Be picturesque

Posted By: je froilan m. clerigo

25-Jan-2008

Before language was invented, psychologists say that humans think in and
relay thoughts by pictures. We simply remember better when we see
pictures and not just hear words; in fact, going further, educators say that
learning about something (such as remembering a testimony in court) will
be much faster when the learner (such as the judge) is made to use more of
his senses during the process, such as sight, smell or touch, rather than just
making him use his sense of hearing.

Have you watched and listened to a witness during a trial and not seem to
understand the testimony because you cannot "see" the scene being
described? Aside from losing the message, the testimony is also so boring
that you wonder whether there is a rule somewhere that examinations
should as much as possible put the judge to sleep.

If you are examining an eye-witness to a vehicular mishap for instance, and

you're prosecuting, you'd want to convey recklessness, overspeeding, and
irresponsibility on the road. You'll not use questions like, "What happened?
(Answer: the car hit a pedestrian); What happened to the pedestrian?
(Answer: he fell); What did you do? (Answer: Nothing); and then, what
happened after that?"

You'd want to use questions that picture fast-paced action: How fast was the
car? Was it blowing its horn? Describe the sound of the horn. What was your
reaction when you heard the horn? Why did the horn catch your attention?
Was the traffic slow or fast? Short, crisp and cadence-like questions,
designed to be answered in equally short and crisp responses will be
effective in conveying this scene.

The more you use words that "picture", the more the examination becomes
interesting, the more it will become understandble, and more important, the
more it will become memorable to the judge. And, all these is good for your
case.