How Trial Attorneys Can Use the 3 Modes and the 6 Revelations to Win in Court

This is the sequel to, “When Words Become Action: The Physical Power of Speech in the Courtroom.”

I. Using the 3 Shapes or Modes in the Courtroom

The three modes give the trial lawyer control over how information enters the jury’s mind. Each serves a different strategic purpose.

1. Lyric – Personal, Inner, Humanizing

When to use it:

• Humanizing your client

• Establishing vulnerable or emotional truths

• Opening a window into the client’s inner world

• Moments requiring compassion or sincerity

What it does for jurors:Lyric speech relaxes defenses, creates empathy, and opens jurors to personal identification.

Examples in court:

• Describing a client’s pain: “Every morning, he tries to get out of bed… and the pain stops him before his feet even touch the floor.”

• Humanizing a plaintiff: “She told me once that all she wanted was to walk her daughter to school again.”

Strategic value:Lyric mode activates emotional connection, which increases jurors’ willingness to see your client as a real human being—someone worth protecting.

2. Epic – Clear, Objective, Storytelling

When to use it:

• Opening statements

• Reconstructing events

• Providing timelines and spatial clarity

• Exhibits, reconstructions, and sequence of events

• Cross-examining with fact-based questions

What it does for jurors:Epic mode organizes facts into visual, memorable stories, which help jurors recall key details during deliberations.

Examples in court:

• Setting the scene in opening: “At 7:12 a.m., the defendant’s truck entered the intersection. Traffic was light. The sun had just risen over the storefronts.”

• On cross: “You were traveling north. The light was red. The crosswalk was occupied. Correct?”

Strategic value:Epic mode builds credibility and gives the jury a clear mental map of events—critical for persuading the “logical” jurors on the panel.

3. Dramatic – Relational, Confrontational, Dynamic

When to use it:

• Cross-examination confrontation

• Impeachment

• Highlighting contradictions

• Delivering high-impact moments in closing

• Showing the stakes and moral weight of the case

What it does for jurors:Dramatic mode generates energy, tension, and the feeling that something important is happening right now.

Examples in court:

• Cross-examining a dishonest witness: “You knew the danger. You saw the warning signs. And you ignored them, didn’t you?”

• Closing argument peak moment: “If we tolerate this conduct—if we let this go—then justice means nothing.”

Strategic value:Dramatic mode releases power and decisiveness, making your key moments unforgettable.

II. Using the 6 Revelations in Trial Advocacy

The six revelations are emotional-gestural undercurrents that shape the tone behind the words. Trial lawyers can wield them to subtly guide jurors’ inner responses.

1. Pondering / Reflective

Use for:

• Leading jurors into careful consideration

• Introducing reasonable doubt

• Asking them to “look again” at evidence

• Walking them through a delicate inference

Example: “Look at this one moment—the moment he hesitates. This… is where everything changes.”

Effect:Invites jurors to think with you.

2. Sympathetic

Use for:

• Establishing rapport with jurors

• Describing injuries, losses, hardships

• Speaking to a vulnerable witness

Example: “She did everything a reasonable person could do.”

Effect:Creates warmth and increases likability of attorney and client.

3. Antipathic

Use for:

• Expressing disapproval of defendant’s conduct

• Distancing your client from wrongdoing

• Highlighting corporate indifference or recklessness

Example: “They didn’t care. Not one bit.”

Perfect for Admissions by conduct or silence: Plaintiff is suing his former employer – corporation – after long-term exposure to a harmful chemical caused leukemia. Defendant denies both that (1) the chemical was unsafe and that (2) it knew there was any special danger caused by exposure to the chemical. Plaintiff seeks to offer into evidence a report which was compiled by Defendant to a federal agency detailing the harmful effects of the chemical. Because the report is inconsistent with the defendant’s denials at trial, the report will be admissible as an adoptive admission by Defendant.

Effect:Creates healthy moral distance between jury and opposing party.

4. Love

Use for:

• Affirming your client's dignity

• Showing the value of a life, relationship, or loss

• Describing something precious that was taken away

Example: “He lived for his children. Every decision he made was for them.”

Effect:Builds moral worth, making damages feel justified.

5. Fear of the Soul / Spiritual Indifference

Use for:

• Highlighting dangers, risks, or negligence

• Demonstrating the stakes if jurors fail to act

• Summoning a sense that something important is at risk

Example: “If this conduct continues unchecked, someone else will get hurt.”

Effect:Creates urgency and vigilance.

6. Wonder

Use for:

• Opening statements to capture attention

• Describing shocking evidence or revelations

• Closing argument to elevate the meaning of the verdict

Example: “When you look at the evidence, it’s astonishing how clear the truth really is.”

Effect:Inspires elevated attention and gives the case a larger, more meaningful frame.

III. How They Work Together to Win

Openings

• Use Wonder to set the stage

• Use Epic to build the story

• Use Sympathetic to humanize key players

• Use Lyric when expressing inner truths of your client

Cross-Examination

• Use Dramatic for confrontation

• Use Antipathic to show moral distance

• Use Reflective when isolating contradictions

Closing Arguments

• Begin with Epic clarity, lead into Lyric empathy, peak with Dramatic force, and end with Wonder or Love (depending on damages vs. justice frame).

IV. Why This Wins Cases

These tools allow a trial attorney to:

• Control emotional tone and jury perception

• Make key information memorable

• Build credibility and likability

• Create moments of impact, tension, and meaning

• Align the jury emotionally with their client

• Move the jury through a structured persuasive arc

Put simply: Jurors don’t just remember what you said; they remember how you made them feel. The 3 Modes and 6 Revelations strategically shape that feeling.