Cast of Characters

I've come across quite the cast of characters while working at the DA's office this summer. It has been interesting to see how differently I have to communicate the same message to different people. Here's a list of a few people I've worked with so far.

Character: communication style required

1. Celebrity Hair Stylist victim/witness in a brutal battery: lots of reassuring/understanding language, emotional, repetitive, comforting, drama is expected
2. Police officer witnesses: jokes (usually at someone else' expense) are a good icebreaker, informal, profanity is common, repetitive
3. Investigators who gather our evidence: appreciative, flattering, ready to laugh at a crass joke
4. Secretary in our section: always start by asking about her son and end with a thank you
5. Judge, in court: formal, more concluding and less explaining
6. Judge, in chambers: pretense of informality but still extremely formal
7. Judge, in writing: get to the point quickly, cares less about case law and more about the code of criminal procedure
8. Supervising Attorney: never use more words than necessary, clarify instructions and reiterate your point of view
9. the 70 year old doorman to our building: be ready for advice about women and respond with "I hear ya"

Prior to writing this, I would have assumed that I pick up on these things because I studied the sociology of communication in undergrad. However, I realize that I learned a lot of this from my family. My grandmother taught me to be sweet and polite while my uncle taught me how to hide my true emotions. My dad gave me many life lessons about respecting my elders while hanging out with my older brother and his friends taught me to be one of the guys. Most importantly, my mom taught me that if you want anything from a mother, you have to ask her about children first.