Special Delivery Part 3: The Four Core Delivery Skills
This is part of a series on special delivery, answering a reader question from Spencer. Read the previous posts here:
Spencer, in the last article we talked about the difference between universal and specialized skills. Today, we’ll examine the big tradeoffs you have to make to develop your unique style. There are four areas where you might cultivate a specialized delivery skill.
Likability - Sympathy
If you’re likable, the judge takes no issue with you. If you have sympathy, the judge adores you.
The judge desperately wants to vote for the master of sympathy.
Credibility - Gravitas
If you’re credible, the judge accepts what you say at face value and doesn’t actively distrust you. If you have gravitas, the judge trusts you so much that presenting evidence feels redundant. You are clearly the expert.
The judge feels like she has no choice but to vote for a master of gravitas.
Approachability - Rapport
If you’re approachable, the judge thinks of you as a relatable person who can understand her. If you have rapport, the judge feels a deep connection that encourages vulnerability. You are on her side.
The judge feels like a vote for the master of rapport is a vote for herself.
Sincerity – Passion
If you’re sincere, the judge thinks that you mean what you are saying and aren’t dishonest. If you’re passionate, you inspire a strong emotion like hope or fear and connect it to your case.
The judge leaves the round fired up over a master of passion’s cause.
All speakers should be competent in likability, credibility, approachability, and sincerity. In other words, these things should not be liabilities for you. Maybe you have tremendous gravitas, but you’re disrespectful in cross-examination and the judge actively dislikes you. Now she’s looking for an excuse to vote against you. Or maybe the judge adores you, but thinks you don’t understand the topic and need more evidence. Not good.
Beyond basic competence, you can build a specialized delivery by focusing on either sympathy, gravitas, rapport, or passion – to the exclusion of the other three.
Next time, we’ll look at how to diagnose your universal skills to make sure they aren’t losing you rounds.