Judge Rinder v Judge Judy

Court room dramas are not a new thing for daytime television. In fact as a child I remember a lunch time programme called “Crown Court” which ran over a week and based on a true story, where a real jury was used to decide the outcome.

Most of us are intrigued by the workings of our judicial process but hope it never happens to us. A court for those not used to the environment, can be daunting and a scary place, steeped in tradition and the higher the court you go, the more “official” it becomes.

The TV courts of today, give an interesting observation of the types of civil cases people bring against one another. Some make sense, others bizarre! Usually all result from a breakdown in communication and the “Im right – you’re wrong” statement.

The reason I like watching them, is to observe human behaviour and how courts run, this could benefit how we are in everyday life. We all create “story” around what we experience, see, observe and do. Most of the time we are spot on but there are times when we “add” to a story or “create” other meanings sometimes for our own gain, but mostly as a protection to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

If you look at how both TV Judges work (and any Judge for that matter) they work on cold factual evidence – Judge Rinder almost purrs when he has paperwork in front of him to clarify a murky “he said – she said” argument.

The same can be applied when I work with clients (only a little less formal) I will often ask, when an issue unfolds, “what’s the evidence that she/he did that?” and more importantly “what have you personally made this mean?”

Once you start to break down the issue new light is the shed and new possibilities can start to come out. The major difference between coaching and a court is with coaching there is a positive outcome for you, those around you and your future.