Storytelling to Yes!
Breaking Impasse in Negotiation & Mediation
Presented by Robert A. Creo, Esq.
Word Power Unleashed by Storytelling
Lawyers speak. This is true even in an age dominated by electronic communications.
3 Substantive CLE Credits
Litigators prize the art of public speaking. Effective litigators convey information in a vivid and compelling fashion. Litigators are a mix of public servants, civic leaders, stand-up comedians, scouts, and moral guides in the pursuit of justice for their clients. Transactional lawyers must rely almost solely on the power of language, especially the spoken word, to convey meaning and persuade others. Transactional lawyers have no forum to force another party into a deal—they negotiate successfully or walk away from any potential deal.
Oral communication is replete with short-cuts. Stories, parables, metaphors, and similes are basic ways to transmit intent and meaning. Stories convey common values, beliefs, vulnerabilities, and community expectations and norms. Stories are an effective way to break negotiation impasse. Storytelling is an invaluable skill for advocates and mediators.
Workshop Format
3-7 hours with interactive lecture and demonstrations and participation from the stage. Each participant crafts and tells one 3-5 minute story from the stage.
Workshop Topics and Skill Building
- Neuroscience; Hardwiring; Human Behavior
- Aligning Identity, Affiliation & Connection of Disputants with Story
- Psychological Effects, Traps, & Pitfalls Countered by Storytelling
- Structure of Stories (not lecture, sermon, debate, or dialogue)
- Goals, Objectives, Disrupting Dominant Narratives
- Content of Stories (Persuasion Story Lines, Themes; Stakes)
- Connecting Storyteller and Listener
- Equal Status Dynamics & Insights
- Ending the Story: ChoicePoints & Transformation Pathways
- When: Delivery Timing
- Setting the Stage
- Who? The Listeners
- Proceeding with Permission
- Disclaimers
- Delivery Dynamics
- Toggling the Impact
Course Deliverables
- Greater confidence in lawyers and mediators as storytellers
- Enhance understanding of triggering empathy
- Enhance agility as negotiator or mediator
- Nuts & Bolts of Effective Storytelling