Weiss and McGrath did a study and found that people retain information differently dependent upon how they receive the information:
- 10% by hearing the information
- 20% by seeing the information
- 65% by hearing and seeing the information
That is an astounding difference and especially important for litigators. When you combine two forms of communication you end up with something very, very powerful. Imagine what would happen if you combined three or four different forms of communication together to get your point across.
Let’s take a real world example for instance: Harry Potter. Probably one of the most recognizable characters from a book in the world right now. But why is that? If everyone had simply read the books, there would be a plethora of images in people heads of what Harry really looks like. But add to the books the movie which has a real person as the face of Harry Potter and instantly everyone has the same idea of who Harry is. Reinforce that idea with billboards, action figures, board games, video games, fan websites and now you have a brand, a force if you will, that ties it all together.
Technology in the courtroom affords you the same benefits. Tie your case together utilizing a witness’ testimony, a map of the area to give context, an image of the site to focus their attention and even video to put them in the event.
