The 3 Levels Of Voir Dire
TRANSCRIPTION
Sari de la Motte here, the Attorney Whisperer. I specialize in helping you communicate with jurors. In today's video, we're going to talk about the three levels of voir dire and why it's important that you master each level in order. There are three components to any message. First, there's the content: what you're trying to get across. Then there's the delivery: how you get it across. Finally, there's the reception: is your message being received or conversely, how is it being received?
In voir dire, we have three levels that correspond to those three components. The first level is the content level. I call this the basic level. This is where we're trying to get as much information from the jurors as possible. Therefore, we need to design very specific questions so we elicit as much information as possible. The second level is the delivery level, or pro level. This is where we're trying to communicate to the jurors that we are an accurate, credible source of information.
The top level is what we call the expert level. This is the reception piece. This is where we focus on the jurors themselves. How are they responding to us? How are they responding to each other? How can we form the group so that they feel safe and empowered?
Now here's what's important to remember: You have to master each level in order. It does you very little good to form your group, for example, if you're not asking meaningful questions that gets information from the jurors. But if you're forming the group and you're not viewed as a credible leader, that also doesn't do you very much good.
You've got to start at the bottom. Start by mastering the basic level, which is excellent questions that get good information so that we know as much about our potential jurors as possible. Once you've got that mastered, then move to the delivery portion. Tinker with your non-verbals. Start to be aware of how you come across nonverbally and adapt so that you can communicate your leadership and your authority. Once you've got that mastered, then you can move to the expert level, which is where you start to form your group and get them working with each other and with you. I've seen way too many voir dires that have a really slick delivery or there's a big focus on forming the group, but no meaningful information was gathered. Remember, the primary purpose of voir dire is to get information. Until and unless we do that, everything else is meaningless.
If you have more questions about voir dire or you want to talk to me about a specific case, go to our website, www.attorneywhisperer.com, and on our homepage you can schedule a complimentary 30 minute strategy session with me. We'll talk about your case and I can answer some questions. We can explore whether it makes sense for us to work together. Until we meet again, I invite you to be bold, be real, and be a communication rockstar.
In voir dire, we have three levels that correspond to those three components. The first level is the content level. I call this the basic level. This is where we're trying to get as much information from the jurors as possible. Therefore, we need to design very specific questions so we elicit as much information as possible. The second level is the delivery level, or pro level. This is where we're trying to communicate to the jurors that we are an accurate, credible source of information.
The top level is what we call the expert level. This is the reception piece. This is where we focus on the jurors themselves. How are they responding to us? How are they responding to each other? How can we form the group so that they feel safe and empowered?
Now here's what's important to remember: You have to master each level in order. It does you very little good to form your group, for example, if you're not asking meaningful questions that gets information from the jurors. But if you're forming the group and you're not viewed as a credible leader, that also doesn't do you very much good.
You've got to start at the bottom. Start by mastering the basic level, which is excellent questions that get good information so that we know as much about our potential jurors as possible. Once you've got that mastered, then move to the delivery portion. Tinker with your non-verbals. Start to be aware of how you come across nonverbally and adapt so that you can communicate your leadership and your authority. Once you've got that mastered, then you can move to the expert level, which is where you start to form your group and get them working with each other and with you. I've seen way too many voir dires that have a really slick delivery or there's a big focus on forming the group, but no meaningful information was gathered. Remember, the primary purpose of voir dire is to get information. Until and unless we do that, everything else is meaningless.
If you have more questions about voir dire or you want to talk to me about a specific case, go to our website, www.attorneywhisperer.com, and on our homepage you can schedule a complimentary 30 minute strategy session with me. We'll talk about your case and I can answer some questions. We can explore whether it makes sense for us to work together. Until we meet again, I invite you to be bold, be real, and be a communication rockstar.