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Finally, jurors will always respond more favorably if our story and our theme are easy tounderstand. “Research has indicated time and time again that our brains have a biasfor simplicity.” 85It is good if our case is simple; it is better if it seems simple. Simplicityisn’t as simple as you might think.Johnny Cochran demonstrated how simplicity sells with a ditty about a glove that didn’tfit. He could have said, “If the glove is too small, OJ is not guilty.” Instead, he used arhyme – “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” That was a great choice based onthe outcome of the trial, and also on what we know from research. In a study conductedat the University of Texas, participants read pairs of aphorisms. The pairs had thesame meanings, but one aphorism rhymed and the other didn’t. Participants wereasked to rate the aphorisms for accuracy – that is, how well “the proverbs stacked upagainst real life?” 86Participants perceived the aphorisms that rhymed as “less cutesyand more genuine.” 87 Participants apparently thought the rhyming versions provided “atruer, more accurate reflection of the way things really are” because they could be“swallow[ed] whole” and digested more quickly. 88So it isn’t enough to keep it simple, and the critics who disparage speeches and writingthat incorporates rhyme and alliteration and similar techniques are overlooking thebenefits of making our words simpler for people to understand and remember. Findinga simple, catchy way to summarize a difficult idea, now that is complicated.85 Dutton, supra note 5 at 162.86 Id. at 164.87 Id.88 Id.40

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