What Do Steve Rogers, Steve Jobs, and I Have in Common?
None of us ever won people over with data dumps.
Captain America didn’t inspire anyone by reciting battle statistics. He led from the front with a great backstory and the iconic look.
Steve Jobs didn’t launch the iPhone with a spreadsheet. He gave the best keynotes that touched our heartstrings. Oh, and one more thing.
And I certainly didn’t win cases, clients, or buy in from my team by quoting statutes. And you probably do not either.
We all tell stories. Since ancient humans gathered in a cave or around a fire, we have told stories. We are storytelling people, and many people a lot smarter than I am will say that language and storytelling are what truly make us human.
But here’s the part most lawyers miss when they hear “tell better stories.” This is not about being dramatic. It’s about being understood.
Great Stories Start With Tension
Great stories don’t start with facts.
They start with tension.
Someone, a specific person or anthropomorphized thing if you’re Pixar, wants something.
Something is in the way.
And the outcome matters.
That’s it.
Lawyers skip this and jump straight to conclusions, citations, and caveats. The human brain checks out long before the point lands.
How I Learned This the Hard Way
As you may know, I was a mock trial junkie during undergrad and law school. I walked into fake court armed with great law, perfect evidence arguments, and usually zero emotion or concern for anything else.
I lost rounds I should have won. Not because anything I did was clearly wrong, but because without that emotional hook, no one cared and I was not memorable.
During our end of year banquet my first year, a 3L pulled me aside and said there was only one thing holding me back. I was an egotistical asshole. I am not sure she used those exact words, but they were true. It took me 45 minutes to go from “this is the pot calling the kettle black” to “but she’s 100 percent right about me.”
That actual concern for how I was acting and how it negatively impacted others helped me turn it around and become not an asshole. At least hopefully.
How This Applies Everywhere Lawyers Talk
Yeah, yeah, yeah, plenty of lawyers are jerks. If you are here, you are not one or you are trying not to be one, so let’s get some better stories into your life.
In Court
Start with the human moment before the legal one. Let the jury know who this client is and what’s at stake before you explain why it is legal, illegal, a crime, etc.
With Clients
Clients don’t want to see your processes. They want a narrative. Where are we now, what could go wrong, and how does this usually end?
With Employees
Your team doesn’t need a mission statement on the wall that no one cares about. They need to know what story they are part of and whether this chapter is better than the last one. Pro tip: share client stories and positive outcomes with them.
In Marketing and Referrals
No one remembers “I handle personal injury cases.”
They remember a short story where a real person went through something terrible and you made it better, ethically.
Ferris Bueller didn’t get Cameron to take his dad’s car with a PowerPoint slideshow.
Wrapping It Up
You’re not telling a story yet.
Steve Rogers made people follow him because he showed them who they could be.
Steve Jobs made people care by showing them what life could look like with Apple products.
As lawyers, our job is the same.
Show people the story they are already in, how to overcome the challenges, and why the ending matters.
Until then, start one conversation this week with a person, a problem, and why it matters.