 SCHEDULE – A MORE INTIMATE WORKSHOP

Pre-Class Homework: Opening Statements.

Attendees for this intimate workshop are expected to bring in an opening statement that they are not happy with and want to improve. In addition, this class should be limited to no more than 10 people who are willing to sit around a single table and work closely with the group on their story.

9:00 – 9:30 – Using Professor K.’s 5 Step Story Process – Mapping out the Story To Be Told In an Upcoming Trial

Participants will hear a mini-recapitulation lecture of storytelling basics and then gear up to apply this five step process to an upcoming case… (or to one of the cases discussed the day before). They will be forced to label things such as theme, recurring images, inciting incident and their story’s structure.

Step 1 – FIND A WORD THAT EMBODIES YOUR STORY

Step 2 – FIND AN IMAGE

Step 3 – THE SINGLE SENTENCE

Step 4 – ANSWER THE BIG SEVEN QUESTIONS THAT ALL STORYTELLERS MUST ASK THEMSELVES…

Step 5 – FILL IN THE SCENE-O-GRAM REPRESENTING ACT 1, 2 & 3.

9:30 - 10:00 – EXERCISE ASSIGNMENT: Time to get to work!

Participants will work together or individually on a specific case, mapping out the stories that they are developing and fulfill all five steps of the process. They will consider how to launch their stories and what is the central action?

10:00 – 12:30 – Presentation of ASSIGNMENT #1.

Attendees will then present their responses to the five-step process to the group and each will be discussed in detail.

12:30 - 1:00 – Story-based Opening Statements & EXERCISE ASSIGNMENT #2:

Prof. Krevolin will then talk about applying these storytelling elements to opening statements. He will emphasize the key elements and then assign exercise #2 to all attendees.

1:00 - 2:00 – A WORKING LUNCH – Educational and Nutritious!

2:00 - 5:00 – Presentation of New & Improved Story-Driven Opening Statements

Each attendee will stand in front of the entire group and talk about how they have changed their opening statements, reading story-driven excerpts that they believe are now much more effective. These will be discussed and further altered according to the class response…

5:00 - 6:00 – COCKTAIL HOUR – Eat, drink and be merry!