Kenneth W. Davis, at Manage Your Writing, reports on the findings of Robert B. Cialdina, a psychologist who devoted 30 years of research into why people comply with requests. The product of his research is the identification of six human tendencies that foster or lead to compliance with a request, or perhaps agreement with an argument or position. The list includes: (1) reciprocation; (2) consistency; (3) social validation; (4) liking; (5) authority; and, (6) scarcity. Davis goes into more detail in his post regarding these tendencies and I suggest you hit the jump. But to bring distill them into one scenario: you are most likely to get what you are after for if you offer a quid pro quo of a scarce resource to a group of people who have already helped you out in the past and who like you and respect you as an authority figure. Try to pack all that into your next Brief or Motion.

Other than one-off videos and broadcast news channels, are there other ways to get your legal prowess on a screen for the masses to enjoy? Karen Sloan writes at Law.com about the current trend of lawyers using webinars to connect with clients. These presentations, broadcast over the Web, offer clients a direct opportunity to log on, watch and learn from the comfort of their own desk on their own screen.

Besides being a forwarding-thinking use of technology, hosting a webinar offers a significant savings  when compared to flying out for a face-to-face. Saving money is high on the priority list these days. Webinars can include attorneys from disparate offices and clients can be equally as far-flung. They generally consist of slides accompanying the attorneys’ lectures on a particular topic. The slides can be made available to clients for later review. In fact, recording the entire webinar and creating a library can be a valuable asset to both the firm and clients.

The sky is the limit as far as subject matter. Obviously, current events-related topics will likely garner the most interest. Investment scandals, bail-outs and privacy issues related to burgeoning internet use are almost guaranteeed to prick up the ears of clients.

A successful webinar will require the same techniques as a successful seminar presentation. Avoid excessive slides with too much detailed text. Employ an engaging approach. Change up the Power Point slides with flash, images, web-demonstrations and polls. You can improve the odds of a successful webinar by choosing your host wisely and considering a meeting consultant who can advise regarding best practices. One helpful tip I saw was offering the webinar twice to accomodate different time schedules.

I tried to locate a list of preferred webinar hosting sites, but was unable to find a clear recommendation from an objective source. If you have attended a successful webinar, you might consider querying the presenter as to their host.

The webinar will not only save money, it will signal to your clients that you are a forward-thinking advocate.

Or “Patent Law Now” or “Insurance Tips and Tricks?” If you have ever been interested in securing your own 15 (or more) minutes of fame via the broadcast TV medium, Mogulus might be your answer. Mogulus live broadcast is a free turnkey Internet TV service, offering a full featured TV studio. You can broadcast your show on their website or you can embed a broadcast widget on your site.

Attorneys already are using video on their sites to broadcast their message and that makes perfect sense in this visually-oriented society. Applying a broadcast news-style medium to the communication gives the message a familiar, trustworthy news-oriented gloss.

The player widget is flash-based and can include viewer chat. The studio offers live streaming with any USB or DV camera and you can mix multiple cameras and clips in real time and add broadcast graphics. You can stream remotely with a data card or mobile phone, and there is the means for importing YouTube and Media RSS. Check the site for sample broadcasts – they are pretty darn impressive.

Mogulus offers different levels of commitment to their product, with different price points. The entry level is free, which is my favorite number.

Obviously, crafting one’s own broadcast as an adjunct to the practice of law is not for everyone. But, with the forced expansion of the solo population as more and more attorneys are cut free, my thought is that offering a law-related broadcast on one’s site is another great tool for distinguishing your practice from the next guy’s. Who know? 60 Minutes might pick you up as the next Walter Kronkite.

Or “Patent Law Now” or “Insurance Tips and Tricks?” If you have ever been interested in securing your own 15 (or more) minutes of fame via the broadcast TV medium, Mogulus might be your answer. Mogulus live broadcast is a free turnkey Internet TV service, offering a full featured TV studio. You can broadcast your show on their website or you can embed a broadcast widget on your site.

Attorneys already are using video on their sites to broadcast their message and that makes perfect sense in this visually-oriented society. Applying a broadcast news-style medium to the communication gives the message a familiar, trustworthy news-oriented gloss.

The player widget is flash-based and can include viewer chat. The studio offers live streaming with any USB or DV camera and you can mix multiple cameras and clips in real time and add broadcast graphics. You can stream remotely with a data card or mobile phone, and there is the means for importing YouTube and Media RSS. Check the site for sample broadcasts – they are pretty darn impressive.

Mogulus offers different levels of commitment to their product, with different price points. The entry level is free, which is my favorite number.

Obviously, crafting one’s own broadcast as an adjunct to the practice of law is not for everyone. But, with the forced expansion of the solo population as more and more attorneys are cut free, my thought is that offering a law-related broadcast on one’s site is another great tool for distinguishing your practice from the next guy’s. Who know? 60 Minutes might pick you up as the next Walter Kronkite.