Archive | Work-Life

Check out his family

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On January 3, 2017

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Consultants, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

When I was growing up in the small town of Fort Myers, Florida, where my family has lived since the 1920s, meeting someone new always involved finding out their parents’ names, which street they lived on, and other details my mom and dad believed were pertinent in deciding whether or not I would be permitted […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On January 3, 2017

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Litigation Consultants, Trial Consulting, Work-Life

I am from the (relatively) big city of Jacksonville. Compared to Ft. Myers in the 60s and 70s, it might as well have been New York! I never had background information on my friends, other than those in a close circle around our family’s church. My junior high and high school was one that attracted […]

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Insights for Success

For many years, Magnus has used “Insights for Success” as a tag line in many of our marketing materials. We have recently reevaluated this concept in the process refining our materials. “Insights for Success” has much meaning, and history, to us. We at Magnus firmly believe that the trial consulting work we do helps clients […]

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As David wrote, “insights for success” has a long history in our company. We have been asked, countless times, for our success rate over the years we have been in business. Although it may appear, on the surface, that measuring our success is an easy task, in reality, defining success has proven to be quite […]

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The Psychology of Litigation

This is a topic I came up with because I’ve been thinking about what is it Melissa and I really do as trial consultants and in our company, Magnus Research. We know what we do, but it is sometimes difficult to come up with ways to explain it. And, especially as we encounter lawyers who […]

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My education and training in social psychology was aimed toward the pursuit of a career in academia. However, experiences in graduate school led me to the realization that I would be more suited for a career in applied social psychology (in the “real world”) than becoming a college professor. My skill set is broad, such […]

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What have you got to lose by doing mock jury research?

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 1, 2016

Category: Business Frustrations, Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Psychology, Trial Consulting, Trial Science, Work-Life, Workplace Technology

Advance warning, this post is positively self serving to our means of earning a living – trial consulting. Every once in a while, and more often than I think it should happen, I hear comments from prospective clients who say something like “my client or my co-counsel doesn’t think doing mock jury research is really […]

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It is a well known social psychological phenomenon that most people prefer schema congruent information over information that is incongruent with their schemata. (The reader is probably asking himself/herself, “What does this mean, in laypersons’ terms?”.) Most people have a certain way of viewing the world that, for them, is more important than reality, the […]

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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

This expression which is the title of this post is credited to English author Charles Caleb Colton’s writing in 1820. I don’t feel flattered. To explain, Melissa and I formed Magnus Research Consultants, Inc. in 1993. We worked hard to come up with a name that fit many criteria we established for our new, nameless, […]

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I respectfully disagree with Mr. Colton about being flattered by imitation. Think about it. Is imitation leather flattering to real leather? Is eating imitation cheese ever a good idea? What exactly is imitation crab imitating? I could go on. When David and I discovered that one of our competitors had copied our name, we were […]

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The Psychology of Medical Malpractice

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On November 17, 2016

Category: Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Psychology, Trial Consulting, Trial Science, Work-Life, Workplace Technology

In the September 2016 Monitor on Psychology, there was an article entitled “Medical Errors are the Third Leading Cause of Death in the United States.” My reaction was “WOW”; it’s hard to believe medical errors are responsible for more deaths than respiratory ailments, strokes, Alzheimer’s Disease and are only surpassed by heart disease and cancer. […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On November 17, 2016

Category: Getting the Job Done, Litigation Tips, Psychology, Trial Consulting, Trial Science, Work-Life, Workplace Technology

Psychologists who have analyzed data from numerous adverse medical situations have identified 5 types of errors that cause medical mistakes: (1) errors of commission; (2) errors of omission; (3) errors of communication; (4) errors of context; and (5) diagnostic errors. The underlying problems that lead to medical errors have been studied by psychologists because many […]

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Working through a hurricane.

Here we go again. Water, check. Gasoline for generators, check. Food-Publix, check (store was packed). Propane for grill, check. Checklist checked, check. More to do, check. The waiting begins. As I’m writing this, a tropical storm watch has been issued for our geographic area – the next 3 days will tell what Hurricane Matthew has […]

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Fortunately, South Florida was spared from a recent hurricane. All of the planning, preparing, and shopping were, thankfully, a huge waste of time, in that nothing more than a little wind and rain came our way. David calculated that we each spent 30 hours, 60 hours between the two of us, and probably 20 to […]

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Confronting Dementia

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 22, 2016

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

Dementia, in its many forms, are ugly diseases. As they attack the brain, they attack the body. And, in doing so, they attack bystanders all around. Family and friends are drawn into the horror of the loved one or friend and seeing the gradual, and sudden, declines that come with these diseases. Sadly, Melissa and […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 22, 2016

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Growing Old is Not for Sissies, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

It is an unarguable fact that the human brain is the most important part of the body and, indeed, what separates people from other mammals. This being the case, it is astounding to me that, although most people hurry to obtain medical care at the first sign of many, relatively minor, medical emergencies (for example, […]

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If you see something, say something

A Point of View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On September 8, 2016

Category: Business Travel, Common Courtesy, Life Outside of Work, Travel, Work-Life

In the brave new world we live in since 9-11-01, we all have extra concerns when traveling, especially flying. Melissa and I were traveling home from client meetings in Atlanta recently when we experienced an event that made the new realities more real than ever. I was seated at the lounge near the gate, waiting […]

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Another View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On September 8, 2016

Category: Business Travel, Common Courtesy, Life Outside of Work, Travel, Work-Life

Although it would have made things simpler to intervene if we had been able to understand what was being said by the man and woman who were fighting in the Atlanta airport, without a doubt, the tone of their voices indicated something was terribly wrong. In addition, their interpersonal violence, in the form of shouting […]

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New friends

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On August 9, 2016

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

I genuinely like people. I am what many people call “a people person.” I gravitate toward people and most people gravitate toward me (with some very notable exceptions, of course!). I have never had any problems making new friends; furthermore, my friends are real, live people, as opposed to a list of names of people […]

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Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On August 9, 2016

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Life Outside of Work, Work-Life

It is interesting how we make friends. It seems to just happen. We don’t go looking for them usually. Making a friend doesn’t happen overnight. I feel fortunate to have made some good friends along the way. Thinking back to how these friendships formed I realize that in addition to Diana, whom Melissa mentioned, my […]

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