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800.229.CLE1 (2531)           www.proedgroup.com           12401 Minnetonka Boulevard, Minnetonka, Minnesota 55305-3994

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Faculty

Dominic Gianna

Testimonials

Curriculum Organized by the MacCrate Report Criteria

Fundamental Lawyering Skills

Additional Lawyer Skill Sets

Winning in the Beginning By Winning The Beginning 

Dominic J. Gianna

gianna

To win your case — any case — you must engage and capture the “audience” (jurors, clients, opposing counsel, magistrates, mediators and judges). Our natural intuitive sense tells us that beginnings are critically important. Witness the. . .

  • first minute of a film
  • first scene of a play
  • first sentence of a novel
  • first chapter of a book
  • first 10 seconds of a televised news story
  • newspaper headlines
  • first bars of a melody
  • entrance of the superstar performer
  • first movement of a symphony,
  • first line of a speech.

When delivered effectively, these “firsts” have one common denominator — they engage and capture the audience.

Effective advocacy — in the board room, the negotiation room or the courtroom — requires you to start quick and win fast. Winning in the beginning means winning THE beginning, whether it is your first meeting with opposing counsel; opening position statement in a mediation or arbitration; opening statement in a trial; first minute of a direct or cross examination; or first 30 seconds of a powerful closing argument. Winning the beginning is essential in our contemporary legal system.

Dominic J. Gianna, America’s master of beginnings, and the author of the best selling Opening Statements 2d: Winning in the Beginning by Winning the Beginning (Thomson West 2004), shares the secrets of winning right away.

You will learn 12 dynamic strategies.

  • Use the magic of the 3 Cs;
  • Create visceral and visual messages; 
  • Make a point in 30 seconds or less;
  • Find the “hook” in your message; 
  • Turn the audience your way in the first minute; 
  • Create one minute openings;
  • Use the power of primacy; 
  • Reach the listeners’ minds and hearts; 
  • Grab a jury; 
  • Put your audience in the moment;
  • Make them feel your story; and 
  • Take your listeners (effectively) by the hand.

From verbal to non-verbal communication; from ordering the opening to win liability; from creating the first minute that turns the jury your way; to forging the last 30 seconds that puts your audience in your hands, this program has it all!

Program Outline & Schedule (6 hours)

[Part I: 90 minutes]

Step 1: The Psychology of Winning First

  • Cicero’s Six Maxims of Persuasion
  • Decision Making Theory and Listening Science
  • Motivation — The Magic of the 3 Cs
  • Themes, Theories & Stories
  • Visceral and Visual Communication

[15 minute break]

[Part II: 90 minutes]

Step 2: Creating and Delivering the Message

  • Creating and Delivering the Message
  • How to Make Your Point in 30 Seconds
  • “Tell me a Story” — Drama in Action
  • Delivery, Delivery, Delivery — Touch Me, Feel Me, Move Me
  • Ten Performance Secrets for the Advocate

[Lunch]

[Part III: 90 minutes]

Step 3: Putting “Firsts” Into Practice  — the Power of Primacy

  • Ethical, Powerful and Persuasive Openings
  • Using Ethics, Honesty and Professionalism to Persuade
  • Persuading the Professional — the Art of Speaking “Up”
  • From the First to the Middle — Transitioning to the Heart
  • Power Direct Examinations, Dynamite Crosses, Winning Mediation and Arbitration Statements —Passionate Motion Practice

[15 minute break]

[Part IV: 90 minutes]

Step 4: “This is the End, My Friend”

  • How to Win Every Argument Every Time
  • The Power of Firsts and Lasts
  • Empowerment Principles
  • Crafting the “Million Dollar” Argument
  • How Do They Decide?
  • Tying Winning Beginnings to Dynamite Endings

[Adjourn]

 

 

Unconditional Guarantee
If you are not convinced that your understanding of the course topic has
improved after completion of any P.E.G. seminar, we will refund your course tuition.

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