Comments on: Adding Impact to Opening Statements http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/opening-statement/pause/ Trial lawyers, discover how to persuade jurors and win your next jury trial. You will learn valuable tips for improving your jury selection, opening statement, direct examination, cross-examination, and closing arguments. Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:54:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Winning Trial Advocacy Techniqueshttp://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/wp-content/themes/dailyedition/dailyedition/images/rss-image.jpghttp://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress144144Learn how to persuade jurors and win jury trials with these proven trial advocacy tips. By: Someone http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/opening-statement/pause/comment-page-1/#comment-6893 Someone Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:18:34 +0000 http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/?p=132#comment-6893 Great article. I think people always forget but they shouldn't. It is good to remind them. For my, I will try during my next trial. I hope it'll work... Great article. I think people always forget but they shouldn’t. It is good to remind them. For my, I will try during my next trial. I hope it’ll work…

]]> By: Ronald L. Burdge http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/opening-statement/pause/comment-page-1/#comment-5616 Ronald L. Burdge Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:20:13 +0000 http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/?p=132#comment-5616 Great points. Many trial attorneys forget the critical importance of the opening and that when you start your opening, the theater has begun. The jury is watching and listening to everything. The attitude and air of confidence you display is critical, and so are the very crucial pauses. A pause is like a well placed period in a conversation. You are placing your emphasis where you, as the attorney want it to be. You can choicefully place it or clumsily ignore it. A jury expects you to be at your best and they expect to see the best. The confidence they place in the trial attorney at the outset (or the lack of it) immediately transfers to the attorney's client. Placing the pause where you want it is your subtle way of placing the emphasis where you want it. It can mean the difference between a bland opening statement and, you are so right, an opening statement that is nothing short of brilliant opening argument in the guise of a statement. After 30 years of trials I can tell you that Trial Attorneys, especially younger ones, would do well to learn the lesson you teach here. Great points. Many trial attorneys forget the critical importance of the opening and that when you start your opening, the theater has begun. The jury is watching and listening to everything. The attitude and air of confidence you display is critical, and so are the very crucial pauses. A pause is like a well placed period in a conversation. You are placing your emphasis where you, as the attorney want it to be. You can choicefully place it or clumsily ignore it. A jury expects you to be at your best and they expect to see the best. The confidence they place in the trial attorney at the outset (or the lack of it) immediately transfers to the attorney’s client. Placing the pause where you want it is your subtle way of placing the emphasis where you want it. It can mean the difference between a bland opening statement and, you are so right, an opening statement that is nothing short of brilliant opening argument in the guise of a statement. After 30 years of trials I can tell you that Trial Attorneys, especially younger ones, would do well to learn the lesson you teach here.

]]> By: Christina http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/opening-statement/pause/comment-page-1/#comment-5085 Christina Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:28:47 +0000 http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/?p=132#comment-5085 Great information, as always. For civilians acting IPP, do you have articles for outlining an opening statement ? (I am a mother of a minor girl who was assaulted by a man and I have pursued a civil case against him, we are awaiting our trial date.) Great information, as always. For civilians acting IPP, do you have articles for outlining an opening statement ? (I am a mother of a minor girl who was assaulted by a man and I have pursued a civil case against him, we are awaiting our trial date.)

]]> By: Joe Dane http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/opening-statement/pause/comment-page-1/#comment-5047 Joe Dane Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:23:27 +0000 http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/?p=132#comment-5047 As a prosecutor in a murder case, I took silence as far as I could. The defendant was accused of strangling the victim to death with an electrical cord. The medical examiner opined that it would have taken at least 4 - 5 minutes of strangulation to cause death. In my closing argument, I had a life-sized dummy seated before the jury. As I argued to the jury, I stood behind the dummy and pantomimed the strangulation. I stood silent for 4 minutes. Guilty. The jurors remembered and remarked on it to me after. As a prosecutor in a murder case, I took silence as far as I could. The defendant was accused of strangling the victim to death with an electrical cord. The medical examiner opined that it would have taken at least 4 – 5 minutes of strangulation to cause death. In my closing argument, I had a life-sized dummy seated before the jury. As I argued to the jury, I stood behind the dummy and pantomimed the strangulation. I stood silent for 4 minutes. Guilty. The jurors remembered and remarked on it to me after.

]]> By: Dan http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/opening-statement/pause/comment-page-1/#comment-4819 Dan Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:13:33 +0000 http://www.trialtheater.com/wordpress/?p=132#comment-4819 Great article. That silence always seems to last a whole minute and feels awkward. Have you written on the issue of grabbing jurors attention in opening and keeping it? Thanks Great article. That silence always seems to last a whole minute and feels awkward. Have you written on the issue of grabbing jurors attention in opening and keeping it?

Thanks

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