Archive | Magnus Research

Constant Giving Psychology Away

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 20, 2022

Category: Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Mental Health, Psychology, Small Business Success

I am honored to have been a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) since the early 1980s, when I was in graduate school. The APA is the largest professional organization for psychologists in the world, with over 133,000 members. On the day I am writing this post, I have renewed my APA membership for […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 20, 2022

I have supported Melissa in her giving away psychology efforts for over 35 years. Admittedly, some of the efforts she enumerated hopefully help with business development. But, I agree that when someone has a special skill, talent, or knowledge, there are times when sharing that expertise is somehow warranted by our societal values. I suspect […]

Some Cases Last Longer than Imaginable

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 15, 2022

Category: Business Frustrations, Business Relationships, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

A challenging aspect of our trial consulting work is timing. It is always an issue for us to ramp up when we are engaged for a project. There is lead time in all that we do. Some clients, particularly repeat clients, understand this and call us well in advance of their “need.” Other times it […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 15, 2022

I sincerely hope 10 years will be the longest time between case intake and conducting mock trials! At this point in my life and career, I’m not certain I will be around 10 years from now! The case to which David refers is Magnus’ infamous case #110. As a point of reference, when we finally […]

Altruism & Helping Behaviors

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 13, 2022

Category: Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Psychology

Helping is one component of altruism. Other components are an orientation toward other people, instead of to oneself, and a generally prosocial outlook (as opposed to an antisocial outlook). Most theories of altruism include the component of enhancing other people’s welfare at some cost to oneself (in terms of time, money, etc.). Altruistic people are […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 13, 2022

Category: Common Courtesy, Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Psychology

I was, for a couple of years, a Boy Scout, as well as a Cub Scout prior to the Boy Scouts membership. Though I didn’t stick with Boy Scouts too long because music, band – baritone horn, took over my free time. But, I was a scout long enough to learn about helping others. The […]

Social Psych = Groups = Juries

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 6, 2022

Category: Careers, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Psychology, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Over the years, many people have asked me what makes me qualified to work as a jury/trial consultant. I explain that I have a Ph.D. in social psychology, which is the scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people and situations. Social thinking, social influence, and social behavior are […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 6, 2022

I have certainly learned a lot about social psychology, by osmosis and directly from Melissa, as well as in a graduate course, taken before I had any intent of working in the trial consulting world, that helped me more than I knew it would. It is interesting to explain the principles of psychological science to […]

Herding Cats

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 1, 2022

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Common Courtesy, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Marketing your Business, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants

I am sure most people have heard the expression that something is like “herding cats.” I am sure herding felines would be nearly impossible based on my experience with having 1 in the house. Herding any of our cats, even 1 at a time, is quite a challenge. Even though our Siamese cats know their […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 1, 2022

My job involves herding lots of cats, metaphorically speaking. Not only do I “herd” attorneys, including timing their presentations during mock trials, getting a trial team to work together on trial strategies, and convincing multiple clients to listen to me and follow my advice during jury selection, I herd numerous other cats during my working […]

Almost Like Cheating

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 24, 2022

Category: Jury Behavior, Jury Consultants, Jury Deliberations, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

I keep a list of things clients have said during or after working with us on mock jury research. These tidbits illustrate the eye opening reactions some attorneys have when observing jurors deliberate. One of my favorites was from (now retired) Pete Burkert in Fort Myers, FL. After a series of mock juries, he said, […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 24, 2022

Pete Burkert’s quote is memorable, even after many years have passed. Until his and his partner, Kim Hart’s, retirement, Magnus enjoyed decades of working with these 2 extremely fine attorneys. Mr. Hart had worked with us several times before we worked with his law partner, Mr. Burkert, and Kim called to tell me what Pete […]

Completion Satisfaction

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 10, 2022

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Trial Consulting

I played hooky this morning for a couple of hours in order to complete some tasks on my to do list. These were things that had been lingering at home for some time and I finally had the parts in hand to do the repairs, thanks to a big trip to Home Depot and several […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 10, 2022

Hooray for David in, as I like to say, “gittin’ er dun”! It’s always nice to accomplish tasks on the “to do” list. As David said, our professional lives do not offer the same sense of satisfaction that comes from other people’s jobs. Our work takes a long time to complete, and often, our clients […]

Have Something to Live for

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 8, 2022

Category: Business Frustrations, Business personalities, Careers, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Jury Consultants, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Consultants, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Small Business Success, Trial Consultants, Work-Life

Have something to live for. It doesn’t matter what it is; having a goal or an event to look forward to is enough to keep most people moving ahead, even in times of strife. For some people, the anticipation of their next golf game among friends brings happy thoughts until game day happens. For other […]

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 8, 2022

Having an interest in something or some things that challenge one, or are intrinsically rewarding, is not as difficult to do as perhaps, saving the world from polio or malaria (goals of the Gates Foundation). But, having interests, an outlet for mind and body, is a positive thing. I recently had someone, for whom English […]

Premature Decisions

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 3, 2022

Category: Business Frustrations, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Getting the Job Done, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Litigation Consultants, Litigation Research, Litigation Tips, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Trial Consultants, Trial Consulting

Several recent client/case events prompted this post. My biased view of litigation is that it is best done when as much input (a.k.a. data) is considered. This includes data from various experts, but also data from mock juries used to evaluate the risks of litigation. The first example is with a case that settled prior […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 3, 2022

I prefer things to be done in an orderly, not a chaotic, manner. When I make a decision about whether or not a particular person will be a “good” juror for a client’s case, I don’t merely look at the person and say, “Yeah, that one looks pretty good to me.” Instead, my decisions regarding […]

Business as Usual

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On October 27, 2022

Category: Business Frustrations, Employment, Getting the Job Done, Getting Through Life and Work, Jury Consultants, Jury Research, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Research, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Small Business Success, Travel, Trial Consultants

Business as usual is a phrase that typically means “everything is normal.” Except that, sometimes, it is not. And sometimes, it is normal in one place, not another. Because our work happens in the trial venue, we have to adapt to what is happening there. It might be normal there, and not here. An example, […]

Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On October 27, 2022

Although I have not lived full time in Fort Myers since soon after my high school graduation in 1976, it will always be “home” to me. My family came to Fort Myers from Wakulla County, Florida in the 1920s, almost 100 years ago. The images of many local landmarks and some of my favorite places […]

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Archive | Magnus Research

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Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

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