Is It Possible to Accurately Read a Juror's Body Language? PART 2

Last week we discussed the first thing you can read: permission.

Today let's look at the second thing you can read: what mode jurors are in.

Every single communication situation tends to fall into one of two buckets: Issue & Relationship.

You're either tending to the relationship or dealing with an issue when conversing with someone.

Likewise, people tend to be in issue or relationship mode, depending on the circumstance. You can read this nonverbally.

Issue-oriented communication looks like this:

• Juror sits upright, head is straight, not tilted or bobbing
• Juror gestures with palms down
• Juror's voice curls down at the ends of statements

Relationship-oriented communication looks like this:

• Juror leans forward, head is tilted or bobbing
• Juror gestures with palms up
• Juror's voice curls up at the ends of statements

We like the relationship-oriented jurors, don't we? They smile and nod and make us feel good. But the issue-oriented jurors are scary, aren't they? They stare and cross their arms and make us feel bad.

Stop making up stories.

Issue-oriented jurors are interested in logistics. "What's this about? Is it worth my time?" It doesn't mean they disagree with you.

Relationship-oriented jurors are simply being polite by nodding and smiling. It doesn't mean they agree with you.

Here is what this body language actually means:

Issue-oriented jurors are motivated by facts, evidence and logic.

Relationship oriented jurors are motivated by emotion, stories and the human element.

This means that if you have a primarily relationship-oriented jury, you need to use more relationship-oriented body language and tell more stories and use more emotion.

Conversely, if you have a primarily issue-oriented jury, use more issue-oriented body language and focus on facts and logic.

Stop trying to memorize hundreds of nonverbal cues and just focus on reading permission and what mode your jurors are in. This will allow you to focus on the job at hand instead of being distracted by irrelevant details.