I'm Cliff Atkinson.
I spent 20 years teaching lawyers to turn a screen into a campfire that gathers jurors round to think as one, for weeks at a time.
Now I'll show you how to turn your screens into a pod of people that holds you, for life.
What I do
I transform media from passive to sociable.
Twenty years ago, my first book Beyond Bullet Points introduced the evolutionary idea that anyone could transform a PowerPoint screen from being a boring teleprompter to a persuasive cinematic backdrop.
The legendary trial attorney Mark Lanier invited me to apply the concept to a big trial, where we turned the courtroom screen into a campfire that gathered 12 strangers to think as one.
He won a $253 million verdict, and Fortune magazine called our work "frighteningly powerful."
Since then, I've worked on 150+ cases, helping my clients win even bigger verdicts including a $5 billion antitrust verdict.
Over my decades working on high-stakes cases, I realized what we were doing in a courtroom to transform a passive screen into a sociable experience was powerful but only temporary, and has much broader implications for our world.
That through-line has led me through decades of research leading to the next stage of my work: showing you how to turn your screens into a pod of people that holds you for life.
What clients say
"Cliff, I just wanted to say a big thank you to you. Your presentation was spot on and fantastic!" — Kristin G. Hamlin, Vice President, Wells Fargo
"Our members are still talking about the great workshop." — Christina Busso, Executive Director of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, DC
"Cliff is stinking amazing!" — Mark Lanier, Trial Attorney with $20 billion in verdicts
I'm the author of evolutionary works on communication, persuasion and human performance
Beyond Bullet Points: The visual storytelling classic, 125,000+ copies, translated into a dozen languages, named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon.
By Cliff Atkinson: My central project hub where you can access my articles, video podcasts, pamphlets, books and more. Visit https://www.sociablemedia.com
The Missing Membrane: The online pamphlet that introduces our dormant biology of belonging and a pathway to reactivate it, one pod at a time. Visit www.themissingmembrane.com
The Survival of the Closest: The online book that gathers groups of 6 readers round a new campfire to tell our billion-year storyline of belonging, and to find our place in its thrilling through-line. Visit www.survivaloftheclosest.com
About Me
I hold a B.A. from Baylor University and an MBA from Richmond, The American International University in London. I served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, and have lived in 32 places across the world. I'm currently living between Dallas and Montreal with my husband, Louis.
Ready to talk?
Whether you're preparing for trial, building a high-performance leadership team, or curious about what I teach, let's have a conversation.
