Silver Bullet

I'm currently in a time of noting various phases of my work history and I ran across this story in my life.  The term "Silver Bullet" was used in reference to my work on pending legal cases.  Several lawyers used the term as a result of my involvement in several of their cases.

I had worked on several legal cases to create presentations in video form for the purpose of settlement negotiations.  As a strategist and brand communicator, I was asked to apply those skills to create an effective summary of the issues with pertinent facts that would help the case to settle prior to the trial starting. (These were multi-million dollar cases.)

The lawyers planned to use their legal approach while my presentation was to get to the "heart" of the issue.  My personal goal was to cut through the volumes of legal paperwork to clearly communicate the issue, who it affected, what really occurred, and the result that was needed by the other party to resolve the case.

When settlement discussions began and the lawyers showed the presentation which I had produced, I was told that the opposition was moved beyond measure.  The gravity of the issue was communicated along with the urgency to move to a decision between the parties.  The comments made in the settlement meetings were statements like, "If this is what you have for settlement discussions, we don't want to see what you will prepare for trial.  We feel compelled to settle now," and "There's no way we can win if this is what you will be conveying."

At the settlement table, checks were written on the spot and full settlement fees were agreed upon by both parties.  With the swift resolution in the cases involved, the lawyers told me that they felt they had to keep their secret of success to themselves.  They didn't want other firms to use their secret.  It was at that time that they called me their secret "Silver Bullet" and they needed to keep that secret for their cases.  

Moral of the story.  Many times, it is better to get down to the focused message with the simple facts and enable emotion to drive the message by including the people most affected.  Moving people to action occurs when the message is concise. (That's actually the origin of a branding message.)

What determines the results?  PEOPLE.  Encourage people to agree to the perspective that is honorable, fair, and equitable for both parties.  Show them the truth and it will prevail.

I am not a lawyer nor do I speak in "lawyer speak."  I simply have provided common sense materials from the facts in cases for lawyers to use, so they can resolve their cases successfully.