{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2Fbebe7e16-8d90-4c41-b25b-a7dfcc460418","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"69 \u2013 David Koechner \u2013 Hit Your WHAMMY! The Power of Storytelling","description":"In this Trial Lawyer Nation podcast, Michael Cowen and his Director of Marketing and Business Development Delisi Friday are joined by a VERY unique guest – David Koechner! David is a Hollywood actor and comedian who has starred in over 190 films and TV shows. He is best known for his roles as Todd Packer from \u201cThe Office\u201d and Champ Kind from \u201cAnchorman\u201d and \u201cAnchorman 2.\u201d You may be wondering how David has any connection to attorneys, but we assure you this episode is full of timely advice for trial lawyers and is just what we need to hear right now. The trio will discuss David\u2019s path to success and his advice for presenting to an audience (think: the jury) both in person and through a screen.\nThe episode begins with Michael briefly explaining the premise of this special episode. He explains how David comes from the TV/film world, and lawyers are now having to adjust from a live audience to an audience through Zoom. He shares how he\u2019s excited to \u201clearn how to communicate with other human beings through a screen,\u201d or a jury spread out across a stadium or convention center for socially distant in-person trials.\nMichael then asks David about his background and how he got into acting. David shares how he grew up in a small town in Missouri and began working for his father\u2019s turkey coop manufacturing business at the age of 7, something he says instilled a strong work ethic in him from a young age. Being from a small town, David had no idea acting was a possibility for him having never met an actor himself. So, he decided to attend college with a political science major where he realized in his third year that \u201cTo be in politics, you either need to come from a political family, you\u2019re incredibly wealthy, or you\u2019re the smartest person in any room you walk into. I was none of those things.\u201d He then dropped out of college and worked three jobs until he visited Chicago to attend a \u201cSecond City\u201d performance and realized, \u201cThis is it. This is what I\u2019m going to do.\u201d\nFrom that moment on, David spent the next 9 years on stage at least 4 nights a week, putting in his \u201c10,000 hours\u201d and citing the book https://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017930 (Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell) until he made it onto Saturday Night Live. Michael aptly compares this to up-and- coming trial lawyers – you have to try a lot of small cases before you get a shot at the big ones. They follow with an insightful discussion of the role of \u201cluck\u201d in being successful, which David believes is \u201creally about hard work, isn\u2019t it?\u201d\nThey then move onto the topic on everybody\u2019s mind right now – How do you effectively communicate with a jury when you\u2019re either wearing a mask or limited to a screen? David recognizes the challenges of doing so, but emphasizes that the most important thing is always your connection to the story. He believes that is the compelling part of any presentation – whether in the courtroom or through a TV screen.\nDavid continues with his recommendations for preparing to present while wearing a face mask. He suggests that lawyers preparing for an in-person trial in the COVID era start observing other people wearing face masks wherever they go. He explains how you can easily tell if someone is calm and purposeful, or agitated by looking at their body language.\nDelisi then explains that Michael is going to be conducting voir dire in a football stadium in his upcoming trial. She asks David for advice on how to use your body in a venue that big to make everybody feel included. David suggests that Michael purposefully look at every single person he\u2019s addressing, think about where his words will land, and pace around as he speaks so everyone feels included in the conversation. He also shares a very insightful strategy he uses when preparing for a show in a new venue, which will be helpful to every lawyer listening in fut...","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/80de4db6-da18-41b8-9643-156c5d06db25/tln-logo-itunes-1400.jpg"}