Captivating. Isn’t that a great word?

When someone is captivating, the audience is 100% on their side, and 100% engrossed with whatever it is they are saying. 

Today, you are going to meet "Jess." Jess is on a quest to become more captivating in the courtroom. Jess is a criminal defense lawyer, and her ability to win over a jury can mean the difference between incarceration and freedom.

But here’s the thing—she is a seasoned professional. She’s already good at what she does. But she wants to become truly great.

I loved this conversation because 1) I LOVE it when someone as accomplished as Jess seeks ways to level up, and 2) the dynamics of public speaking and influence in a court room setting are fascinating as you will soon hear. The stakes are high, the content that has to be conveyed is nuanced and complicated, and the audience? Well the audience can range from sophisticated and informed to unsophisticated and deeply uninformed. How on earth do you move an audience that diverse? 

Whether you are interested in courtroom drama or not, you may be able to relate to Jess’ struggle to balance nuance and complexity with the need to communicate with simplicity and emotion. I guarantee you’ll take something useful away from this conversation, that’s how rich it was.

Shine on, my friend.