Sonya Hamlin, nationally recognized jury communications expert and author and pioneer in the field of courtroom communication, revisits the whole trial process for the third time and tells you what’s changed in your jurors and what you now need to make your advocacy and persuasion work. Using examples, illustrations and ”how-to's” throughout, Sonya analyzes every part of the trial, helping you understand today’s major issues.

What’s the Book About
Sonya introduces you to today’s new era of communication: what’s persuasive, compelling, attention-getting and credible now. She takes you through the major changes in your jurors’ ability to listen, understand and even believe you as you present your case to them. Here are the three major obstacles you need to overcome and handle today as you try to get and keep your jury with you:

• Orally presenting your case to technology-addicted jurors with a 1 ½ minute attention span, who Google for instant information at will
• Understanding and bridging the gaps between the generations’ belief systems, ideals, experiences, standards and learning styles
• Reaching out across your multi-cultural juror’s previous conditioning and lack of information about how U.S. business, government, law and even juries work

The Keys to Winning Litigation Now
In an informal, conversational style, with the information laid out in an easy, compelling format, Sonya explains how to

• get and keep jurors’ interest and attention,
• make your material, and yourself as an advocate, more convincing and credible
• relate to juries as a trustworthy, analytical, appealing presenter
• open with new winning, memorable techniques
• make your cases clearer; what it takes to explain today
• ask questions effectively in voir dire, direct and cross.
• help jurors remember and believe any direct and cross
• create and present final arguments most convincingly

Another focus is to give you more effective techniques for voice, body language and personal approaches, even your own image in court.

With today’s cases becoming more technical and complex, you’ll find a special chapter on expert witness testimony— how to prepare your experts, qualify them to jurors, what works to make scientific and technical data clear, logical and persuasive and how to help experts’ evidence survive a hostile cross.

Now What Makes Juries Listen will make you rethink every aspect of the trial from the jurors’ point of view will cause you to understand what else is going on while you’re talking and explaining. And many new approaches are right there to help you reshape some of the things you automatically do.

The Table of Contents
Chapter 1 The Effects of Technology on Today’s Jurors
Chapter 2 Major Generational Differences in Beliefs; Values; Goals; Trust
Chapter 3 Issues Created by Multicultural Differences
Chapter 4 Communication 101 - The Basics of Persuasion; Image in Court
Chapter 5 Making Your Message Visual; Why and How
Chapter 6 Voir Dire - Preparing It; Getting What You Want to Know
Chapter 7 Voir Dire - Presenting It; Kinds of Questions and How to Ask
Chapter 8 Opening Statement - Creating What Today's Jurors Need
Chapter 9 Opening Statement - Delivering Memorable, Effective Openings
Chapter 10 Direct Examination - Witness Preparation; Secrets of Powerful and Memorable Directs
Chapter 11 Cross Examination - How to Make Cross Work for Jurors
Chapter 12 Expert Witnesses - Making Expert Testimony Persuasive; Getting Jurors to Listen and Understand
Chapter 13 Closing Argument: What the Jury Needs; How a Jury Decides: Memorable Closing Techniques; Examples of Winning Arguments
Chapter 14 A Final Word

Here’s what prominent lawyers are saying about the book:
"The reactions of the participants, during the course and on their evaluations, have been very high. The quality of the lectures is what really makes the course and we are so fortunate to have had you participate."

"Sonya Hamlin's latest work on jury performance and success is a must read for any lawyer, plaintiff or defense, who intends to be trying cases in the 21st Century. I've been trying cases to juries for over 30 years and have studied the work of Sonya Hamlin that entire time. This is her best material yet! Her insights about witness preparation, order of proof, exhibit creation, graphics, expert witness testimony, use of computer animations, opening statements and closing arguments-the whole deal-reflect a mastery and understanding of persuasion dynamics that can't be found elsewhere! Just awesome, - couldn't put it down!"

“ Now What Makes Juries Listen documents Sonya Hamlin’s lifetime of experience as the ultimate jury communication expert-- consulting on hundreds of cases, interviewing thousands of jurors and working as a CLE trainer and speaker. Laced with practical advice and illustrated with clear demonstratives, Ms. Hamlin’s book provides unique insights into how today’s multigenerational, diverse, and technology - driven jurors receive and assess information. The many examples of effective communication techniques, from jury selection through final argument, bring a new perspective and approach for even the most experienced trial lawyer. This rare compendium of practical advice and great new ideas for relating to today’s fact finders is a must for every trial lawyer’s library.”

How to Order Now What Makes Juries Listen
Just click on Now What Makes Juries Listen at Thomson West