A Better Cross
Course Summary
Almost every lawyer has heard that trials are about storytelling. Many lawyers who don’t know how to tell effective stories still parrot that longstanding truth. But few lawyers know how to tell effective stories in cross examination. We will teach you how.
Telling effective stories in cross examination is critical, because your audience can only process and remember facts that they can put in a narrative. It’s how humans think. And we can only motivate people by tapping into their emotions as well as their logic. Storytelling is the key to tapping into emotion.
We will show you how to plan a cross examination so your blueprint is sound and designed to tell effective stories. We will show you how storytelling concepts allow your good facts to really pop in front of a jury, and how storytelling makes those facts memorable and persuasive in a way they never will be outside the narrative context.
Take it from a longtime trial judge who, after watching Chris Arledge’s cross examinations in a long, important trial, said that his cross examinations were “as good as anything I’ve ever seen. Your ability to keep control of the witness while also telling a story was something I don’t think I’ve seen anybody else do. If I were still practicing, I would go to one of your classes or read your book.” It may be too late for that judge. It’s not too late for you. Join us and revolutionize your ability to cross examine.
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Program Components
In one day, we teach participants the keys to understanding and planning for a successful cross examination. During this program, we discuss:
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Why Most Cross-Examinations Fail
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The Principles of Witness Control
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The Jigsaw-Puzzle Method for Building a Cross
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The Components of a Successful Cross
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Why Storytelling is Essential to Cross
Why Narrative Edge? Let us Persuade You
Exceedingly Efficient
For attorneys, whether it’s a deposition, opening statement, closing argument, or cross examination, engagement matters – and the tools to make that happen vary widely from one case, one witness, to the next. What doesn’t change is how vital it is to connect deeply with every audience all the time. The Narrative Edge teaches the techniques to ensure that happens. Facts and figures can be transactional, forgettable; a good story is strategic and memorable.
Gratifying Results
Our faculty members, following the example set by our founding director, are routinely lauded by judges and even opposing counsel for their abilities to distill even the most complex cases into compelling and embraceable narratives. “One of the best closing arguments I’ve seen in 40 years,” said one now-retired federal court judge. “Your ability to keep control of the witness while also telling a story was something I don’t think I’ve seen anybody else do,” said a Superior Court judge. The testimonials are as significant as they are validating of the Narrative Edge approach.
Collaborative
These techniques are as effective in the court room as they are in the board room. Persuasion isn’t merely about changing minds; it can be about sealing deals, making sales, recruiting talent, addressing regulatory issues and oversight, elevating brands, adjusting narratives and establishing thought leadership. We teach the art, tactics and strategy of effective storytelling blended with trial-lawyering techniques to create a holistic, integrated methodology of persuasion and advocacy.
The Process
Participants will engage in exercises designed to teach proper structure and control. They will learn the theory of effective cross examination. They will practice cross examination in a real-world setting and get immediate feedback.
Who Will Benefit?
The program is intended for lawyers of all experience levels.
Lawyers with no trial experience will be trained on all major trial tasks. Experienced lawyers will learn higher-level skills to help take their advocacy from good to great.
The course director, Chris Arledge, has taught trial advocacy around the country and around the world. He is the author of the book To Prove, To Please, To Move: Timeless Principles of Legal Advocacy and has been on the faculty for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, the Advanced Advocacy program in Dublin, Ireland and the Advanced International Advocacy Course at Oxford University to barristers with more than 25 years’ experience.