How Figurative Language Makes Complex Ideas More Persuasive

Words matter—but the right analogy, metaphor, or story can transform a difficult conversation. In mediation, negotiation, and legal advocacy, figurative language helps simplify complex concepts, reduce emotional resistance, and create opportunities for understanding and resolution. Join Hon. Jamie Jacobs-May (Ret.) as she explores how lawyers and neutrals can strategically use figurative language to communicate more effectively, build rapport, and overcome common barriers to settlement. Drawing on examples from mediation, judicial opinions, and persuasive advocacy, Judge Jacobs-May will demonstrate how carefully crafted metaphors and analogies can reframe entrenched positions, help parties process emotionally charged disputes, and move negotiations forward.

Attendees will gain practical techniques for incorporating figurative language into mediations, settlement negotiations, client counseling, and courtroom advocacy while learning when these tools enhance persuasion—and when they may undermine it.

Participants will learn how to:

• Use metaphors, analogies, and other forms of figurative language to explain complex legal concepts more clearly.
• Reframe emotional and positional conflicts during mediation to promote productive dialogue.
• Recognize opportunities to use figurative language to break impasse and encourage movement in negotiations.
• Draw lessons from effective uses of figurative language by judges, including U.S. Supreme Court justices.
• Avoid common pitfalls, including clichés, mixed metaphors, and language that may confuse or alienate an audience.