I'm Cliff Atkinson.
For 20 years I taught lawyers to turn a courtroom screen into a campfire to gather 12 strangers and find justice.
We are built to burn brightest in a small circle, so pivot your screens and find yours. This is not survival of the fittest; it's survival of the closest.
What I do
I make media sociable.
Twenty years ago, my first book Beyond Bullet Points showed you how to turn PowerPoint from a boring teleprompter into a persuasive cinematic backdrop.
The legendary trial attorney Mark Lanier invited me to apply the concept to a big trial, and we turned the courtroom screen into a campfire to gather 12 strangers and find justice.
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, including a $5 billion antitrust verdict.
Over my decades working on high-stakes cases, I realized what we were doing in a courtroom to help a small group make big decisions was the proof of concept for something bigger.
That led me through years of research and the foundation for the next stage of my work: You are built to burn brightest in a small group, so pivot your screens and choose yours. This is survival of the closest, because the closest are the fittest.
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
Council of Fire: The online pamphlet that shows you how to use your screens to gather a trusted group and create your own council of fire.
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
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.
