Give and Take: a revolutionary Approach to Success pdfdrive com

pratfall effect
. Spilling a cup of coffee hurt the
image of the average candidate: it was just another reason for the audience to
dislike him. But the same blunder helped the expert appear human and
approachable—instead of superior and distant.
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This explains why Dave
Walton’s stuttering made a positive impression on the jury. The fact that Dave
was willing to make himself vulnerable, putting his stutter out for the world to
see, earned their respect and admiration. The jurors liked and trusted him, and
they listened carefully to him. This set the stage for Dave to convince them with
the substance of his arguments.
Establishing vulnerability is especially important for a lawyer like Dave
Walton. Dave has a giver tendency: he spends a great deal of time mentoring
junior associates, and he fights passionately for justice on behalf of his clients.
But these aren’t the first attributes that a jury sees: his appearance doesn’t
exactly ooze warmth. “I’m a big guy with a military look,” Dave explains,
and I have an intense streak. In the trade secrets trial, I wouldn’t
say stuttering is why I won, but it helped my credibility: it made
me a real person. It gave them an insight into my character that
they liked. It humanized me: this is a guy we can pull for. It
made me seem less polished, and more credible as an advocate.
People think you have to be this polished, perfect person.

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Actually, you don’t want a lawyer who is too slick. Good trial
lawyers aim to be an expert and a regular guy at the same time.
When Dave Walton stands in front of a jury in spite of his stutter, they can
see that he cares deeply about his clients—he believes in them enough that he’s
willing to expose his own vulnerability to support them. This sends a powerful
message to his audience that helps win them over by increasing his prestige and
softening the dominance in his natural appearance.

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