SUBTEXTsubtext to your inner self. In a sense, you will be using the Method
to convince yourself of something. A successful trial lawyer I
talked to summed this up very succinctly:
"When I was in college, I was on the debating team. I remember
one debate where I had a fantastic edge over my opponent. I
knew all the facts. I knew how to present them in logical and
impressive order, and halfway through the debate it became appar-
ent that my opponent was not really as well prepared as I was. I
was filled with a quiet sense of confidence. I knew I couldn't
lose, and I didn't.
"Now, when I'm making my final plea to the jury, I remember
that moment, recall it vividly, and I can dredge up that same air
of confidence, of certainty in my conviction. It works. Believe
me. The subtext of my delivery becomes very impressive and
convincing!"
Lawyers often rely heavily on empathy. They want a jury to
empathize with them and with their client. It is a well-known
fact that, taking the same words from a transcript, two different
lawyers can ask the same questions or deliver the same speech
and yet send very different subtexts to the jury.
Another very successful lawyer told me, "My secret is empathy.
Not only do I try to get the jury to empathize with me and
my client, but I also empathize with them. I put myself in their
place, and by doing that I understand how they will react to me.
That's why I try to get as much information about the jury mem-
bers as I can during the initial interviews. I want to see if they'll
empathize with my client, sure, but it's also so I can empathize
with them." In other words, she knows what subtext to send
out.
I once had an opportunity to talk to Lily Tomlin after she had